Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)
"Indian Reservation " is a song written by John D. Loudermilk.
The song was first recorded by Marvin Rainwater in 1959 and released on MGM as "The Pale Faced Indian", but that release stayed unnoticed. The first hit version was a 1968 recording by Don Fardon a former member of the Sorrows that reached number 20 on the Hot 100 in 1968 and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart in 1970.
In 1971, the Raiders recorded the song on the Columbia Records label, and it topped the Hot 100 on July 24. On June 30, 1971 the RIAA gold certified the record for selling over a million copies. The record was later certified platinum for selling an additional million copies. The song was the group's only Hot 100 number 1 hit and their final Hot 100 top twenty song.
Lyrics
A well-known story told by Loudermilk is that, when he was asked by the Viva! NashVegas radio show about the origins of the song "Indian Reservation", he fabricated the story that he wrote the song after his car was snowed in by a blizzard and he was taken in by a small group of Cherokee Indians. A self-professed prankster, he spun the tale that a Cherokee chieftain, "Bloody Bear Tooth", asked him to make a song about his people's plight on the Trail of Tears, even going so far as to claim that he had later been awarded "the first medal of the Cherokee Nation", not for writing the song, but for his "blood". He went on to fabricate the detail that on that day the tribe revealed that his "great-great grandparents, Homer and Matilda Loudermilk" were listed on the Dawes Rolls. Had this detail of his tall tale been true, he would have been a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, which he was not. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma communities are not known as "reservations."The lyrics vary somewhat among the recorded versions. Rainwater's version lacks the "Cherokee people!" chorus, but includes instead a series of "Hiya hiya ho!" chants. Fardon's version is similar to the Raiders' through the first verse and chorus, but differs in the second verse, which includes the lines "Altho' they changed our ways of old/They'll never change our heart and soul", also found in Rainwater's version. Rainwater includes some of the elements found in the other versions in a different order, and his first verse has words not found in the others, such as "They put our papoose in a crib/and took the buck skin from our rib".
At the end, where the Raiders sing "...Cherokee nation will return", Fardon says "Cherokee Indian...", while the line is absent in Rainwater's version, which ends with "beads...nowadays made in Japan." In addition, Fardon sings the line: "Brick built houses by the score/ No more tepees anymore", not used in the Raiders' version.
Cherokee people have never lived in tipis, nor do they use the term "papoose". These are stereotypes and misconceptions, with the reservations and tipi assumptions usually based on Hollywood portrayals of Plains Indians. However the Cherokee are a Southeastern Woodlands Indigenous culture.
Song structure
The music is in a minor key, with sustained minor chords ending each phrase in the primary melody, while the melody line goes through a slow musical turn which ends each phrase, and emphasizes the ominous minor chords. Underneath the slow, paced melody, is a rhythmic, low "drum beat" in double-time, constantly, relentlessly pushing to follow along, but the melody continues its slow, deliberate pace above the drum beat.The instrumentation varies among versions. Rainwater's recording is acoustic with strings and backing vocals supporting the melody. Fardon's version adds a brass section and percussion, while reducing the background singing. The Raiders used similar instruments to Fardon, and includes an electronic organ that holds the melody line.
Recording personnel
Raiders version
- Mark Lindsay – vocals
- Hal Blaine, of the Wrecking Crew – drums
- Carol Kaye, of the Wrecking Crew – bass
- Paul Revere – organ
- Freddy Weller – guitar
- Keith Allison – guitar, keyboards
Charts
Weekly charts
The Raiders| Chart | Peak position |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 2 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary | 14 |
| New Zealand | 14 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 1 |
Don Fardon
| Chart | Peak position |
| Australia | 4 |
| Canada | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
Orlando Riva Sound
| Chart | Peak position |
| German Hitparade | 7 |
999
| Chart | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart | 51 |
Year-end charts
The Raiders| Chart | Rank |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 27 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| US Cash Box | 3 |
Other versions
recorded the song in 1976 for Polydor Records, taking their version to number 74 on Hot Country Songs.A Disco-version of the leed was recorded by the German band Orlando Riva Sound in 1979. It was a national chart-success, reaching number 7 and staying five weeks in the German Top 10.
The English punk band, 999, released their version on November 14, 1981 on the Albion Ion label, and it reached number 51 in the UK chart.