Guitar Town (song)
| "Guitar Town" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Steve Earle | ||||
| from the album Guitar Town | ||||
| B-side | ""Little Rock 'N' Roller" | |||
| Released | June 2, 1986 | |||
| Genre | country rock, rockabilly[1] | |||
| Length | 2:33 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter | Steve Earle | |||
| Producers | Emory Gordy Jr., Tony Brown | |||
| Steve Earle singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Guitar Town" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Steve Earle. It was released in June 1986 as the second single and title track from the album Guitar Town. The song reached number 7 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.[2] It was Earle's highest-peaking song to date on the country charts in both the U.S. and Canada. The album version mentions a "Jap guitar", which the radio edit changes to "cheap guitar".
Synopsis and production
The song is sung from the perspective of a touring musician traveling away from Nashville—"Guitar Town"—into Texas as he describes his experiences.[3]
In the preproduction stages for the Guitar Town album, Earle and session guitarist Richard Bennett resolved that the song should omit a guitar solo, feeling it was—in light of the song's title—too predictable. Early takes of the song featured a small keyboard solo. Upon hearing them, producer Emory Gordy Jr. insisted on including a guitar solo. An argument ensued between Bennett and Gordy before Bennett retrieved a Danelectro Longhorn six string bass and played "the first thing that fell out of my brain". Bennett's solo was subsequently incorporated into the song.[4]
Critical reception
Kip Kirby, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Earle "revives the tremolo-laden guitar sound of the early '60s for this song about music and love on the road."[5]
In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #146 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.[6]
Music video
The music video was directed by Gerry Wenner and premiered in mid-1986.
Chart performance
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 7 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 7 |
References
- ^ Conrad, Karen (2016). "Steve Earle - Guitar Town". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 558.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 113.
- ^ Tichi, Cecelia (1994). High Lonesome: The American Culture of Country Music. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. pp. 54, 58. ISBN 9780807846087.
- ^ McGee, David (2005). Steve Earle: Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 95. ISBN 9780879308421.
- ^ Billboard, June 7, 1986
- ^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Earle Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.