“How does your light shine/In the halls of Shambala?” Three Dog Night asked in 1973. And even though audiences might not have known if the titular location was real or imagined, “Shambala” captivated them. The song soared to No. 3 on the pop charts in 1973.
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In addition to its own success, “Shambala” indirectly led to another smash from the same songwriter but a different artist. Not bad for a song that originated with a strange letter.
A Fresh Hitmaker for TDN
Three Dog Night stood out from much of their rock music brethren in that they didn’t often write their own songs. Especially when it came to their own singles, they looked to outside writers for material.
That didn’t stop them from achieving massive success, however. Between 1969 and 1972, they released eight Top 10 singles, piggybacking on the work of stellar songwriters like Harry Nilsson, Laura Nyro, and Randy Newman. Next up on the writer-for-hire docket for the lead single for their 1973 album Cyan was Daniel Moore.
Moore, who had already written hits by that time for Joe Cocker and The Everly Brothers, was inspired to write “Shambala” after hearing the name in a phone conversation with his brother, who had in turn heard it in a letter he was sent regarding his past lives. Doing some research, Moore found that the name referred to a sacred place with spiritual powers, even as specific characteristics differed depending on the account.
One Song Leads to Another
Moore took up that idea and delivered a song that touched on the otherworldly aspects of the place and the name. After putting together a demo, he sent it to his publishers. They quickly got responses from Three Dog Night and a country-pop singer named B.W. Stevenson.
Stevenson actually hustled out a version of “Shambala” first. But his version was swamped when Three Dog Night delivered their take a few weeks later, with Cory Wells handling the lead vocals.
Feeling sorry about what happened with Stevenson, Moore offered him a half-finished song called “My Maria” that had the same musical feel as “Shambala”. Stevenson added some more lyrics to finish the song. Lo and behold, “My Maria” hit big as well, giving Stevenson the biggest pop success of his career when it went to the Top 10 in 1973.
Behind the Lyrics of “Shambala”
“Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain,” Wells sings to begin the song. “With the rain in Shambala/Wash away my sorrow, my shame.” With all the good feelings in and the bad feelings out, it’s no wonder everybody is so chipper. “Everyone is helpful, everyone is kind/On the road to Shambala,” the narrator explains.
Later, he mentions how you can recognize these people by the flowers in their eyes. Maybe flower power wasn’t quite as strong in 1973 as it had once been. But people still liked the idea of a utopian existence. No wonder the “halls of Shambala” sounded like such an inviting place to be.
Three Dog Night made it an even ten Top 10 singles when “The Show Must Go On” hit No. 4 in 1974. As for songwriter Daniel Moore, he probably believed in the magical powers of “Shambala” more than anyone. After all, the song led him to two smash hits in the span of a few months.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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