Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXXVI--Willie Nelson: On the Road Again

A week and a half late again...with feeling!

In August of 1981, one of country music's greats released a two LP best of called Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be), and the folks at Columbia were kind enough to send a promo copy to my first store there in Decatur, Illinois.  I spent months listening to it--in many ways the album was my stepping stone to furthering my interest in country music which had been pretty close to zilch prior.  It would eventually culminate in a trip to the Illinois State Fair to see aforesaid great live (while she would never remember, it was technically my daughter's first concert).  As you might surmise, it was also my introduction to this week's tune....

Willie Nelson's career started before I was even born (1956 to be exact), and sixty-nine years down the road he's still making music as he prepares to hit ninety-two years old this April.  Needless to say, there isn't any way to capture his career in a paragraph, as Nelson has become an icon for generations of fans and has stretched the boundaries of country music in ways anyone not named Johnny Cash has not.  A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Songwriting Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, winner of numerous Grammys, and being an Academy Award nomineee are just a few of the accolades Nelson has acquired through his many years.  His album discography is here (over a hundred studio albums between solo and collaborations--surely a Friday Night Jukebox record), and his single discography is here (over a hundred and thirty--with twenty-five #1's--also Jukebox records).  Nelson is a strong supporter of cannabis rights, leans left politically, was an original founder of Farm Aid, and has been active in numerous other charities.  A life well lived and well done.

Fun Fact:  Nelson is a devotee of martial arts, and holds black belts in several different styles, including Tae Kwon Do like my youngest son. Cool!

"On the Road Again" was the first single from the soundtrack to the rather florally entitled Honeysuckle Rose (from the movie of the same name which Nelson also starred in).  The single would hit #20 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the country singles chart.  The soundtrack would hit #11 on the Billboard 200 and as with the single, #1 on the country albums chart.  Nelson would also receive an 
Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

Asked to write a song about life on the road by the movie's producers, Nelson penned "On the Road Again" on a barf bag while on a flight to one of the movie's sets.  It's a happy go lucky affirmation of traveling the world and making music with your band, and Nelson keeps the tempo and the vocals as upbeat as any good show would be.  Bonus points to me for finally noticing after forty years of listening that there's a harmonica in the song.  Nothing earth shattering for this one--just two and a half minutes of good music and fun.

Lyric Sheet:  "On the road again/Just can't wait to get on the road again/The life I love is making music with my friends..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Hell, they all think Jesus carried an AR-15

The GOP is realizing only now that Willie Nelson is liberal.

Wait till they hear about Jesus.

— NewbieHoward ✡️ (@NewbieHoward) January 1, 2022

Republican = Racist

Peace, 

emaycee

 

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LV--Waylon Jennings: Luckenbach, Texas

This week, I'm going for my shit-kicker cred....

Imagine that you're Buddy Holly's bass player (and that Holly has helped you record a couple of your own tunes), you're on tour in wintry Iowa, and Holly decides to charter a plane to Minnesota to beat the frosty conditions on the tour bus.  The plane has room for three passengers, and you're scheduled to be one of the three.  But, for altruistic reasons you decide to give your spot to one J,P, Richardson, a.k.a. The Big Bopper, because he has the flu.  Hours later the plane goes down killing all aboard, and goes down in music history as the day the music died.  Where do you suppose life takes you from there?

If you're Waylon Jennings, you go on to be one of the leaders of the Outlaw Country movement and eventually a Country Music Hall of Famer.

In the aftermath of the plane crash, Jennings went back to being a DJ for a time before returning to recording in the late 60's.  Inspired by what Dylan/The Beatles/The Stones were doing with rock music, Jennings (along with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash) began to bring both a return to country music's roots as well as a harder edge to the songs inspiring what later became known as Outlaw Country.  Jennings would have a nice ride through the late 70's (including having a #1 country single of the years as well as winning numerous awards), but the remainder of his career would find him battling and eventually conquering cocaine addiction and never again quite reaching the heights he attained during the early years of his career.  Still, at the time of his death in 2002 he'd had 54 albums (11 #1's) and 96 singles (16 #1's) that charted over the course of his career.

Released on his Ol' Waylon LP in 1977, "Luckenbach, Texas" would go on to be the country single of the year and the biggest hit of Jennings' career.  For the record, Jennings himself admitted to hating the song and never once having been to Luckenbach (he did eventually play there in 1997).  Also for the record, from what I can tell Luckenbach is little more than a hole in the wall 50 miles north of San Antonio with a music venue that occasionally features some name performers--i.e., Austin City Limits it ain't.  It does, however, have a much better country music feel to it than say, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Be that as it may, "Luckenbach, Texas" is still one hell of a song.  I'm not much of a country music expert (and a middling fan at best), but I know greatness when I hear it (e.g., Patsy Cline's "Crazy" or George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today") and this tune is certainly graced with it.  Led by Jennings' remarkable baritone, it's the story of a couple whose fame has caused them more than a little pain and the singer's heartfelt request to get back to the simple life of love and good music (hear, hear!).  It references the music of Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Hank Williams, and Mickey Newbury all the while a steel guitar, a soft drum, and a bass provide the ever yearning background music.  The song closes with one more version of the chorus, this time with Jennings and his good friend Willie Nelson sharing the vocals, convinced that when you're listening to good music "there ain't nobody feeling no pain."  And I can tell you it's certainly worked a time or two for me.

Truer words and all that:  "I don't need my name in the marquee lights/ I got my song and I got you with me tonight...."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee