In 2003, Josh Turner released his debut album. In the more than two decades since then, Turner has continued to release his own style of music while also maintaining a busy tour schedule. He has released plenty of hits over the years, but these are three Josh Turner songs that every country music fan should know by heart.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Long Black Train”
“Long Black Train” is the title track of Turner’s debut album. It is also his first hit single at radio. Written solely by Turner and released in 2003, “Long Black Train” became a multi-platinum hit for him.
The song says, “There’s a long black train comin’ down the line / Feedin’ off the souls that are lost and cryin’ / Rails of sin, only evil remains / Watch out, brother, for that long black train / Look to the heavens, you can look to the skies / You can find redemption staring back into your eyes / There is protection and there’s peace the same / Burning your ticket for that long black train.”
Turner tells American Songwriter that he had the idea for the song from a vision he had while a student at Belmont University. He quickly wrote the song, which could have been a hit for Alan Jackson instead, after his publisher pitched it to Jackson.
“He said, ‘Josh, I got great news,” Turner recalls. “‘I just got ‘Long Black Train’ put on hold with Alan Jackson. Isn’t that great?’ And I said, ‘No, that’s terrible. You call him back and tell him Alan can’t have that song.’”
“Your Man”
Two years after releasing “Long Black Train”, Turner released “Your Man”. The song, the title track of Turner’s sophomore album, also became his first No. 1 hit.
Written by Chris Stapleton, Jace Everett, and Chris DuBois, “Your Man” says, “Baby, lock the door, and turn the lights down low / Put some music on that’s soft and slow / Baby, we ain’t got no place to go, I hope you understand / I’ve been thinking about this all day long / Never felt a feeling quite this strong / I can’t believe how much it turns me on just to be your man.”
Turner may not have written “Your Man”, but it still has a personal touch. His real-life wife, Jennifer, stars in the video as his love interest.
“Why Don’t We Just Dance”
Written by Jim Beavers, Jonathan Singleton, and Darrell Brown, “Why Don’t We Just Dance” appears on Turner’s fourth studio album, Haywire. Released as a single in 2009, the song not only hit No. 1 for Turner, but its infectious melody helped make it a Top 40 hit on Billboard‘s all-genre Hot 100 chart as well.
“We came up with the idea of writing a song about not caring about anything else in the world,” Brown tells The Boot. “And Jim mentioned ‘Why Don’t We Just Dance’. Jonathan and I looked at each other and said, ‘I love that!’ It turned into a song about just throwing all your cares away, and [being] happy.
“Why Don’t We Just Dance” says, “Baby, why don’t you go put your best dress on / And those high-heeled shoes you love to lose / As soon as the tunes come on? / On second thought / Just the way you are / Is already driving me crazy / So baby, why don’t we just dance?“
Photo by Ed Rode/WireImage
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