"Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)" is a song written by John D. Loudermilk.[2] It was first recorded by Marvin Rainwater in 1959 and released on MGM as "The Pale Faced Indian", but that release went unnoticed. The first hit version was a 1968 recording by Don Fardon – a former member of the Sorrows – that reached number 20 on the Hot 100 in 1968[3] and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart in 1970.[4]
In 1971, the Raiders recorded "Indian Reservation" for Columbia Records, and it topped the Hot 100 on July 24.[5] On June 30, 1971, the RIAAgold certified the record for selling over a million copies.[6] The record was later certified platinum for selling an additional million copies.[6] The song was the group's only Hot 100 number-one hit and their final Hot 100 top 20 song.
Lyrics
A well-known story told by Loudermilk is that when he was asked by the Viva! NashVegas radio show about the origins of the song "Indian Reservation," he fabricated the story that he wrote the song after his car was snowed in by a blizzard and he was taken in by a small group of Cherokee Indians.[7] A self-professed prankster,[8] he spun the tale that a Cherokee chieftain, "Bloody Bear Tooth," asked him to make a song about his people's plight on the Trail of Tears, even going so far as to claim that he had later been awarded "the first medal of the Cherokee Nation," not for writing the song, but for his "blood."[7] He went on to fabricate the detail that on that day the tribe revealed that his "great-great-grandparents, Homer and Matilda Loudermilk" were listed on the Dawes Rolls (the citizenship rolls of the Nation).[7] Had this detail of his tall tale been true, he would have been a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, which he was not.[7]
The lyrics vary somewhat among the recorded versions. Rainwater's version lacks the "Cherokee people!" chorus but includes instead a series of "Hiya, hiya, ho!" chants. Fardon's version is similar to the Raiders' through the first verse and chorus, but differs in the second verse, which includes the lines "Altho' they changed our ways of old/They'll never change our heart and soul", also found in Rainwater's version. Rainwater includes some of the elements found in the other versions in a different order, and his first verse has words not found in the others, such as "They put our papoose in a crib/and took the buck skin from our rib".
At the end, where the Raiders sing "...Cherokee nation will return", Fardon says "Cherokee Indian...", while the line is absent in Rainwater's version, which ends with "beads...nowadays made in Japan." In addition, Fardon sings the line: "Brick built houses by the score/ No more tepees anymore", not used in the Raiders' version.
Among the things taken away from the Cherokees include the tomahawk and the bow and knife. Also, English replaced their native tongue. In addition, the Raiders' version mentions that "though I wear a shirt and tie, I'm still part red man deep inside", altered from the Rainwater-sung line "and though I wear a white man's tie / I'll be a red man 'til I die".
The music is in a minor key, with sustained minor chords ending each phrase in the primary melody, while the melody line goes through a slow musical turn (turning of related notes) which ends each phrase, and emphasizes the ominous minor chords. Underneath the slow, paced melody, is a rhythmic, low "drum beat" in double-time, constantly, relentlessly pushing to follow along, but the melody continues its slow, deliberate pace above the drum beat.
The instrumentation varies among versions. Rainwater's recording is acoustic with strings and backing vocals supporting the melody. Fardon's version adds a brass section and percussion while reducing the background singing. The Raiders used similar instruments to Fardon, and included an electronic organ that holds the melody line.
Raiders version
"Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)"
In 1971, Mark Lindsay, the lead singer of the Raiders, was looking for new material for his solo career (that included the Top 10 "Arizona"). The Columbia A&R head, Jack Gold, offered "Indian Reservation" to him, which the latter was already familiar with because of the Don Fardon version.[14] Lindsay tried to record it with his producer Jerry Fuller. But Fuller was unavailable to produce the record, so Lindsay decided to produce it himself.
In the recording, Lindsay cut the basic track with session musicians of the Wrecking Crew, and later overdubbed backing singers and strings arranged by John D'Andrea. According to Lindsay, when he suggested ending the song with an organ riff similar to the one in Janis Ian’s “Society's Child”, the song's arranger Artie Butler, who also played the organ in the track, suggested that they re-use it, as he was the organist on "Society's Child".[15] The original track was recorded on December 3, 1970.[16]
Lindsay decided to bill it as a Raiders single and had fellow member Paul Revere promoting it on several radio stations across the country. After four years without a Top 10 hit since "Him or Me – What's It Gonna Be?", "Indian Reservation" reached the top of the charts on July 24, becoming the first and only number one hit of (Paul Revere &) the Raiders.[17] In Canada, the song was number 2 for four weeks.
Personnel
According to the AFM contract sheet, the following musicians played on the track.[18]
The Raiders' "Indian Reservation" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on April 10, 1971. On July 24, it reached the top spot for a single week. "Indian Reservation" spent a total of 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[5]
A disco version was recorded by the German band Orlando Riva Sound in 1979. It was a national chart success, reaching number 7 and staying five weeks in the German Top 10.[26]
The English punk band 999 released their version on November 14, 1981, on the Albion Ion label, and it reached number 51 in the UK chart.[32]
The American hardcore punk band Ill Repute released a version titled "Cherokee Nation" on their 1984 album "What Happens Next?"
Indigenous electronic music group the Halluci Nation has sampled the song on several occasions.[33]
^ ab"Top 5 – Worst "Cherokee" Songs". Thoughts from Polly's Granddaughter – A little Cherokee history and genealogy mixed in with a whole lot of truth. November 8, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2017. 5. Indian Reservation – Paul Revere and the Raiders: Reason – Historically inaccurate. The Cherokees never lived on a reservation. They lived in Cherokee Nation, a nation unto itself. Also, I am not fond of the line, 'But maybe someday when they've learned, the Cherokee Nation will return.' Return to what? We haven't gone anywhere.
^ abc"Did the Cherokee live in tipis?". Museum of the Cherokee Indian – FAQ. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2018.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Vowel, Chelsea (2016). "Just Don't Call Us Late for Supper – Names for Indigenous Peoples". Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Highwater Press. p. 7. ISBN978-1553796800. Let's just agree the following words are never okay to call Indigenous peoples: savage, red Indian, redskin, primitive, half-breed, squaw/brave/papoose.
^Molanphy, Chris (September 10, 2021). "Spirit of '71 Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
