3 Country Songs About Going Hard and Going Broke in Nashville

Nashville is a city full of winners, losers, country music dreamers, and people tarnished and jaded by the game. In pursuing a music career, there are a few constants. One of those constants is failure. Now, we aren’t saying that failure isn’t met with success, as it can be and has been. However, if you are pursuing a music career and haven’t failed a handful of times, then well, you’re either extremely lucky or just not taking enough risks.

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This ebbing and flowing pursuit of success is a rite of passage in the music industry. Even the most successful artists have experienced it and persevered to tell the tale on the biggest stages, and they didn’t just do so in their anecdotes, but also in their songs. So, if you’re out there trying to make a name for yourself, listen to these three songs about going hard and going broke in Nashville.

“Nashville Bum” by Waylon Jennings

The title of Waylon Jennings‘ 1966 single, “Nashville Bum”, is pretty self-explanatory. In short, Jennings’ song tells the tale of an aspiring musician living on nothing and working on fumes in hopes of reaching super stardom in the country music business. Not so unique, right? Regardless, it’s honest, timeless, and always relevant, given that every day, a couple of hundred people move to Nashville to bask in the same success of those who came before them.

The descriptive line in the song that best articulates this plight is arguably, Livin’ on ketchup soup homemade crackers and Cool Aid / I’ll be a star tomorrow but today I’m a Nashville bum. Simple, short, and bitterly sweet, as there is something romantic in hoping for the best in light of dismal failure.

“Down On Music Row” by Dolly Parton

There would be no Nashville without Dolly Parton, and there would be no Dolly Parton without Nashville. She is the epitome of the country music dream, so, of course, she has a song generally recounting her experiences as a struggling artist on the streets of Nashville.

Parton’s 1973 single, “Down On Music Row”, briefly tells the whole metamorphosis of going from a zero to a hero. At the beginning, Parton, the speaker, starts as a hard-up, hungry, and rejected individual. At the end, the song sheds light on the signing of her first record deal with RCA. In general, the song further reiterates the following notion: Dolly Parton is the quintessential archetype for the Nashville dream.

“The Nashville Scene” by Hank Williams Jr.

You can gripe and growl about Hank Williams Jr.‘s road to success, given his family history. However, you might eat your words after listening to his 1985 single, “The Nashville Scene”. Williams writes about the dream with an artistic accuracy that sheds light on the interpersonal rise and falls of his career, and of the dream in general.

Without the music, the lyrics of the song read like great contemporary poetry. Though, contrary to a poem, the lyrics are accessible, simple, and easily digestible. In totality, the song is a warning, a social critique, and a lamentation for those who have been beaten down by the failure of the Nashville country music dream.

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