Waylon Jennings – Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love)

I love the Outlaws…

The song was written by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons. Waylon Jennings was in Moman’s American Studios in Nashville recording Luckenbach, Texas when Willie Nelson happened to drop by for no particular reason.

Jennings saw him and asked him to sing with him on this. So Willie ended up adding his voice to the final verse, providing a couple of lyrical changes in the process.

Chips Moman used reverse psychology on Waylon to get him to record this song. Chips told him “here’s a song that you can’t cut because I’ve got it promised to someone else, but can I get your opinion on it?” It worked, Waylon took the bait and told Moman “I’m gonna cut that song.”|

Suddenly the tiny town of Luckenbach was besieged by network reporters and camera crews. Over one hundred city-limit signs have been stolen from the town since Jennings’ famous record was first released in 1977, and ironically neither Waylon nor the song’s writers Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons ever made their way to Luckenbach, Texas.

The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard Country Charts, #25 in the Billboard 100, and #1 in the Canadian Country Charts, and #46 in the Canadian RPM Charts in 1977.

Luckenbach Texas

Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas
With Waylon and Willie and the boys
This successful life we’re livin’
Got us feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys
Between Hank Williams’ pain songs and
Newbury’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”
Out in Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

So baby, let’s sell your diamond ring
Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away
This coat and tie is choking me
In your high society, you cry all day
We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones
Four car garage and we’re still building on
Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love

Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas
With Waylon and Willie and the boys
This successful life we’re livin’ got us feudin’
Like the Hatfield and McCoys
Between Hank Williams’ pain songs and
Newbury’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”
Out in Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas
Willie and Waylon and the boys
This successful life we’re livin’s got us feudin’
Like the Hatfield and McCoys
Between Hank Williams’ pain songs
And Jerry Jeff’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”
Out in Luckenbach, Texas, there ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

 

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

16 thoughts on “Waylon Jennings – Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love)”

  2. Take a trip to Luckenbach, and you will find the general store and a few other buildings. There ain’t much there. Hondo Crouch brought the hamlet to the attention of the locals and the hippycowboys back in the 70s. Jerry Jeff Walker recorded a live album in that store. At times, when the weather is good, there will be a band in the beer garden. Too bad Waylon never visited.

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    1. Thanks for reading! You would have thought he would have made it down there at least once.
      I’ve read about John Russell before somewhere but I don’t know where.
      Thanks again!

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      9. Chester Nimitz. I visited his old home cabin. That is a cool-ass town. Settled by German immigrants, it has real German food restaurants and lots of microbreweries. Plus this:
        https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/
        When we went there, the museum hadn’t opened, yet. Interestingly, I wound up having a co-worker whose son was a Navy Lieutenant and was part of the museum being created.

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  3. I think what I like most about this tune is the excellent sound of the music. The Willie Nelson touch at the end is cool as well.

    As for Luckenbach, TX, which btw could be a German name, apparently, that town’s life was never the same again after that tune had come out. It’s really remarkable what song lyrics can make people do! 🙂

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