Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money (1978) 4/24/22

Several times over the past 900+ "Great Songs of the '70s" blog entries, I've mentioned that chart position does not necessarily reflect how great a song might actually be.

Today, we're looking at a song that peaked at #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1978, but was a much bigger hit on album and progressive rock FM stations.

This happened because most charts are compiled using a combination of sales and radio airplay.

In the '70s, FM rock station playlists were not usually included on the Hot 100 charts. And in THIS case, the single version of Eddie Money's "Two Tickets to Paradise" was noticeably different that the album cut.

Sales figures for albums were almost never paired with single sales--which in this case, might have overlapped. Or not.

Well, enough of the chart babble--let's talk about the different versions.

The album version of "Two Tickets to Paradise" is broken up into three verses and two choruses, while the single version is three verses and three choruses, Eddie re-recorded his entire lead vocal for the single version, with some lyric changes in the chorus and some extra guitar riffs mixed in.

Also: the album version has a conclusive ending featuring a snare and bass drum hit, whereas the single version has a brief fade-out Finally: the single remix runs 3:07 minutes, and the album version runs longer at 3:58.

Both versions are excellent, and you can compare them below!

"Two Tickets to Paradise" by Eddie Money: Two versions: One "Great Song of 1978!"

Single version:

Album version: