Boa Constrictor (song)

"Boa Constrictor" is a song written by Shel Silverstein[2] and originally featured on his 1962 album Inside Folk Songs.[3]

"Boa Constrictor"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Everybody Loves a Nut
A-side"Boa Constrictor"
"Bottom of a Mountain"
Released1966 (1966)
Genrenovelty, country
LabelColumbia 4-43763
Songwriter(s)Shel Silverstein[1]
Producer(s)Don Law and Frank Jones
Audio
"Boa Constrictor" on YouTube

Johnny Cash version

The song was covered by Johnny Cash for his 1966 comedy album Everybody Loves a Nut.[4]

Released as the third single from the album (Columbia 4-43763, with a non-album track "Bottom of a Mountain" on the opposite side),[4][5][6][7] the song reached number 39 on the U.S. Billboard country chart.[8][9] and number 33 on the Cash Box country chart.[10]

In January 1967 the song was re-released as a single with "The One on the Right Is on the Left" on the other side.[9]

Lyrical analysis and background

"Boa Constrictor" is another song written by Shel Silverstein. It has a similarly frantic feel to Cash's earlier recording of Silverstein's "25 Minutes to Go." In this song, the singer is being swallowed by a boa constrictor and counting down the body parts the snake is consuming along the way. It was also famously covered by the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Cash's version was released as the third single from this album and made it to number 39 on the country chart. The snake's burp at the end is priceless.

— John M. Alexander. The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash[2]

The third single, “Boa Constrictor,” was the second Shel Silverstein song Cash recorded (the first being "25 Minutes to Go"). It fared even worse than "Everybody Loves a Nut," reaching only #43 [sic!] on the Country chart and #107 on the Pop chart (Cash's last Pop chart entry for over a year). The song would live on, though, in Silverstein's 1974 bestselling collection of poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends. The B-side was a non-album track called "Bottom of [a] Mountain," featuring the acoustic work of Norman Blake and Bob Johnson.

— C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black[4]

Track listings
7" single (Columbia 4-43673,[1] 1966)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bottom of a Mountain"Don McKinnon2:23
2."Boa Constrictor"Shel Silverstein1:45
7" single (Columbia 4-33109,[11] 1967)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The One on the Right Is on the Left"J. H. Clement2:46
2."Boa Constrictor"Shel Silverstein1:45

Charts
Chart (1966) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[12] 107
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 39
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References
  1. "Johnny Cash – Bottom Of A Mountain / Boa Constrictor". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  2. John M. Alexander (16 April 2018). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-1-61075-628-0.
  3. "Boa Constrictor by Shel Silverstein – Samples, Covers and Remixes". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
    "Boa Constrictor – Composition by Shel Silverstein – Discogs Tracks". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  4. C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat. pp. 136–. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
  5. John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
  6. Steve Turner (2005-10-30). The Man Called CASH: The Life, Love and Faith of an American Legend. Thomas Nelson. pp. 245–. ISBN 978-1-4185-7809-1.
  7. Tim Neely (2004-05-01). Goldmine Records & Prices. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-781-7.
  8. Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944–2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
    Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944–2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
  9. Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
    10 September
    "Boa Constrictor" was probably one comedy single too many and it only manages to spend five weeks in the charts with a high of #39.
    1967
    January
    "The One On The Right Is On The Left"/"Boa Constrictor" (Columbia 4-...
  10. George Albert (1984-01-01). The Cash Box Country Singles Charts, 1958–1982. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-1685-5.
  11. "The One On The Right Is On The Left/Boa Constrictor". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  12. "Johnny Cash Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
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