Fans of '70s singer-songwriters and all-time great AM gold singles likely remember soft rock tastemaker Lobo (real name Roland Kent LaVoie) and his 1971 debut single "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo."
Lobo's lyrical masterwork topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and climbed to No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It reached equally impressive heights outside of the US, with additional chart success coming in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The centerpiece of its writer and singer's debut album, 1971's Introducing Lobo (Big Tree Records), surely struck some listeners as a could-be country song. Indeed, it could've worked either as a novelty side or a sincere embrace of the top-notch songwriting taking over the easy listening chart.
The latter proved true later in 1971 when it became the final Top 10 hit for country music great Stonewall Jackson. Lobo's tale of his dream travel companions suited Jackson's long-established storytelling chops while adding a carefree sense of levity to the country charts.
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Lobo's version of "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" remains the best song in a catalog that went on to include "I'd Love You to Want Me" and "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend."
"Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" Lyrics
I remember to this day
The bright red Georgia clay
And how it stuck to the tires
After the summer rain
Will power made that old car go
A woman's mind told me that so
Oh how I wish
We were back on the road again
Me and you and a dog named boo
Travellin' and livin' off the land
Me and you and a dog named boo
How I love being a free man
Now I can still recall
The wheat fields of St. Paul
And the morning we got caught
Robbing from an old hen
Old McDonald, he made us work
But then he paid us for what it was worth
Another tank of gas and
Back on the road again
Me and you and a dog named boo
Travellin' and livin' off the land
Me and you and a dog named boo
How I love being a free man
Now I'll never forget the day
We motored stately into big L.A.
The lights of the city put settlin' down in my brain
Though it's only been a month or so
That old car's buggin' us to go
We've gotta get away and get back on the road again
Me and you and a dog named boo
Travellin' and livin' off the land
Me and you and a dog named boo
How I love being a free man
Me and you and a dog named boo
Travellin' and livin' off the land
Me and you and a dog named boo
How I love being a free man
Me and you and a dog named boo
Travellin' and livin' off the land
Me and you and a dog named boo ...
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