With a nickname like Music City, U.S.A., it’s no surprise that Nashville, Tennessee, has inspired many a country star. From Dolly Parton to Hank Williams Jr. to Tim McGraw, these three artists looked to the Tennessee town to serve as the backdrop for some of their best-known songs.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Down On Music Row” by Dolly Parton
“Down On Music Row” closes out Dolly Parton’s 11th LP, My Tennessee Mountain Home. The album is an autobiographical look at Parton’s life. It covers Parton’s childhood in rural East Tennessee all the way to when she made it to Nashville.
“Down On Music Row” represents the latter end of that spectrum.
“I was on my way to Nashville / I just couldn’t hardly wait / ‘Til I could sing my songs / To the folks on Music Row“, Parton sings.
The song tracks Parton from when she showed up in Music City “sleepy, hungry, tired, and dirty”, to when she met Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson at RCA.
“And then Chet and Bob at RCA / Well, they listened to my songs that day / And they both told me that I was on my way / Down on Music Row”, Parton triumphantly sings.
“The Nashville Scene” by Hank Williams Jr.
In Hank Williams Jr.’s 1985 song, the singer opens his track by crooning about the ups and downs in Nashville.
“The streets are paved with tourists / And the record companies flourish / Lord knows every singer wants to be the king / But some of them couldn’t take it / And some good ones didn’t make it / That’s the way it goes on the Nashville scene“, he sings.
Getting more autobiographical, Williams Jr. remarks, “From the outside, it’s a castle / From the inside, it’s a prison / It’s easy to live way beyond your means / And it’s a long, long way to the top / And even further when you drop / And I’ve been on both ends of the Nashville scene“.
“Nashville Without You” by Tim McGraw
Both a love song and a tribute to Music City, Tim McGraw released “Nashville Without You” in 2013. He opens the track by mentioning honky tonks, tourists, and cowboy hats, all of which are classically associated with Nashville.
He then proceeds to allude to the Ryman Auditorium, as well as people who found success in Music City. Those big names include Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and Reba McEntire.
“Hey good lookin’, hey mama tried / Hey gambler, hey country boy can survive / Hey Jolene, you know it’s true”, he sings. “That Nashville, wouldn’t be Nashville, without you”.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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