The Tijuana Jail

"The Tijuana Jail" is a song written by Denny Thompson and performed by The Kingston Trio. It reached #12 on the US pop chart in 1959.[1]

"The Tijuana Jail"
Single by The Kingston Trio
B-side"Oh Cindy"
ReleasedFebruary 23, 1959 (1959-02-23)
GenreFolk
Length2:48
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Denny Thompson
The Kingston Trio singles chronology
"Raspberries, Strawberries"
(1958)		 "The Tijuana Jail"
(1959)		 "M.T.A."
(1959)

The song is about a small group of men, who go to an illegal gambling joint, in Tijuana, Mexico, to shoot dice and drink alcohol, when the Mexican authorities arrive to arrest the men, where they are placed in the Tijuana Jail, where they cannot raise the $500 bail to get themselves released. The men conclude by telling their friends to send their mail to the Tijuana Jail.

The melody is loosely based on the traditional folk song "Midnight Special."[2]

The song was ranked #77 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 singles of 1959.[3]

Other versions
  • Johnny and Jonie Mosby released a version of the song as a single in 1959, but it did not chart.[4]
  • The Spotnicks released a version of the song on their 1963 album The Spotnicks in Spain.[5]
  • The 50 Guitars of Tommy Garrett released a version of the song on their 1966 album ¡Viva Mexico![6]
  • Sandy Nelson released a version of the song on his 1969 album Walkin' Beat.[7]
  • Johnny Bond released a version of the song on his 1998 compilation album The Very Best of Johnny Bond.[8]
  • Though not a cover song, Tijuana Jail by Gilby Clarke contains the same refrain of "send my mail to the Tijuana Jail."[9]

References
  1. "The Kingston Trio, "The Tijuana Jail" Chart Position". Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  2. Everett, Walter (2009-03-05). The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-531023-8.
  3. "Billboard Top 100 - 1959". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  4. "Johnny and Jonie Mosby, "The Tijuana Jail" Single Release". Discogs. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  5. "The Spotnicks, The Spotnicks in Spain". Discogs. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  6. "The 50 Guitars of Tommy Garrett, ¡Viva Mexico!". Discogs. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  7. "Sandy Nelson, Walkin' Beat". Discogs. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  8. "Johnny Bond, The Very Best of Johnny Bond". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  9. Prato, Greg. "Gilby Clarke interview". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2022-01-30. "Send my love to my home, my mail to the Tijuana jail" actually came from when I was watching a baseball game and a guy hit a home run, and the announcer said, "Send my mail to the Tijuana jail!" as the home run went out. I went, "Oh, my God, that's really good," and I wrote that down as I was writing that song.
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