"I Go to Rio"
Single by Peter Allen
from the album Taught by Experts
B-side"This Time Around"
Released1976
Recorded1976
GenrePop, disco
Length3:17
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Peter Allen, Adrienne Anderson
Producer(s)Brooks Arthur
Peter Allen singles chronology
"I Go to Rio"
(1976) 		"Don't Wish Too Hard"
(1977)

"I Go to Rio" is a song written by Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson, and performed by Allen. It became a signature song of Allen, as well as being covered by Peggy Lee and Pablo Cruise, among others, as well as being included in a number of soundtracks.

History

The song was first released in 1976, on Peter Allen's fourth studio album, Taught by Experts. In 1977, it was successfully released as a single in Australia, where it was Number 1 for five weeks.

Although the song was also released as a single in America, it failed to chart there.

The song has appeared in a number of movie soundtracks, including One Crazy Summer (1986), Dominick and Eugene (1988), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), Muriel's Wedding (1994), Hotel Sorrento (1995) and Strange Bedfellows (2004).

The song is also used as the closing number for the Peter Allen biographical musical The Boy from Oz.

The song is also sung on the Disney channel series K.C. Undercover, specifically the episode "Coopers on the Run"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1976/77) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[1] 30
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[2] 27
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[3] 22
Chart (1978) Peak
position
South Africa (SA Rock Lists)[4] 8

Year-end charts

Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 6

Pablo Cruise cover

"I Go to Rio"
Single by Pablo Cruise
from the album Worlds Away
B-side"Raging Fire"
ReleasedJanuary 1979
GenrePop, funk
Length3:36 (single edit)
4:00 (album version)
4:17 (disco version)
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Peter Allen, Adrienne Anderson
Producer(s)Bill Schnee
Pablo Cruise singles chronology
"Don't Want to Live Without It"
(1978) 		"I Go to Rio"
(1979) 		"I Want You Tonight"
(1979)

Pablo Cruise released their cover of "I Go to Rio" in January 1979. It reached #46 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] and #39 on the Canadian RPM singles chart.[7]

Charts

Chart (1979) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM) 39
US Billboard Hot 100 46
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[8] 29

Other covers

The song was also covered by Peggy Lee on her 1977 album Peggy , as well as by noted French singer Claude François, in French translation ("Je vais à Rio"), that same year. In 1980, it was used on an episode of The Muppet Show.[9] Singers of musical Belles belles belles covered the Claude François' song. In 1982, it was covered by TISM under the name "I Go to Werribee" with slightly different lyrics. In 2008, the song was covered by Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, on his live album Center Stage.

The melody of the opening piano riff of the song has been re-used by Chocolate in "Ritmo de la noche" and subsequent cover versions Mystic, The Sacados, Lorca and Safri Duo, and by Coldplay in "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall".[10]

References

  1. ^ "Peter Allen – I Go to Rio" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  2. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Peter Allen" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  3. ^ "Peter Allen – I Go to Rio". Top 40 Singles.
  4. ^ Brian Currin. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (A)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 429. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ^ "Pablo Cruise - Chart History". www.billboard.com. 17 February 1979. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  7. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (24 February 1979). "Image : RPM Weekly". Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 182.
  9. ^ Bauer, Claudia (3 May 2016). "'Oz' lands in Chinatown's Great Star Theater". SFGate. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  10. ^ Goodwyn, Tom (3 June 2011). "Coldplay inspired by Peter Allen's 1976 single 'I Go To Rio' on new single - video - NME". NME. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
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