The Story behind The Doobie Brothers' "China Grove"

[ciclisti666]

Sometimes it's better for a songwriter to shut up. It comes off as pretty pretentious -- the "chord structure"? Oh, you mean E, E, D, A->A, E? Come on, this isn't the Schrodinger Equations, this is three-chord rock. And letting a little ambiguity waft around the lyrics is way, way better -- don't explain it, because it sounds so dumb! Hey, don't get me wrong ... GREAT tune.

[camlpg]

Either it is possible to communicate language through music subliminally(refer to last minute of this clip) or DARPA was doing a number on the Doobie Bros in 1970s.

[themofc]

I got to sit with Tom Johnston and have a Lone Star longneck with him after a show at Seaworld in San Antonio in the late mid-90s and I told him it was literally at the outskirts of town. Was one of the most magical nights in my life. Got to meet Tom Johnston. Oh, I've seen them 21 times.

[Nodicei]

Maybe there's a China Grove, China with kids looking like Michael Mc Donald and tom Johnston...

[lbmusictchr]

Too little music theory, too much Doobies. AHEM AHEM COUGH COUGH WHEEEEEEZE

[kathykay2010]

@lbmusictchr DO I DETECT A SMOKERS COUGH?

[HarleyHummer]

Whats really odd is Sumurai swords are Japanese not Chinese

[steadywaters1]

I always wondered where that came from...now I know....thx.

[grossdale1]

after hearing this account of how he wrote this song, I can say I know less now than I did before having heard it....lol... he might as well have said he thought of it in a dream... very confusing..but cool

[EntropicMisanthropic]

@grossdale1 Wtf are you talking about? He clearly said the melody came from the opening riff which he just made up on acoustic guitar one day, and the lyrics were inspired by an "Oriental-sounding" Billy Payne piano lick he heard once. The actual NAME, as he mentions, he probably picked up unconsciously from a road sign while touring in Texas. It does have a certain kind of ring to it.

[CadillacMatt95]

It's really just part of San Antonio now just like all the other small towns lol

[SebastianSlasherMP]

I'm thinking guessing they are talking about China Grove, Texas. The thing that gives it away is at the start of the song when it mentions a town near San Antone...

[hoopssvengali]

There is also a China Grove Alabama

[kulura007]

There's also a China Grove, NC

[GreenmanOBOD]

@kulura007 I was born and raised in China Grove NC . It was named for a large grove of Chinaberry trees that used to grow in the area long ago. Last time I checked it was the only place named China Grove in the country that had its own zip code (28023)

[AEROKORN88]

i live in china grove tx