Ten Favorite International Names Songs: Never Been to Spain (#9)

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Im not an international traveler by any stretch of the imagination (except in my imagination!), but I can go anywhere with the correct song! In addition to the songs with cities and states in the titles I'm also looking at my ten favorite songs with international locations in the title. Here's the next song. #9: Never Been to Spain - Three Dog Night What does this song have in common with "Heartbreak Hotel"? The name Axton. Mae Boren Axton co-wrote the Elvis classic, and her son Hoyt wrote this song. This is one of two classic Three Dog Night songs he wrote (the other one is "Joy to the World"...the one that starts "Jeremiah was a bullfrog," not the Christmas carol everyone's singing this time of year). Axton was an actor (I actually saw him in an episode of Bonanza while in my doctor's office one day!), appearing on WKRP in Cincinnati and most famously in Gremlins. He also recorded several country albums and had a few hits, the biggest being "When the Morning Comes" (which featured a pre-superstar Linda Ronstadt singing with him). But writing songs -- the two Three Dog Night songs, "The Pusher" by Steppenwolf, and "The No-No Song" by Ringo Starr -- pretty much gave Hoyt a comfortable living. He died of a heart attack in 1999. Three Dog Night's version of "Never Been to Spain" was a 1971 top five hit. Although dwarfed by the other Hoyt Axton song they did, it's still fondly remembered by fans of the group. Never Been to Spain Written by Hoyt Axton Recorded by Three Dog Night From Harmony, 1971 But I've been to Oklahoma: