Joy to the World
by Dave Woehrle
Sometimes pop songs become so
ingrained into our collective cultural psyche that we forget that
such tunes actually had to be written at some point. In other words,
we need to remember that every song, no matter how familiar, didn't
exist until it did. Of course, that's a No-Duh comment, but one must step back and think about where certain songs came from.
The oldies radio station staple “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night is a perfect example. We've all sung along to this hit from 1971. But one has to wonder about the origin of the tune.
I like to imagine such scenarios. What kind of discussion took place for this pop song to occur? Three Dog Night's Hoyt Axton wrote the song. But how did he introduce the song to his band?
The oldies radio station staple “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night is a perfect example. We've all sung along to this hit from 1971. But one has to wonder about the origin of the tune.
I like to imagine such scenarios. What kind of discussion took place for this pop song to occur? Three Dog Night's Hoyt Axton wrote the song. But how did he introduce the song to his band?
I imagine Axton saying, “Hey guys. I wrote this new thing. Let me play it for you. It's good stuff.”
He sings the first verse: “Jeremiah
was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine / Never understood a single
word he said, but I helped him drink his wine / And he always had
some mighty fine wine.”
The other band members are mystified. Some questions surely arose. The first verse concerns
getting intoxicated with an amphibian. I mean, that's certainly a
first.
Some questions I imagine being asked at this juncture: how does one befriend a frog? And how does one know the frog's name is Jeremiah? If you can't understand a single word he says, then how did the identification process take place? Are there frogs with better diction that you converse with? And what do you mean by “good friend”? Do you have other, less-loved frog friends? And you drank “his” wine? How does a bullfrog drink wine? And where does he acquire it? How big was the bottle? And when you helped him in consuming the wine, what was the ratio of intake? Was the frog able to safely hop home? And if Jeremiah “always had some mighty fine wine,” then clearly you've gotten drunk with him on several occasions, so what was the fine wine? A nice swampy, pinot noir?
Some questions I imagine being asked at this juncture: how does one befriend a frog? And how does one know the frog's name is Jeremiah? If you can't understand a single word he says, then how did the identification process take place? Are there frogs with better diction that you converse with? And what do you mean by “good friend”? Do you have other, less-loved frog friends? And you drank “his” wine? How does a bullfrog drink wine? And where does he acquire it? How big was the bottle? And when you helped him in consuming the wine, what was the ratio of intake? Was the frog able to safely hop home? And if Jeremiah “always had some mighty fine wine,” then clearly you've gotten drunk with him on several occasions, so what was the fine wine? A nice swampy, pinot noir?
I imagine lots of shaking heads, the
drummer saying, “So, Hoyt, man, like you have to stop getting
shitcanned at ponds. This is getting weird.”
Then the incongruity of the subsequent chorus adds another dimension of confusion: “Joy to the world / to all the boys and girls / joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea / joy to you and me.”
Questions: Yes, I agree giving joy to the world is good for boys and girls, but are fish really the next in line? Are mammals exempt? And do the fish have to be salt water fish? Are bluegills not worthy of joy? You have this aquatic theme going here, frogs and fish. And when you say “joy to you and me,” are we still referring to Jeremiah, the bullfrog? What kind of joy is being achieved between you two?
The bassist chewed his nails. He asked, “Are you okay, Hoyt? This is getting vaguely Charles Manson-ish. Wine, frogs, worldly proclamations of joy, I mean, I just worry sometimes, man.”
Then Axton sang the second verse: “If I were the king of the world, tell you what I'd do / I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war / and make sweet love to you.”
Questions: So if you were king of the world, you'd berid us of cars, bars, and wars? Are cars, bars, and wars all equally evil? Was the Korean War as bad as a Buick or a tavern? I mean, did you get a DUI in a war zone or something? And who are you making sweet love to? Jeremiah? Really? Let me get this straight: in order to properly get off while fucking a frog, you need to become king and destroy automobiles, drinking establishments, and martial conflicts?
The lead guitarist said, “We're not doing this song, Hoyt. No goddamn way. This shit is like the ramblings of a horny and disturbed marine biologist pacifist.”
And Axton had yet a third verse, a comparatively more sensible one: “You know I love the ladies, love to have my fun / I'm a high life flyer and a rainbow rider / A straight shootin' son-of-a-gun, I said a straight shootin' son-of-a-gun.”
Questions: Does Jeremiah know about these other ladies? Are these ladies you love aware of your questionable, lily pad humping past? And how can you be both a rainbow rider and a straight-shooting son-of-a-gun? Did you see yourself as John Wayne on acid or something?
The rest of the band was speechless and bewildered at the end of the song. They saw no future in “Joy to the World” other than maybe evidence in a courtroom after Axton finally loses all his marbles.
But Hoyt Axton was a persistent, visionary songwriter. He knew he'd written a gem. He knew what society needed – drunk bullfrogs and joy – even if society didn't know it yet. And he was right. “Joy to the World” was certified gold, selling over a million copies, after two months on the airwaves. Billboard Magazine ranked “Joy to the World” the #1 pop song of 1971. Think about that.
The moral of this story: always bring booze to bodies of water and let the muses take you where they may. And don't let anyone tell you you're crazy. Hell, Lady Gaga may be working on a song about doing blow with squirrels. It'll be called “Going Nutz” (featuring 2 Chainz).
