It’s been too long since I posted a Steve Earle song, and it was time. I remember this one, along with I Ain’t Ever Satisfied got me into Earle in the 1980s. I first saw him in the late eighties open up for Bob Dylan. He played a longer set than Bob that night. Bob had to leave after 45 minutes because he got sick. The guy behind me yelled, “I know you are an old SOB but come on…” Bob was at the ripe old age of 48 when this happened.
By 1986, Steve Earle had been around Nashville for years. He had written songs for other artists, worked with legendary songwriters like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. He spent a lot of time trying to get his own career off the ground. When Guitar Town was released as the title track of his debut album, it sounded different from much of what was coming out of Nashville at the time. It had country roots, but there was also a rock and roll energy running through it. The song helped launch Earle from respected songwriter to recording star.
Earle has said the meaning behind Guitar Town came from the struggles of a musician trying to make it. The lyrics tell the story of a young man leaving home with a guitar and dreams of success. Earle knew that world firsthand. He had spent years playing clubs, writing songs, and trying to find his place in the music business. The song captured both the excitement and gamble of trying a musical career. Even people who never picked up a guitar could relate to the idea of leaving home and taking a chance on a dream.
Earle was also very smart and talented. He would regularly hang out with some great songwriters and musicians. Townes Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell, and more. He learned from them, and you can hear it in his songs. When I hear his songs, they are so accessible. They are almost inviting you to listen.
The recording sessions for the album were produced by Tony Brown and Emory Gordy Jr. They gave the songs a tougher edge. Guitar Town featured ringing guitars and enough country flavor to fit the format while still sounding fresh. The combination worked. The single helped make the album one of the most acclaimed country releases of the year.
Looking back, Guitar Town helped open the door for a generation of artists who mixed traditional country music and folk with rock influences. Earle would go on to have a long and diverse career, but this song remains one of his signature recordings. Nearly forty years later, it still sounds like a young man with a guitar, a full tank of gas, and no intention of turning around.
Guitar Town
Hey pretty baby, are you ready for me
It’s your good rockin’ daddy down from Tennessee
I’m just out of Austin bound for San Antone
With the radio blastin’ and the bird dog on
There’s a speed trap up ahead in Selma Town
But no local yokel gonna shut me down
‘Cause me and my boys got this rig unwound
And we’ve come a thousand miles from a Guitar Town
Nothin’ ever happened ’round my hometown
And I ain’t the kind to just hang around
But I heard someone callin’ my name one day
And I followed that voice down the lost highway
Everybody told me you can’t get far
On 37 dollars and a jap guitar
Now I’m smokin’ into Texas with the hammer down
And a rockin’ little combo from the Guitar Town
Hey pretty baby don’t you know it ain’t my fault
I love to hear the steel belts hummin’ on the asphalt
Wake up in the middle of the night in a truck stop
Stumble in the restaurant wonderin’ why I don’t stop
Well, I gotta keep rockin’ why I still can
Got a two pack habit and a motel tan
When my boots hit the boards I’m a brand new man
With my back to the riser, I make my stand
Hey pretty baby, won’t you hold me tight
I’m loadin’ up and rollin’ out of here tonight
One of these days, I’m gonna settle down
And take you back with me to the Guitar Town
