Why Three Dog Night’s Danny Hutton Regretted the Title of ‘Joy to the World’
One of the most famous classic rock songs of the early 1970s is Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World.” During an interview, Three Dog Night’s Danny Hutton discussed his feelings about the song. He said he wished the song had a different name.
Three Dog Night’s Danny Hutton was asked to name his favorite song by his band
During an interview with WTOP News, Hutton was asked to name his favorite Three Dog Night songs. Hutton was unable to do that. He said this was akin to naming a favorite child.
“We went into the Abbey Road Studios and recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra so we have a symphony album,” Hutton said. “Larry Baird, the conductor for The Moody Blues, did all the charts and they’re spectacular. If you do a show like that, the songs completely change as far as which songs I like, so it all depends on what kind of venue we’re playing. Obviously, the one that the crowd loves is ‘Joy to the World’ so I like that simply because I know the audience is going to love it.”
Danny Hutton said Three Dog Night’s ‘Joy to the World’ should have had this title
“Joy to the World” opens with the famous line “Jeremiah was a bullfrog.” “It should’ve been called that because ‘Joy to the World’ is a Christmas song,” Hutton told the Atlanta Business Chronicle. “We released two other singles first off the album, but we got all these requests from DJs. It exploded. I think it sold 10 million singles.”
Hutton discussed his feelings about the song after singing it numerous times. “People always ask, ‘Do you ever get tired of singing that?'” he revealed. “Never. The rapport between us and the audience is amazing.”
The way the world reacted to ‘Joy to the World’
“Joy to the World” became a massive hit for Three Dog Night. It lasted on the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks. It spent six of those weeks at No. 1. “Joy to the World” appeared on the album Naturally. Naturally reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 64 weeks.
“Joy to the World” became popular in the United Kingdom too. According to The Official Charts Company, the song reached No. 24 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for nine weeks. Meanwhile, Naturally did not make any impact on the U.K. chart.
Major singers like Little Richard and Hilary Duff covered “Joy to the World.” Notably, Mariah Carey performed a medley of Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World” and the Christmas carol of the same name on her album Merry Christmas. “Joy to the World” remains a classic 1970s hit even if Hutton dislikes its title.
