101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening sym… Read Full Bio ↴101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. According to the photograph, the 101 Strings orchestra was composed of 124 string instruments (all male except for the harpist) and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg. In reality, of course, the recordings also featured a full brass, woodwind and percussion section, and not quite as many strings as are shown in the photograph. In later years (right up to the 80's), the recordings were made by a session orchestra in London, with a line-up including a modern "pop" rhythm section. In the late 1990's, the 101 Strings Orchestra was revived with "The New 101 Strings Orchestra" for a series of modern recordings.

do you know the way to san josÃ©
101 Strings Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Do you know the way to San Jose
I've been away so long
I may go wrong and lose my way
Do you know the way to San Jose
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose

L.A. is a great big freeway
Put a hundred down and buy a car

In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star
Weeks turn into years
How quick they pass
And all the stars that never were
Are parking cars and pumping gas

You can really breathe in San Jose
They've got a lot of space
There'll be a place where I can stay
I was born and raised in San Jose
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose

Fame and fortune is a magnet
It can pull you far away from home
With a dream in your heart you're never alone

Dreams turn into dust and blow away
And there you are without a friend
You pack your car and ride away

I've got lots of friends in San Jose
Do you know the way to San Jose?

L.A. is a great big freeway
Put a hundred down and buy a car
In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star

Weeks turn into years, how quick they pass
And all the stars that never were
Are parking cars and pumping gas

I've got lots of friends in San Jose

Do you know the way to San Jose?
Can't wait to get back to San Jose

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 101 Strings Orchestra's "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" tell the story of a singer who has been away from the city for so long that he may have forgotten the way back. He's heading back to San Jose to find some peace of mind. The songwriter suggests that fame and fortune is a magnet that can pull people away from their homes, only to realize years later that they are without a friend. The singer is going back to San Jose because he has lots of friends there and because the city provides a sense of security and peace that he cannot find elsewhere.

The lyrics seem to be a commentary on the illusory nature of fame and fortune, which can promise everything but ultimately lead to a life without friends. They also suggest that there is virtue in simplicity and that one can find peace of mind in familiar surroundings. Finally, the lyrics suggest that home is not just a physical place, but a state of mind and a community of people who care about us.

Line by Line Meaning

Do you know the way to San Jose
Asking if the listener knows the directions to San Jose.

I've been away so long
Expressing how long the singer has been away from San Jose.

I may go wrong and lose my way
Acknowledging the possibility of getting lost on the way to San Jose.

I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose
Describing the singer's purpose in returning to San Jose.

L.A. is a great big freeway
Characterizing Los Angeles as a busy metropolis centered around a large freeway.

Put a hundred down and buy a car
Suggesting that buying a car is necessary for getting around in Los Angeles.

In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star
Portraying Hollywood as a place where one can become famous quickly.

Weeks turn into years
Highlighting the passage of time in Hollywood.

How quick they pass
Reflecting on how quickly time seems to fly by.

And all the stars that never were
Describing the multitude of people who have not achieved their dreams of stardom.

Are parking cars and pumping gas
Indicating that many people who come to Hollywood end up in everyday, low-paying jobs.

You can really breathe in San Jose
Implying that San Jose is a place with clean air and open spaces.

They've got a lot of space
Further describing San Jose as a place with plenty of open land.

There'll be a place where I can stay
Anticipating the singer's ability to find accommodations in San Jose.

I was born and raised in San Jose
Revealing that the singer has strong ties to the city of San Jose.

Fame and fortune is a magnet
Characterizing fame and fortune as allurements that draw people away from home.

It can pull you far away from home
Describing how the pursuit of fame and fortune can result in physical distance from one's roots.

With a dream in your heart you're never alone
Asserting that having aspirations can provide emotional support.

Dreams turn into dust and blow away
Suggesting that many dreams go unfulfilled.

And there you are without a friend
Implying that the pursuit of fame and fortune can lead to isolation.

You pack your car and ride away
Depicting a common response to being alone and unfulfilled in Los Angeles.

I've got lots of friends in San Jose
Implying that the singer is well-connected in the city of San Jose.

Do you know the way to San Jose?
Repeating the initial question about directions to San Jose.

Can't wait to get back to San Jose
Expressing the singer's eagerness to return to San Jose.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Hal David, Burt Bacharach, Burt F. Bacharach

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

trishptg

11y↑2

This is the 1st time I heard the instrumental on this. Lovely! I do remember Dionne Warrick's version and mostly Karen Carpenter's. Thank you for the upload .. Trish