1965 Top Ten Songs: Down in the Boondocks (#9)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (74325)
United States
April 22, 2025 9:02am CST
Never a dull moment when you travel. I’ll tell you about that later. Meanwhile it’s time for music, and here we go! It’s back to 1965 for a song that will still get airplay 60 years later. Heck, even my mom liked this one. Hope you do, too.
#9: Down in the Boondocks - Billy Joe Royal
The story is that Joe South wrote this for Gene Pitney, but Pitney was a big star at the time and South was a struggling young songwriter. As he couldn’t just pick up the phone and say, “Gene? Joe. Got a song for you,” 
he tapped a friend, Billy Joe Royal, to basically do a Gene Pitney impersonation.
That worked. Quite well. This was Royal’s debut single, and his biggest hit. It gave South a strong foothold as a songwriter, too. He’d go on to write things like “Games People Play” and “Rose Garden.”
It’s a classic!
Down in the Boondocks
Written by Joe South
Recorded by Billy Joe Royal
From Down in the Boondocks, 1965
Her daddy is my boss man:
he tapped a friend, Billy Joe Royal, to basically do a Gene Pitney impersonation.
That worked. Quite well. This was Royal’s debut single, and his biggest hit. It gave South a strong foothold as a songwriter, too. He’d go on to write things like “Games People Play” and “Rose Garden.”
It’s a classic!
Down in the Boondocks
Written by Joe South
Recorded by Billy Joe Royal
From Down in the Boondocks, 1965
Her daddy is my boss man:Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn moreRemind me later
9 people like this
7 responses
@FourWalls (74325)
• United States
22 Apr
Oh will you go down the avenue that’s known as A1A. 
2 people like this
@TheHorse (226100)
• Walnut Creek, California
22 Apr
@FourWalls That guy was a good songwriter as well.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (109291)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
22 Apr
I remember hearing the song sung by Billy Joe Royal played a lot on the radio as well as on the streaming music channel but I never knew that the artist was Billy Joe Royal.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (74325)
• United States
23 Apr
Oh, yes, they so rarely tell you who’s singing the song anymore.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (109291)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
23 Apr
@FourWalls That is true that the song is played but the name of the artist is seldom mentioned by the disc jockey.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (74325)
• United States
22 Apr
How about that!
(PS, you missed my remark to you in the song “Wheels.” )
)
@FourWalls (74325)
• United States
22 Apr
Joe South also wrote “Hush,” which Deep Purple had a hit with. The first version of that was also recorded by Billy Joe Royal.
1 person likes this
