Peak
8
Weeks
14
Score
2,294
Chart Year
1971
"Sweet City Woman" was the only Top 40 hit for The Stampeders - however, they were far more successful in Canada, where this song hit #1 on the Canadian RPM, Canadian Country, and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. They broke the Top-10 in Canada six more times, and the Top-40 many more times yet. This song gets considerable airplay in the US to this day. It is one of the few regularly-played Top-10 hits to have a banjo as its primary instrument. The Stampeders hail from Calgary, Alberta, Canada starting out in 1964 with the name The Rebounds. After some milling about with lineup and name changes, they gelled into the trio of Rich Dodson, Ronnie King, and Kim Berly. Thanks to the interest of Canadian TV producer Mel Shaw, who managed the band, they got a few spots on variety TV shows. Their first break was "Carry Me," an acoustic number that scored #1 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary and garnered the group their first gold single. Just before releasing Against the Grain, the group had managed to sign with Quality Records under the tutelage of producer Terry Brown. This won for Best Single at the Juno Awards in 1972. The Junos are the Canadian version of the Grammy Awards. Stampeders guitarist Rich Dodson wrote this song and played the distinctive banjo. The Stampeders broke up in 1977, with Dodson starting his own label, Marigold Records. They reunited in 1992 to perform on Dini Petty Show, and continued to play together. In 1998, they released the album Sure Beats Working on Marigold. The group did have one other American hit: a novelty version of "Hit The Road Jack" featuring the DJ Wolfman Jack. It hit #40 in 1976.
Well, I'm on my way To the city lights To the pretty face That shines her light on the city nights And I gotta catch a noon train I gotta be there on time Oh, it feels so good to know she waits at the end of the line Sweet, sweet city woman I can see your face, I can hear your voice I can almost touch you Sweet, sweet city woman And the banjo and me, we got a feel for singing, yeah, yeah Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, c'est bon, bon Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, bon, bon Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, c'est bon, bon Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, bon, bon So long, ma So long, pa So long, neighbors and friends Like a country morning All snuggled in dew Ah, she's got a way to make a man feel shiny and new And she sing in the evening Old, familiar tunes And she feeds me love and tenderness and macaroons Sweet, sweet city woman I can see your face, I can hear your voice I can almost touch you Sweet, sweet city woman And the banjo and me, we got a feel for singing Sweet, sweet city woman Oh she's my sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman Sweet, sweet city woman oh my sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman Everybody Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 14, 1971 | 83 | 43 |
| 2 | Aug 21, 1971 | 68 | 58 |
| 3 | Aug 28, 1971 | 61 | 65 |
| 4 | Sep 4, 1971 | 43 | 83 |
| 5 | Sep 11, 1971 | 35 | 91 |
| 6 | Sep 18, 1971 | 21 | 105 |
| 7 | Sep 25, 1971 | 18 | 108 |
| 8 | Oct 2, 1971 | 14 | 112 |
| 9 | Oct 9, 1971 | 10 | 116 |
| 10 | Oct 16, 1971 | 9 | 117 |
| 11 | Oct 23, 1971 | 8 | 118 |
| 12 | Oct 30, 1971 | 16 | 110 |
| 13 | Nov 6, 1971 | 17 | 109 |
| 14 | Nov 13, 1971 | 30 | 96 |