Alan Jackson is both a dynamic performer and an accomplished writer in the neotraditional country space. Here are some of his lyrics that everyone should know.
“Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)”
“I’m just a singer of simple songs / I’m not a real political man / I watch CNN but I’m not sure I can tell you / The difference in Iraq and Iran.”
Videos by American Songwriter
“Where Were You” takes inspiration from Jackson’s own experience with the US attacks on 9/11. It actually took him several weeks to write this song. The thing I like about the lyrics above is that they are both humble and honest. This song presents Jackson as a very approachable voice to listen to, especially in a time of crisis.
“Drive(For Daddy Gene)”
“It was just an old plywood boat / A ’75 Johnson with electric choke / A young boy two hands on the wheel / I can’t replace the way it made me feel.”
Jackson wrote this song for his father, Eugene Jackson, who passed away a few years before “Drive” was released. Jackson wanted to write a song that wasn’t necessarily a sad account of his death. This song captures the good times he had with his dad.
“Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow”
“Just trying to be somebody / Just wanna be heard and seen / I’m chasing that neon rainbow / Living that honky-tonk dream.”
Jackson and Jim McBride wrote this song about making it in the music industry. Jackson was trying to get a record deal at the time. He would eventually sign to Arista Records, under which he would release early music.
McBride told The Boot: “I had had this song idea for two solid years that I never did anything with, because I’d never been in a band. The title was called ‘Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow, Livin’ That Honky-Tonk Dream’. I’d written it down and carried it around for two years in my notebook. As Alan was telling me what he was going through, I thought, ‘That’s what this song is all about.’”
“Remember When”
“Remember when the sound of little feet / Was the music we danced to week to week.”
This one is a reflective song that looks back on life from someone like Jackson, who’s lived a lot of it. Details like the one above are part of what gives “Remember When” its charm.
Photo by: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
More The List
-
Willie Nelson, a country singer who is well over 60 and still putting on great shows. -
Photo by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images -
UNSPECIFIED – MARCH 01: Photo of DOOBIE BROTHERS (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns) -
(MANDATORY CREDIT Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) Pink Floyd live at Hakone Aphrodite, Kanagawa, August 6, 1971. (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) -
Lindsey Buckingham from the rock group Fleetwood Mac. (Photo by Robin Platzer/Getty Images) -
NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 03: Trace Adkins performs at The Grand Ole Opry on June 3, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Schmidt Relations) -
Janis Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band, perform at the Festival for Peace at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York, 6th August 1970. -
UNITED KINGDOM – 1st OCTOBER: The Beatles posed with bottles of beer and party snacks and balloons in October 1964. Left to right: Paul McCartney, John Lennon (1940-1980), Ringo Starr and George Harrison (1943-2001). The session was taken to promote the BBC World Service. (Photo by Mark Hayward Archive/Redferns)