Singer and pianist Fats Domino performs on a TV show circa 1958.

About the Song

Fats Domino, a name synonymous with infectious piano riffs and a smile that could light up a room, wasn’t one for ballads or weepy love songs. His domain was pure, unadulterated joy, delivered through a blend of rhythm and blues and the rollicking energy of New Orleans. And that’s exactly what you get with his 1960 hit, “Walking To New Orleans.”

“Walking To New Orleans” isn’t just a song, it’s a journey. Written by Bobby Charles, the story goes that Charles himself walked all the way to the Big Easy after receiving a playful challenge from Domino. Domino, ever the showman, saw the potential for a hit and added his own signature touches, including a sly reference to his earlier smash, “Ain’t That a Shame.”

The song bursts out of the gate with Domino’s hammering piano chords, setting the pace for a foot-tapping good time. His vocals, a mix of playful swagger and soulful sincerity, narrate the tale of a man determined to reach New Orleans, come hell or high water. He mentions the dusty road, the hot Mississippi sun, but his voice never falters, brimming with the anticipation of reaching that musical paradise.

“Walking To New Orleans” is more than just a travelogue. It’s a celebration of the Crescent City’s music scene, a place where the streets pulse with rhythm and the air vibrates with the infectious energy of jazz, blues, and everything in between. You can practically hear the clinking of glasses in a smoky bar, the wail of a saxophone cutting through the night, and the joyous energy of a second-line parade.

This song is a testament to Domino’s talent for capturing a mood, a feeling. It’s a feel-good anthem that makes you want to throw on your dancing shoes and hit the road, with a destination that promises good times and the irresistible lure of music that moves your soul. “Walking To New Orleans” may not be a ballad, but it’s a love song nonetheless – a love song for the city, for the music, and for the sheer joy of living.Legendary American jazz pianist and singer Fats Domino .

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Lyrics: Walking To New Orleans

This time I’m walkin’ to New Orleans
I’m walkin’ to New Orleans
I’m gonna need two pair-a shoes
When I get through walkin’ these blues
When I get back to New OrleansI’ve got my suitcase in my handNow ain’t that-a shame?
I’m leavin’ here today
Yes, I’m goin’ back home to stay
Yes, I’m walkin’ to New OrleansYa used to be my honey
‘Till you spent all my money
No use for you to cry
I’ll see you by and by
‘Cause I’m walkin’ to New Orleans

I’ve got no time for talkin’
I’ve got to keep on walkin’
New Orleans is my home
That’s the reason why I’m goin’
Yes, I’m walkin’ to New Orleans
I’m walkin’ to New Orleans

I’m walkin’ to New Orleans
I’m walkin’ to New Orleans.

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HE WAS 70, STRUGGLING TO STAND, AND THE INDUSTRY HAD ALREADY WRITTEN HIM OFF — UNTIL HE COVERED A TRACK BY A ROCK STAR HALF HIS AGE AND BROKE THE WORLD’S HEART. By 2002, Johnny Cash was a man surviving on memories. He had outlived most of his peers. His record label of nearly three decades had abandoned him. His health was a wreckage of diabetes, pneumonia, and failing nerves. There were moments in the recording booth when his producer, Rick Rubin, could hear the literal sound of a voice breaking. Then Rubin presented him with a raw, industrial rock song about the depths of depression and self-harm. Cash made one simple change — replacing a profane lyric with “crown of thorns” — and transformed a young man’s angst into his own final testament. The music video was shot inside his shuttered museum in Nashville, a place crumbling under the weight of dust and silence. June Carter was there, looking at him with an expression of profound, tragic realization. She would be gone in three months. He would follow her just four months later. When the original songwriter finally saw the footage alone one morning, he broke down. He later admitted that the song no longer belonged to him. The video went on to win a Grammy and was hailed by critics as the greatest music video ever filmed. It has been streamed hundreds of millions of times since. But its true power isn’t in the numbers or the awards. It continues to haunt us two decades later because it is the sound of a man who has stopped running from the end — a man who sat down in the fading light and finally told the absolute truth.

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