As much as we try to use the rehearsals to work out arrangements to our regular tunes, we never drift too far away from The Flood’s original loose jam session vibe.
That means there’s always room for those “sometimes kinda tunes,” like this one, heads-up, top-down and just flat-out rattling and rolling into the sunset!
About the Song
“Darlin’ Companion” was written by John Sebastian and was first recorded by his group, The Lovin’ Spoonful, in November 1966 on their album Hums of the Lovin’ Spoonful.
As reported here earlier in an article about The Flood’s cover of another song for that album (“Sittin’ Back Lovin’ You”), Hums was the Spoonful’s concerted effort to record in a wide variety of styles on a single disc. For it, they composed and played pop-, country-, jugband-, folk- and blues-fused tunes.
“Darlin’ Companion” — considered an early example of country-rock, blending a laid-back acoustic folk feel with a catchy pop melody — also was released as the B-side to the band’s 1967 single “Darling Be Home Soon.”
Oddly, “Darlin’ Companion” has never gotten the kind of love from Sebastian’s fellow artists that others of his compositions received. In fact, SecondhandSongs.com has found fewer than a half dozen covers since 1966. However, the song did receive a major nod from country music royalty within three years of its creation when it was included on a historic album.
Take It Away, Johnny and June!
In February 1969, Johnny Cash and June Carter were just five days away from their first wedding anniversary (and three days away from Cash’s 37th birthday) when the pair went north of San Francisco to California’s famed San Quentin Prison to record a live show.
A year after Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, the San Quentin disc would proved even more successful, soaring all the way to the top of the Billboard 200 album list and staying there for four weeks.
It is hard to overstate just how huge Johnny Cash At San Quentin was. It was Cash’s only album to reach the top of the pop chart during his lifetime. It also had a 20-week stay at the top of the country music chart, No. 1 until the last week of December 1969.
The LP’s success was partially due to its featuring “A Boy Named Sue.” As a single, that tune spent five weeks atop the country chart. It peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, giving Cash his only top 10 hit on the pop chart. Johnny played it publicly for the first time behind the prison walls.
On the same famed afternoon, Johnny and June offered a playful, upbeat rendition of “Darlin’ Companion.” From then on, the song became a charming staple of the couple’s live performances, celebrating the warmth, humor and affection of their real-life partnership.
They performed a vibrant version of the song for Danish television during a September 1971 taping, later featured on releases like Man in Black: Live in Denmark 1971.
More from the Room?
Meanwhile, back in the Floodiverse, if you’d like to hear more of what the guys are playing nowadays, check out the 2026 playlist on Radio Floodango.
And remember we’ve now got ways to mobilize the ol’ Floodanago.
Click here to find out how to put the Flood radio on your computer desktop and on an iPhone to make your Flood fix always just a click away.
