Rock and Roll
It might seem that the wanderer has lots of girls and lots of fun, but he realizes it doesn’t amount to much. The lyric says: “I roam from town to town / I go through life without a care / I wave my two fists of iron / but I’m goin’ nowhere.” The song was written by Ernie Maresca (“Runaround Sue”) and recorded by Dion. Dion had broken up with The Belmonts by this point, and The Del-Satins provided background vocals. In 1962, the song went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 in Australia, and #10 in the U.K.. Rolling Stone Magazine has the song on its list of The 500 Greatest Song of All Time. “The Wanderer” has been widely covered, including versions by Bruce Springsteen, The Beach Boys, Eddie Rabbitt, and Status Quo.
Ernie Maresca was from the Bronx, as were Dion and The Belmonts. Maresca had been writing and singing with a group called The Monterays, who later became The Desires. After Maresca left the group, they were known as The Regents and had a hit with “Barbara Ann.” Maresca also had songwriter hits for Leif Garrett, The Regents, Status Quo, and Eddie Rabbitt, among others. In 1961, Maresca wrote a hit for himself titled “Should! Shout!(Knock Yourself Out).”
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[…] For another song by Dion as a solo artist: “The Wanderer.” […]
[…] For another song by Dion as a solo artist: “The Wanderer.” […]
[…] For another song by Dion as a solo artist: “The Wanderer.” […]
[…] For another song by Dion as a solo artist: “The Wanderer.” […]