Commentary
It’s summer and time to hit the road! But given the astronomical price of gas, it’ll only be a figurative journey in which we cruise the southern United States using the subjects of songs as our signposts. Hop aboard as we join Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead, Tom Waits, and others on a musical tour of Dixie.
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Tennessee Waltz
Meet me in the Volunteer state and let our journey commence! Home to Sun Records, Beale Street, the Grand Ol’ Opry and Graceland, Tennessee is a virtual mecca for American music. I could dedicate an entire post to this state, but I’ll narrow it down to my top 5 songs.
“Tennessee Flat Top Box” by Johnny Cash
An ode to a boy whose guitar playing skills enticed listeners from around the world to come and hear him play. From humble beginnings in a little South Texas border town cabaret to the Hit Parade, “all the girls from nine to ninety / were snapping fingers, tapping toes, and begging him: “Don’t stop.”"
“Tennessee Jed” by The Grateful Dead
First surfacing on the double live album, “Europe ‘72,” Tennessee Jed was performed in concert for years to come. A great example of the Dead’s classic take on country and folk roots.
“Memphis, Tennessee” by Chuck Berry
Released in 1959, “Memphis” is a desperate plea to the “long distance information” operator to connect him to his beloved six year old daughter. A brilliant track that features Berry multitracked on rhythm guitar, bass and pedal steel. The song has been covered by many musicians, including Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Faces, George Thorogood, The Beatles, The Animals, Paul Anka, Count Basie, The Dave Clark Five, Jan and Dean, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison.
“Sequestered in Memphis” by The Hold Steady
A brand new song by one of the hottest bands around, “Sequestered in Memphis” is an upbeat, horn driven anthem about being “subpoenaed in Texas / sequestered in Memphis.”
“Graceland” by Paul Simon
You can’t discuss Tennessee without mentioning one of the country’s most famous residences. Paul Simon (with help from the Everly Brothers) sets this classic song against the backdrop of a failed marriage and a road trip to Memphis.
(Other notable songs about Tennessee: “Tennessee” by Arrested Development, “Tennessee Plates” by John Hiatt, “Memphis Pearl” by Lucinda Williams, “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn, “Letter to Memphis” by the Pixies, “Nashville” by Liz Phair, “Nashville Cats” by the Lovin’ Spoonful).
Arkansas Traveler
Follow me west as we strut down to Arkansas (birthplace of Johnny Cash and Bill Clinton!
“Mary Queen of Arkansas” by Bruce Springsteen
A deep album cut from Springsteen’s debut, “Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ,” this powerful acoustic ballad is sung from the point of view of a slave in the American South to his white, plantation mistress. “Mary queen of Arkansas, your white skin is deceivin’ / You wake and wait to lie in bait and you almost got me believin’ / But on your bed Mary I can see the shadow of a noose / I don’t understand how you can hold me so tight and love me so damn loose.”
“Arkansas” by M.C. Solaar
I challenge you to find me a better song sung (or rapped, rather) in French than this ditty by francophone hip hop artist, MC Solaar.
“Arkansas Coal (Suite)” by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
There’s something funny about hearing Nancy Sinatra (daughter of ‘Ol Blue Eyes) singing about the hardships of mining for coal in rural Arkansas. That’s part of what makes this song so tasty.
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
Follow me downriver to the Crescent City, the birth place of jazz and the crown jewel of the American South.
“City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie
A nostalgic trip from Chicago to New Orleans, this Steve Goodman penned song was a hit for Arlo Guthrie in 1972. A bittersweet folk classic.
“Walking to New Orleans” by Fats Domino
A down and out blues number, this tune was also recorded by Buckwheat Zydeco and Neil Young, but I much prefer Fats Domino’s version with the syrupy strings.
“I Wish I Was in New Orleans” by Tom Waits
The title of the song says it all.
“Crescent City” by Lucinda Williams
A love letter to New Orleans from Lucinda Williams’ classic 1988 self titled album.
“Louisiana 1927″ by Randy Newman
Written in 1974 about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, this Randy Newman song is eerily prescient and its theme of government indifference perfectly relates to the Katrina disaster of 2005.”Louisiana, Louisiana / They’re tyrin’ to wash us away.”
The Mighty Mississippi
Let’s head east to Mississippi, home of the delta blues.
“Mississippi Goddam” by Nina Simone
Written in 1964, this signature song by Nina Simone is a scathing indictment of the Jim Crow South and a fiery response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing of a church in Birmingham that killed four young girls. One of the best protest songs you’ll ever hear.
“Mississippi Queen” by Mountain
Dirty, monster guitar riffs, Leslie West’s powerful vocals, and that cowbell. Ah yes, perhaps the best use of a cowbell in all of rock and roll.
“61 Highway” by Mississippi Fred McDowell
Highway 61 was the road that many African Americans took to leave Mississippi in search of better lives. Mississippi Fred McDowell, a Delta blues legend, sings about the road known as the “Blues Highway.”
Moon Over Alabama
Our last stop takes us to the Heart of Dixie.
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sure, it’s overplayed, but a great song nonetheless.
“Alabama” by Neil Young
The song that inspired Skynyrd’s anthem (which was a pointed reply), Young disses the Yellowhammer state for its long history of racism. “Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders / Thats breaking your back / Your cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch / And a wheel on the track.”
“Boulder to Birmingham” by Emmylou Harris
Written in 1975 as a tribute to her recently departed partner in crime and soulmate, Gram Parsons, “Boulder to Birmingham” is a touching ballad that further demonstrated Emmylou’s amazing talents.
“Angel from Montgomery” by John Prine
Bonnie Raitt’s cover is more well known, but I prefer the original by John Prine. Told from the point of view of an aging woman, it’s a sad tale about the hopelessness of a mundane life, shattered dreams and a lifeless marriage. “Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery / Make me a poster of an old rodeo / Just give me one thing that I can hold on to / To believe in this living is just a hard way to go.”
Georgia Peach
Georgia’s got a rich musical history, from James Brown to R.E.M. Let’s go eat a peach and listen to some tunes.
“Georgia on a Fast Train” by Billy Joe Shaver
A great country tune by a vastly underrated artist.
“Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels Band
Georgia seems like a good place to challenge the devil to a fiddle duel. Here’s hoping we can see a rematch while we’re here.
“Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles
A breathtaking song. No list of songs about Georgia would be complete without it.
Carolina on My Mind
With upstate Piedmont, the Low Country, Sandhills and the antibellum jewel of Charleston, I’ve got Carolina on my mind.
“South Carolina (Barnwell)” by Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson
A funky protest tune from Heron and Jackson featured on their stellar 1975 album, “From South Africa to South Carolina.” Barnwell is the birthplace of James Brown, although he was raised in Augusta, Georgia.
“Charleston Railroad Tavern” by Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare’s big break came with the hit single, Detroit City, in 1963. He also sang about this bar in Charleston. Drink up, cause it’s closing time.
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OK, time to pack up the car and head back home. But keep the motor running, because we’ll soon head back on the highway for another roadtrip through the highways and biways of America, with the wind in our hair and music as our guide.
