It's a Long Way There
"It's a Long Way There" is a song by Australian band Little River Band, released in August 1976 as the band's debut international single and in October 1976 as the third single from the group's self-titled studio album. The song peaked at number 35 on the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart, and peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band's first top 40 hit in the United States.
| "It's a Long Way There" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dutch 7" picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Little River Band | ||||
| from the album Little River Band | ||||
| B-side | "Time to Fly" / "Meanwhile" | |||
| Released | August 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 4:16 (single version) 8:39 (album version) | |||
| Label | EMI Music / Harvest | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Graham Goble | |||
| Producer(s) | Glenn Wheatley, Little River Band | |||
| Little River Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Written by Graeham Goble in 1972,[1] the song was inspired by his regular trips from Melbourne to visit his family in Adelaide.[2] The song was initially performed by Goble's earlier band Mississippi, which included three subsequent members of Little River band: Goble, Beeb Birtles and Derek Pellicci.[3] Ric Formosa played lead guitar, Glenn Shorrock sang lead vocals, with Goble and Birtles providing harmonies.[4]
Reception edit
Cash Box magazine said "A haunting string introduction gives way to some funky rock and roll in this fully realised single from the Little River Band. A trifle long for AM play, this should definitely break through on the progressive FM side. The harmonies are deep and rich."[5]
Billboard (magazine) said "There's a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young feel as it shifts from a symphonic, airy opening to guitar-dominated mid-rock base. Carefully honed folk rock vocals throughout."[6]
Writing in Something Else, S.Victor Aaron said that more often than not, they ended up sounding like Crosby, Stills & Nash. "It wasn’t the match of Crosby, Stills & Nash at their best, but darn close enough. In fact, "It’s a Long Way There" might be the best CSN song that CSN never did."[4]
Track listings edit
- Australian 7" (EMI 11292)
- Side A. "It's a Long Way There" - 4:16
- Side B. "Time to Fly" - 3:00
- US 7" (Harvest 4318)
- Side A. "It's a Long Way There" - 4:16
- Side B. "Meanwhile" - 3:53
Charts edit
| Chart (1976/77) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 35 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 32 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] | 14 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 28 |
References edit
- ^ "It's A Long Way There". graehamgoble.com. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ "Re-It's A Long Way There". Lefsetz Letter. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Mississippi - It's A Long Way There (1973), retrieved 2022-11-15
- ^ a b "How "It's a Long Way There" Introduced the Little River Band". Something Else. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 14 August 1976. p. 20. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Little River Band" (PDF). Cash Box. 4 September 1976. p. 13. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 179. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Little River Band – It's a Long Way There". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Little River Band – It's a Long Way There" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006. Record Research.