The One on the Right Is on the Left

"The One on the Right Is on the Left" is a humorous song written by Jack Clement. It was recorded by Johnny Cash on November 29 1965 and included on his album Everybody Loves a Nut (1966). It was the album's third and most successful single (see 1966 in music), reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard Country Singles chart and forty-six on Billboard's Pop Singles chart. It is a spoof of a folk song group that is "long on musical ability", but ultimately breaks up due to "political incompatibility".

The first part of the joke is that the three men in the front of the group (presumably the guitarists and the lead singer) are physically positioned differently from their political "position":

• The one on the right is "on the left" (Left wing or liberal)
• The one in the middle is "on the right" (right wing or conservative)
• The one on the left is "in the middle" (moderate)

The punch line to the joke is that "the guy in the rear", presumably the drummer, is less easily labeled: he is a Methodist and he burned his driver's license (rather than his draft card), etc. Indeed, the song closes by stating that the one in the rear got drafted.

The arrangement of the fictional band would be typical for a pop group, including Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three. In contrast to this fictional band, Cash maintained his backing group for several decades.

References

• Johnny Cash Billboard Singles, All Music Guide.

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