The Riverboat Song Explained

The Riverboat Song
Cover:	The Riverboat Song cover.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Ocean Colour Scene
Album:	Moseley Shoals
B-Side:	"So Sad" "Charlie Brown Says"
Studio:	Moseley Shoals (Birmingham, England)
Length:	4:58
Label:	MCA
Producer:	Brendan Lynch Ocean Colour Scene
Prev Title:	Do Yourself a Favour
Prev Year:	1992
Next Title:	You've Got It Bad
Next Year:	1996

"The Riverboat Song" is a song by British band Ocean Colour Scene. It is heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin's "Four Sticks", from which it takes its main riff and a number of lyrics. The song is written in swing time.

The single was popularised by Radio 1 DJ Chris Evans, who played it frequently on his radio shows and to introduce guests on his television programme TFI Friday. As a result, having been released in February 1996, it reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, paving the way for the success of the next two singles, "You've Got It Bad" and "The Day We Caught the Train", as well as their album Moseley Shoals. It also became a moderate hit in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 37.

Track listings

UK and Japanese CD single^{[1] [2]}

1. "The Riverboat Song"
2. "So Sad"
3. "Charlie Brown Says"

UK 7-inch and cassette single^{[3] [4]}

1. "The Riverboat Song"
2. "So Sad"

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Moseley Shoals album booklet.^[5]

Studios

• Recorded and mixed at Moseley Shoals (Birmingham, England)
• Mastered at the Powerplant (London, England)

Personnel

• Ocean Colour Scene – writing, production
  • Simon Fowler – vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Steve Cradock – guitar, piano, vocals
  • Oscar Harrison – drums, piano, vocals
  • Damon Minchella – bass guitar
• Paul Weller – organ
• Brendan Lynch – production
• Martin Heyes – engineering
• Tony Keach – assistant engineering
• Tim Young – mastering

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United Kingdom	5 February 1996		MCA	^[7]
Japan	22 May 1996	CD		^[8]

External links

• OCS Single Details

Notes and References

1. The Riverboat Song. Ocean Colour Scene. 1996. UK CD single liner notes. MCA Records. MCSTD 40021.
2. The Riverboat Song. Ocean Colour Scene. 1996. Japanese CD single liner notes. MCA Records. MCD-40021.
3. The Riverboat Song. Ocean Colour Scene. 1996. UK 7-inch single sleeve. MCA Records. MCS 40021.
4. The Riverboat Song. Ocean Colour Scene. 1996. UK cassette single sleeve. MCA Records. MCSC 40021.
5. Moseley Shoals. Moseley Shoals. Ocean Colour Scene. 1996. UK CD album booklet. MCA Records. MCD 60008.
6. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 13. 9. 16. 2 March 1996. 14 January 2020.
7. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 3 February 1996. 29 June 2021.
8. Web site: リバーボート・ソング オーシャン・カラー・シーン. Riverboat Song Ocean Colour Scene. Oricon. ja. 11 March 2024.