After seeing my post about George Strait‘s “Amarillo by Morning,” longtime roadie Becky Ransom alerted me of another hit song that prominently mentions the Texas Panhandle’s largest city.
It is Tony Christie‘s “(Is This the Way to) Amarillo,” a worldwide hit in 1971 for the British singer. It was co-written by Neil Sedaka.
The song also enjoyed a second life a few years ago when it was featured in a skit on the United Kingdom television program “Comic Relief” and jumped to No. 1 on the UK charts. Do a search on YouTube for the song title and “Comic Relief,” and you’ll find scads of videos.
Here’s Christie in 1971 performing that tune, on “Top of the Pops”:
I confess I’d never heard the song until Becky told me about it. But it’s dang good. It reminds me of Tom Jones backed by a big horn section.
Interestingly, Christie had never visited Amarillo until 2005. The Amarillo Globe-News interviewed him shortly before his arrival:
“I’m thrilled to be coming,” Christie said Monday while taking a break from touring. “I’ve been around the world a couple of times on that song, but I’ve never been (to Amarillo). People are always asking me what it’s like in Amarillo, and now I’ll be able to tell them.”
The Globe News later reported that Christie made a one-day stop, where he picked up a cowboy hat and boots.
Hansen said the diminutive Brit might not look like he would fit into Western wear, but he took to it right away.
“He loved it,” Hansen said. “He enjoyed every minute of being in the store. He looks very much the Western part. He looks like a Texan now.”
Christie’s affinity for Western wear should come as no surprise, considering his upbringing, which left him with an appreciation for westerns and a few misconceptions about the area.
“We’ve been brought up on cowboy films,” Christie said. “I actually expected to see cactus everywhere when I got here.”