"Poor Side of Town" is a song by Johnny Rivers, that reached
number one on the
BillboardHot 100 and on the
RPMCanadian Chart on November 1966.
It was a very important record for Johnny Rivers and
represented a change of his initial music (characterized by a
Go Go sound), that provided him with his early hits and
acclaim. With "Poor Side of Town", Rivers moved into the
pop-soul style.
The melody is a soulful version of California-based pop,
with some strong folk elements as well. Marty Paich provided
the song's string arrangement.
In his 2006 live album Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall,
Mark Oliver Everett (better known as Eels) recorded an acoustic
version of the song backed by a mini orchestra.