Eleven posts in and it’s about time I go slightly off-piste with a song choice. This time, it’s a track which ignited a lifelong love of a particular genre for me – Country (and all variations on the theme). Getting on my soapbox a little, as with pure pop music, I’ve never understood the criticism aimed at the genre as a whole – Country has always been huge, certainly in terms of the fanbase and sales, and it has been refreshing to see it experience something of a resurgence and greater appreciation during recent years. The artist here is one of my absolute favourites – the incomparable Steve Earle.
The artist
Talented, enigmatic and controversial, Steve Earle is, for me at least, one of the finest Country music musicians of all time. A truly gifted singer, songwriter and guitarist, he has also written novels, plays, and appeared in acclaimed TV shows such as The Wire and Treme.
Born in Virginia in 1955, his family moved to San Antonio, Texas, when Earle was one year old. A rebellious child, he dropped out of school at 16. In 1974, at the age of 19, he moved to Nashville, where he worked blue-collar jobs during the day and played music during the evenings. He gained a reputation as a talented songwriter and released EPs and singles prior to the 1986 release of his major-label debut album, the brilliant Guitar Town. Two tracks from the album, Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left To Say, and Guitar Town, both reached the Country top ten. His second album, Exit O, was released in 1987 and followed a similar traditional country path to his debut. In 1988, he released the album which really propelled him to fame – Copperhead Road. Taking a harder direction than his first two albums, the title track, which I’m focussing on here, became a big hit. Subsequent albums have seen Earle moving into other genres such as Bluegrass, Folk, and Blues – he might be suitably and succinctly summarised as an Americana artist, though I find all the variations on the Country theme to be confusing and pretty much irrelevant anyway. Crucially, even at the age of 70, he remains one of the most important musicians of the 20th century (and beyond).
Why I’ve chosen to write about this song
I grew up in a house where music was a constant. My mum and dad had eclectic tastes, so amongst all the Status Quo, Cliff Richard, Hooked On Classics, and chart hit singles I was exposed to, I also heard a lot of Kenny Rogers, which was my introduction to Country music. However, Steve Earle really was the first artist to turn my teenage head to the genre.
In addition to the long-established Top of the Pops, I was addicted to a brilliant British show called The Chart Show during the late eighties. Ditching the idea that TV music shows needed presenters, The Chart Show focused solely on videos. In addition to the main pop charts, it featured the top ten of a different genre each week. When they aired the video to Copperhead Road, I was immediately transfixed (more of this below). The song starts in a relatively relaxed mandolin-led fashion, before the overdriven guitars kick in at the 2 minute 30 second mark and take the song to a rousing climax – a prime example of rock & roll country / bluegrass. The rebelliousness nature of it really struck a chord with the 14-year-old me – at this stage in his career, Earle really did look like a guy you wouldn’t like to bump into down a darkened alley!
Fortunately, one of my cousins, who is a few years older than me, had the CD of the Copperhead Road album. I borrowed that and couldn’t get enough of it (thanks, Paul!). I hold this song responsible for a subsequent lifelong love of country / Americana music. It wasn’t a bad borrowing haul that day, as I also snaffled Southside (the brilliant debut album by Texas) and Easy Pieces, the Lloyd Cole album featuring one of my favourite songs (Lost Weekend). Always a huge bonus when you have relatives who introduce you to brilliant new music!
Something else which hooked me is that, more broadly, I really enjoy when songs tell stories. Copperhead Road certainly does that. It begins with the backstory of the father and grandfather of the fictional narrator – John Lee Pettimore – who made moonshine in rural Tennessee. Those outlaw tendencies filtered through to Pettimore, who, having returned home from Vietnam, began to grow and smuggle marijuana. It’s a great tale and was an early example of the storytelling skills Earle possessed, perhaps best illustrated a few years later when he released the brilliant short story collection Doghouse Roses in 2001.
The video
A performance video which also tells the story perfectly, this begins with images from the Vietnam war, before quickly shifting to tell the tale of the Pettimore’s unlawful deeds. I loved everything about it: the depiction of rural American life, the speeding classic cars on dirt roads, and Earle’s fist slamming into his black acoustic guitar bearing the image of a skull & crossbones. I watched my VHS recording of this over and over and over again. Even today, there are plenty of times when I fall down a YouTube music video rabbit hole. When I do, this song always crops up within the suggested playlists – the algorithm clearly knows me well!
The stats
Earle rarely troubled the UK charts. This peaked at number 45 in the 12th November 1988 chart. For the stats fans, the number one that week was Enya’s Orinoco Flow – quite the contrast! The album fared similarly, peaking at number 42 in the 28th January 1989 chart. Again, for the stats fans, the number one that week was The Legendary Roy Orbison.
The cover version
There are plenty of decent cover versions on YouTube, though none which do anything markedly different (to my mind, at least). We’ll therefore stick with the original this time around.
The wrap-up
What can I say? I hope anyone reading this enjoys an amazing song from an amazing singer / songwriter. Earle is divisive. He’s outspoken. He’s led a colourful and interesting life. Most importantly though, he remains one of the finest, most prolific, most talented musicians of his lifetime. The world is a better place as a result of having his work available for us to appreciate. Copperhead Road will always be one of my favourite songs – not just from the eighties, but from any decade.
Best wishes.
Mick
