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This article is about the Three Dog Night song. For the orchestral piece, see "Shambala" (composition).

"Shambala", by Three Dog Night, is the song that spontaneously begins playing on the DHARMA van's 8-track tape deck when Hurley starts its engine in "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead". The beginning of the song is also heard earlier in the same episode in a flashback to Hurley's childhood. The song is heard yet again in "The Man Behind the Curtain" when Ben and Roger ride in the van.

The song, written by Daniel Moore in 1973, is the hit version by Three Dog Night. The lyrics reflect the removal of negative emotions, mirroring Hurley's goal to have fun no matter the circumstances. "Wash Away," which Hurley listened to at the end of "Tabula Rasa", echoed similar sentiments. Shambala itself is a reference to a mythical kingdom of enlightenment in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

"Shambala" is one of three examples in the series where a diegetic song (originating from within story and heard by the characters) is incorporated into the musical score, thereby becoming non-diegetic. After the song comes on in the DHARMA van in "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead", it is integrated into the score for use in the following montage sequence. The other examples of this scoring technique are "La Mer" in "Whatever the Case May Be" and "Downtown" in "One of Us". The non-diegetic version of "Shambala" incorporated into the score is featured on the Season 3 soundtrack as track 20 on disc 1, and is called "Shambala."

Lyrics[]

Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain
With the rain in Shambala
Wash away my sorrow, wash away my shame
With the rain in Shambala

Ah, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Everyone is helpful, everyone is kind
On the road to Shambala
Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind
On the road to Shambala

How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala

I can tell my sister by the flowers in her eyes
On the road to Shambala
I can tell my brother by the flowers in her eyes
On the road to Shambala

How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala


Episode[]

The lyrics that are actually audible in "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead" are:

Ah, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ah, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Everyone is helpful, everyone is kind
On the road to Shambala
Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind
On the road to Shambala

Ah, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ah, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala
How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala

Trivia[]

  • Cheech Marin (who portrayed Hurley's father, David Reyes) worked on earlier film projects with June Fairchild (best known as the "Ajax Lady" from the Cheech and Chong movie Up In Smoke, 1978). At the time, Fairchild was the girlfriend of Three Dog Night's lead vocalist, Danny Hutton.

External links[]

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