I Have Returned was Ray Stevens

Ray Stevens

Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...

' twenty-second studio album and his second for MCA Records

MCA Records

MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

, released in 1985

1985 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...

. The pictures on both the front and the back of the album were taken in the Mississippi Sound

Mississippi Sound

The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about 145 kilometers...

 near Biloxi, Mississippi

Biloxi, Mississippi

Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....

 according to the album credits. Those sharp in the history of America's participation in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 will immediately recognize that Stevens is spoofing Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...

, a General that served in the war and "I Have Returned" is one of his famous quotes. "The Haircut Song" and "The Ballad of the Blue Cyclone" were released as singles from the album. "Santa Claus Is Watching You" is a re-recording of Stevens' 1960's pop single and was re-issued as a country single around the time of the album's release and was made into a popular music video.

Stevens later re-recorded "The Pirate Song" on his 1991 album #1 With a Bullet and re-recorded the song a third time in 2000 for a hilarious music video found on Funniest Video Characters.

The first track, "Thus Cacked Henrietta", is a rendition of Richard Strauss

Richard Strauss

Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...

' "Also Sprach Zarathustra", performed in chicken clucks. However, it's only the popular fanfare portion of the musical number and obviously not the entire performance, which lasts over thirty minutes, broken into various parts. The rendition by Stevens lasts a little over 1 minute and was his first chicken-clucking performance since 1977's "In the Mood

In the Mood

"In the Mood" is a big band era #1 hit recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. Joe Garland and Andy Razaf arranged "In the Mood" in 1937-1939 using a previously existing main theme composed by Glenn Miller before the start of the 1930s...

," released under the alias "The Henhouse Five Plus Too."

Track listing

Album credits

• Arranged & Produced by: Ray Stevens
• Engineer: Stuart Keathley
• Recorded at: Ray Stevens Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
• Mastered by: Glenn Meadows at Masterfonics

Musicians

• Keyboards & Synthesizers: Ray Stevens
• Drums: Jerry Carrigan & Jerry Kroon
• Bass: Jack Williams
• Electric Guitars: Steve Gibson
• Rhythm Guitars: Mark Casstevens
• Banjo: Mark Casstevens
• Dobro: Steve Gibson
• Saxophone: Denis Solee
• Trombone: Roger Bissell
• Trumpet: Ray Stevens
• Tympani: Ray Stevens
• Background Vocals: Lisa Silver, Diane Tidwell, Wendy Suits, Ray Stevens

• Art Direction: Ray Stevens & Slick Lawson
• Design: Simon Levy
• Photography: Slick Lawson
• Production: Susan Scott

• Landing Craft: Vincent J. Fusca, III, Captain USMC, 4th PLT (REIN) CO. A, 4th ASLT AMPH BN, USMCR, Gulfport, MS

• Special Thanks To: Pony Maples-Weapons, Faye Sloan Costumes, George Nalley-Stevens Aviation

Album

Chart (1985)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	1

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions
		US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
1985	"The Haircut Song"	45
1986	"The Ballad of the Blue Cyclone"	50