City of New Orleans (song)

City of New Orleans is a folk song written by Steve Goodman, describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans via the Illinois Central Railroad in bittersweet and nostalgic terms. Goodman got the idea while traveling on the eponymous train for a visit to his wife's family. He performed the song for Arlo Guthrie in the Quiet Knight, a bar in Chicago, and Guthrie agreed to add it to his repertoire. The song was a hit for Guthrie on his 1972 album Hobo's Lullaby, and is now more closely associated with him, although Goodman performed it until his death in 1984. The song has also been covered by Willie Nelson, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Hank Snow, Gerard Cox, Rudi Carell and others.

Willie Nelson version

Steve Goodman won a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1984 for Willie Nelson's version, which was included on his 1984 album of the same name. It reached #1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in the United States and the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.

Chart positions

Covers

In 1972, Joe Dassin recorded a French version of the song (though lyrics have no connection whatsoever with the original) on the album Joe, under the title “Salut les amoureux”. Dassin sings the last line of the chorus a fourth lower than the original on a conventional IV-V-I chord progression.

The Dutch singer Gerard Cox recorded a version of the song with summer-themed lyrics under the title ′t Is......
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