Charley Pride – Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone?

About The Song

“Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” is a country song written by Glenn Martin and Dave Kirby, recorded by Charley Pride, and released as a single in February 1970. It served as the lead single from his album Charley Pride’s 10th Album, which was released later that year. The song was produced by Jack Clement and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville. It is categorized in the countrypolitan style and runs for 2 minutes and 13 seconds.

The song’s narrative centers on a man who has left a toxic relationship and is hitchhiking along Route 66 on a cold, stormy day. He hopes for a ride to San Antonio or Phoenix but is willing to go anywhere to forget his past relationship. This theme of escape and longing resonates through the lyrics and delivery, contributing to its emotional impact.

Charley Pride’s manager, Jack D. Johnson, played a significant role in reshaping the song before recording. He rewrote chords, lyrics, and arrangement to better suit Pride’s style, though he did not take songwriting credit, focusing instead on the artist’s success. This version became Pride’s third consecutive number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it stayed at the top for two weeks and remained on the chart for 16 weeks in total. It also peaked at number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. In Australia, it reached number 56 on the Kent Music Report.

Charley Pride’s 10th Album, featuring “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” was critically acclaimed and commercially successful. The album debuted on Billboard’s country album chart in July 1970, peaked at number one, and stayed on the chart for 49 weeks. It was awarded four stars by AllMusic and was Pride’s fifth album to earn gold certification, a significant achievement for country artists at the time.

The song has been praised for Pride’s charismatic vocal delivery and sophisticated phrasing, particularly noted for making the rhyme scheme between “Arizona” and “known her” sound natural and effortless. Critics have highlighted the rhythmic pulse of the instrumentation as a key element driving the song’s appeal. Pride’s performance on this track is often described as ahead of its time, blending traditional country storytelling with a polished, contemporary sound.

“Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” has been covered by several artists, including Nancy Sinatra, who released it as the B-side of her 1971 single “Hook And Ladder.” The song was also a staple for Texas musician Doug Sahm, who recorded it in 1973 and again in 1991 with the Texas Tornados, featuring backing vocals from Bob Dylan. In Sweden, the song was adapted with Swedish lyrics by Bengt Palmers, becoming a hit for Siv-Inger Svensson in 1974, and was later covered by the Swedish dansband Drifters in 2008.

Video

Lyric

Rain drippin’ off the brim of my hat
Sure is cold today
Here I am walkin’ down 66
Wish she hadn’t done me that way

Sleeping under a table in a roadside park
A man could wake up dead
But it sure seems warmer than it did
Sleeping in our king-size bed

Is anybody goin’ to San Antone
Or Phoenix, Arizona?
Any place is alright as long as I
Can forget I’ve ever known her

Wind whippin’ down the neck of my shirt
Like I ain’t got nothin’ on
But I’d rather fight the wind and rain
Than what I’ve been fightin’ at home

Yonder comes a truck with the U.S. mail
People writin’ letters back home
Tomorrow she’ll probably want me back
But I’ll still be just as gone

Is anybody goin’ to San Antone
Or Phoenix, Arizona?
Any place is alright as long as I
Can forget I’ve ever known her
Any place is alright as long as I
Can forget I’ve ever known her