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No lyrics version: “Shambala“ is a song written by Daniel Moore and made famous by two near-simultaneous releases in 1973: the better-known but slightly later recording by Three Dog Night, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and a version by B. W. Stevenson. Its title derives from a mythical place-name also spelled Shamballa or Shambhala. The well-known cover version of this song by the rock band Three Dog Night appeared in 1973 on the Billboard Hot 100, on the top 40 from the beginning of June through the end of August, reaching No. 3 in both the pop singles and adult contemporary categories, No. 1 on the Cashbox Magazine charts, and an isolated week at No. 1 on WLS. Headed toward the Hot 100's summit in late July, had it not run out of steam, “Shambala“ would have completed an uncommon distinction of a Hot 100 chart-topper for each of four consecutive years for the group. The song, the first one that the group had specifically cut as a single, rather than an album cut, later appeared on Cyan, Three Dog Night's ninth album, and subsequently on numerous anthologies and compilation albums. Although the lyrics of “Shambala“ draw on a theme from Eastern mysticism, AllMusic notes the “very strong gospel feeling“ of the album Cyan is most evident on this song. This comment may be based on both the instrumentation, including the characteristic gospel keyboard organ sounds that accompany the chorus, which features the repeated, unmistakable dog howls for which the group was long famous, and the bluesy vocals of Cory Wells. Allmusic calls this hit single “one of the group's finest later period records.“ In the original recording, writer Daniel Moore pronounces the first syllable of the title (“sham“) as it would rhyme with “ham.“ The Three Dog Night and B.W. Stevenson versions pronounce that syllable to rhyme with “mom.“ Thanks to “Amitai Angor, AA VFX“
