🪕 About the Song
If you ever needed proof that flutes can be funky, this is it. Going Up the Country was released in late 1968 and became an instant counterculture anthem — not least because it blasted out of every van at Woodstock the following summer.
Frontman Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson adapted it from a 1928 blues tune called Bull Doze Blues by Henry Thomas, swapping the original’s panpipes for that iconic flute riff. The result? A modern hippie hoedown that perfectly captured the late-’60s urge to just… leave. Leave the cities, leave the politics, leave your shoes.
The lyrics are part escapism, part rebellion — “I’m going where the water tastes like wine” — yeah, mate, sure you are. But that’s the charm: it’s idealism you can dance to.
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
- Chords: Simple three-chord joy: C – F – G7. (Capo 2 if you want to play along with the record’s D key.)
- Strumming pattern: Country shuffle all day: Down-Down-Up-Up-Down-Up. Keep it bouncy — think campfire, not concert hall.
- Tempo: ~120 bpm. Enough pep for a jug-band feel without sounding frantic.
- Feel: Keep it loose and happy. It’s music for smiling strangers and dusty roads.
- Tone: Bright and snappy — strum near the bridge for that metallic twang.
- Optional flourish: Add light chuck-mutes between bars (heel of hand slap) for percussion.
- Jam tip: If you’ve got mates with harmonicas or kazoo ambition, let them wail the flute riff. Bonus points for bad cowboy hats.
🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
- Alan Wilson sang lead in that distinctive high falsetto — partly to mimic Henry Thomas’s panpipe tone.
- It became the soundtrack to Woodstock, featuring prominently in the 1970 documentary.
- The flute part was played by session musician Jim Horn, who went on to work with George Harrison and The Beach Boys.
- The band actually did move to the country for a while — though reports suggest the wine did not, in fact, flow from the tap.
🌈 Final Word
Play Going Up the Country like your rent’s due and the woods are calling. Keep it jaunty, keep it free, and for the love of the ’60s — don’t play it sitting still.
This is one for sunny afternoons, barefoot sessions, and pretending you own a van that definitely wouldn’t pass its MOT.
