City of New Orleans (song)

"City of New Orleans"
Single by Steve Goodman
from the album Steve Goodman
B-side"Would You Like to Learn to Dance?"
Released1971
Recorded1971
GenreCountry folk[1]
Length3:52
LabelBuddah
Songwriter(s)Steve Goodman
Producer(s)Kris Kristofferson, Norbert Putnam

"City of New Orleans" is a country folk song written by Steve Goodman (and first recorded for Goodman's self-titled 1971 album), describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad's City of New Orleans in bittersweet and nostalgic terms.

Goodman got the idea while traveling on the Illinois Central line for a visit to his wife's family. The song has been recorded by numerous artists in the United States, including two major hit versions: first by Arlo Guthrie in 1972, and later by Willie Nelson in 1984. In Europe, the melody has most often been used for original lyrics rather than translations of Goodman's.

An article in the September 2017 issue of Trains magazine chronicles the writing and recording of the song and includes a biographical sketch of Steve Goodman.[2]

  1. ^ Harrington, Jim (2015). "Steve Goodman - "City of New Orleans". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 294.
  2. ^ Sanders, Craig (September 2017). "Writing of 'City of New Orleans'". Trains. Vol. 77, no. 9. pp. 34–39.

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