Great artists steal, they say. And so Billy Joe Royal’s 1965 hit (Billboard #9) “Down in the Boondocks” shamelessly lifted the scratch guitar lick opening from Gene Pitney’s recording of the Bacharach/David song “Twenty-four Hours From Tulsa” from a couple of years before.
The song’s theme, a boy of lower socioeconomic status is troubled by his circumstances, which carry over to his relationship with a girl, was common in popular song of the day. Think of the Four Seasons’ “Dawn” (1963), or Johnny Rivers’ “Poor Side of Town” (1966).
Billy Joe Royal never had as big a hit again, though he came close with “Cherry Hill Park” (Billboard #15) in 1969. He continued recording for many years, with several songs registering on the country charts in the 1980s.
The verse pitches up a half-step at 1:27.
modulationoftheday.home.blog 