William Everett "Billy" Strange (September 29, 1930 – February 22, 2012) wa… Read Full Bio ↴William Everett "Billy" Strange (September 29, 1930 – February 22, 2012) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He was a session musician with the famed Wrecking Crew, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum as a member of The Wrecking Crew in 2007.

Billy Strange was born in Long Beach, California on September 29, 1930.
Strange teamed up with Mac Davis to write several hit songs for Elvis Presley including "A Little Less Conversation", the theme from Charro!, and "Memories". Strange also composed the musical soundtrack for two of Elvis' films Live a Little, Love a Little and The Trouble With Girls. He also wrote "Limbo Rock" for Chubby Checker.

Strange recorded many cover versions of James Bond movie themes for GNP Crescendo Records and provided the instrumental backing and arrangement for Nancy Sinatra's non soundtrack version of "You Only Live Twice" as well as Nancy and Frank's "Somethin' Stupid". He has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for his pioneering contribution to the genre. Billy Strange was inducted into the Musicians Hall Of Fame & Museum.

Strange played guitar on numerous hits by the Beach Boys including "Sloop John B" and the groundbreaking Pet Sounds album. He has also played guitar for Nancy Sinatra, Jan & Dean, The Ventures, Willie Nelson, The Everly Brothers, Wanda Jackson, Randy Newman and Nat King Cole among others. One of his most famous performances is on Nancy Sinatra's version of Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).

Strange arranged and conducted all of Nancy Sinatra's Reprise albums as well as Nancy & Lee's 1972 RCA Records release, Nancy & Lee Again and their 2003 album, Nancy & Lee 3. He also arranged the 1981 Nancy Sinatra & Mel Tillis album, Mel & Nancy. He has arranged and conducted for Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Duane Eddy, and Elvis Presley. One of his most famous arrangements was "These Boots are made for Walkin'" for Nancy Sinatra. Strange also performed the vocals for Steve McQueen in Baby the Rain Must Fall.

Billy Strange died on February 22, 2012 at the age of 81.

Bonanza
Billy Strange Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We chased lady luck, 'til we finally struck
Bonanza
With a gun and a rope and a hat full of hope
We planted our family tree

We got a hold of a pot full of gold
Bonanza
With a horse and a saddle

And a ring full of cattle
How rich can a fellow be?

On this land we put our brand
Cartwright is the name
Fortune smiled
The day we filed the Ponderosa claim

Here in the west, we're livin' in the best
Bonanza
If anyone fights any one of us
He's got a fight with me
Bonanza

Hoss and Joe and Adam know
Every rock and pine
No one works, fights or eats
Like those boys of mine

Here we stand in the middle of a grand
Bonanza
With a gun and a rope and a hatful of hope
We planted our family tree

We got a hold of a potful of gold
Bonanza
With a houseful of friends where the rainbow ends
How rich can a fellow be?

On this land we put our brand
Cartwright is the name
Fortune smiled, the day
We filed the Ponderosa claim

Here in the west we're living in the best
Bonanza
With the friendliest, fightingist, lovingist band
That ever set foot in the promised land

And we're happier than them all

That's why we call it
Bonanza, bonanza, bonanza

Overall Meaning

The song "Bonanza" by Billy Strange is the theme song for the popular television Western show, Bonanza. The show is about a father and his three sons, all of whom own a massive 1,000-square-mile ranch called the Ponderosa, located in Nevada in the 1860s. The lyrics talk about the Cartwright family's journey to find luck and strike gold, which they achieved with the help of guns, roaps, and a little bit of hope. The family, now surrounded by wealth and cattle with their brand on them, has become the king of the land, and they plan to defend their territory from any outsider who tries to take it away.

The lyrics are simple, yet powerful, as they convey the pride of an American pioneer family who, through hard work and determination, built a successful life for themselves. They also depict the spirit of the American West where frontier justice, hard work and camaraderie prevailed. The chorus, which repeats the word "Bonanza" several times, is catchy and memorable, reflecting the excitement and energy of the West.

Line by Line Meaning

We chased lady luck, 'til we finally struck Bonanza
We kept searching for good fortune until we found it here on this land, which we now call Bonanza

With a gun and a rope and a hat full of hope We planted our family tree
We came with little more than our determination, but we built a family and established roots on this land

We got a hold of a pot full of gold Bonanza With a horse and a saddle And a ring full of cattle How rich can a fellow be?
We struck it rich with gold, and now have horses and cattle aplenty. Life cannot get much better than this

On this land we put our brand Cartwright is the name Fortune smiled The day we filed the Ponderosa claim
We've marked and claimed this land as our own, and the Cartwright family will forever be associated with the Ponderosa. Our luck was truly in when we filed that land claim

Here in the west, we're livin' in the best Bonanza If anyone fights any one of us He's got a fight with me Bonanza
Living out in the West on Bonanza land is the ultimate way of life. And if anyone dares to get in our way, they will have to deal with all of us

Hoss and Joe and Adam know Every rock and pine No one works, fights or eats Like those boys of mine
My sons Hoss, Joe, and Adam are intimately familiar with every inch of this land, and no one has the work ethic or fighting spirit that they do

Here we stand in the middle of a grand Bonanza With a gun and a rope and a hatful of hope We planted our family tree
We have found ourselves in a truly magnificent place, surrounded by natural beauty and bountiful resources. Despite our humble beginnings, we've firmly established roots here on this land

We got a hold of a potful of gold Bonanza With a houseful of friends where the rainbow ends How rich can a fellow be?
Not only have we become wealthy beyond our wildest dreams, but we've also found happiness and friendship in this magical place where the rainbow seems to end

With the friendliest, fightingist, lovingist band That ever set foot in the promised land And we're happier than them all That's why we call it Bonanza, bonanza, bonanza
Together, we are the nicest, most capable, and most loving group of people to ever arrive in this land of promise. We are happier than anyone else, and this is why we've named this place Bonanza

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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