City of New Orleans (album)

City of New Orleans is a studio album by the American musician Willie Nelson, released by Columbia Records in 1984.[1] The title track was written and originally recorded by Steve Goodman; his version was released in 1971. The next year, Arlo Guthrie became the first to have a hit with the song.[2] Nelson's version topped the U.S. country singles chart. Other covers on the album include "Please Come to Boston" and "Wind Beneath My Wings".

City of New Orleans
Studio album by
Released1984
GenreCountry
Length37:06
LabelColumbia
ProducerChips Moman
Willie Nelson chronology
Angel Eyes
(1984)
City of New Orleans
(1984)
Music from Songwriter
(1984)

The title track was nominated for a Grammy Award.[3]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
The Philadelphia Inquirer     [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [6]

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that Nelson's "pushing his all-purpose interpretive powers too far."[5]

Track listing

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  1. "City of New Orleans" (Steve Goodman) - 4:47
  2. "Just Out of Reach" (Virgil "Pappy" Stewart) - 3:37
  3. "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" (Danny O'Keefe) - 2:52
  4. "Why Are You Pickin' On Me" (Willie Nelson) - 2:26
  5. "She's Out of My Life" (Tom Bahler) - 3:26
  6. "Cry" (Churchill Kohlman) - 3:32
  7. "Please Come to Boston" (Dave Loggins) - 4:17
  8. "It Turns Me Inside Out" (Jan Crutchfield) - 3:27
  9. "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar) - 3:46
  10. "Until It's Time for You to Go" (Buffy Sainte-Marie) - 4:06

Production

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Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[11] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Willistein, Paul (2 Sep 1984). "'Living Legend' Is Returning for Allentown Fair Show Today". The Sunday Call-Chronicle. p. F1.
  2. ^ Holden, Stephen (17 Jan 1985). "Critic's Notebook". The New York Times. p. C16.
  3. ^ "Willie Nelson". Recording Academy. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  4. ^ "City of New Orleans Review by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (29 July 1984). "Willie Nelson, City of New Orleans". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I9.
  6. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 499.
  7. ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  8. ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  9. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1984". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  10. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Willie Nelson – City of New Orleans". Music Canada. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Willie Nelson – City of New Orleans". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 29, 2021.