About The Song
“Out in the Country” is a reflective 1970 single by Three Dog Night, written by the renowned songwriting duo Paul Williams and Roger Nichols. Produced by Richard Podolor and issued on Dunhill, it appeared on the band’s fourth studio album, It Ain’t Easy. Released as a follow-up to “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” the track paired the group’s polished pop-rock sheen with a message about escaping urban pressures—an early hint of the environmental consciousness taking root in American pop culture at the time.
The recording dates to 1969, with the album arriving on March 31, 1970 and the single following in August. On the LP, “Out in the Country” sits alongside material by Randy Newman, Elton John, and Ron Davies—evidence of Three Dog Night’s expert “song-finding” approach. The single was backed with “Good Time Living,” and like much of the group’s best work, it was crafted for radio without sacrificing musical personality.
One of the track’s notable features is the vocal arrangement: rather than leaning on a single lead, the band deliver a unison group vocal. That choice reinforces the lyric’s communal longing—this isn’t one person’s dream so much as a shared desire to breathe, wander, and reset. Podolor’s production keeps the guitars chiming and the rhythm section steady, leaving space for the melody to frame the lyric’s gentle urgency.
Lyrically, the song offers a calm rebuttal to urban claustrophobia. The narrator seeks a place beyond the city “before the breathing air is gone,” a line that reads today as both wistful and prescient. Issued in the same year as the first Earth Day, “Out in the Country” belongs to an early wave of mainstream songs that treated nature as something to be protected as well as enjoyed—less protest anthem than personal pledge to step outside and remember what matters.
Commercially, the single performed well. It peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 11 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, while climbing to No. 9 in Canada. Though not as ubiquitous as the band’s No. 1 smashes, it broadened their run of late-’60s/early-’70s hits and showcased a moodier, more contemplative side of their repertoire. In Australia it made a lower chart showing, but the song’s North American results confirmed its resonance with listeners looking for quieter spaces amid the era’s noise.
The tune’s writers were near the peak of their powers. Williams and Nichols were simultaneously furnishing the Carpenters with defining hits, and their craft is evident here: compact verse-chorus architecture, finely balanced hooks, and lyrics that sound conversational yet carry philosophical weight. That blend of accessibility and reflection is part of why “Out in the Country” sits comfortably within Three Dog Night’s catalog of tastefully curated outside material.
The song’s life didn’t end with its initial chart run. Williams recorded his own version in the early ’70s, and decades later R.E.M. revived it as a B-side, a nod to the track’s lingering pull. In documentaries, playlists, and Earth-Day retrospectives, “Out in the Country” still surfaces as a period piece that feels current—a quietly insistent reminder that sometimes the most radical act is to step away, look around, and breathe.
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Lyric
Whenever I need to leave it all behind
Or feel the need to get away-ay-ay
I find a quiet place, far from the human race
Out in the country
Before the breathin’ air is gone
Before the sun is just a bright spot in the night-time
Out where the rivers like to run
I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’
Whenever I feel them closing in on me
Or need a bit of room to move
When life becomes too fast, I find relief at last
Out in the country
Before the breathin’ air is gone
Before the sun is just a bright spot in the night-time
Out where the rivers like to run
I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’
Before the breathin’ air is gone
Before the sun is just a bright spot in the night-time
Out where the rivers like to run
I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’
Before the breathin’ air is gone
Before the sun is just a bright spot in the night-time
Out where the rivers like to run
I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’
Before the breathin’ air is gone
Before the sun is just a bright spot in the night-time