A Truly Great Country Song Tells a Story – Let’s Listen to the ‘Gospel According to Luke’
'He was an old hand at livin' and makin' his way, he smelled like old whiskey and he needed a shave...'
And so begins one of the great story songs in country music history.
I think the reason I love country music, more than any other, is because a great country song can tell a great story. And not just a great story, but a great story we can relate to. And that's the secret.
These days it seems that most 'country' songs tell the same story. It's party time, lets get into a truck, find some women, get drunk and crank up the electric guitars and drums! And you know what? I like those kinds of songs sometimes and we've had some great one's in country music history (Heck, give me the Hag's 'Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink', crank it up and I'm one happy camper!).
But it's the songs that don't blow your ears off, but fill up your heart, that I think set country music, real country music, apart. That's why I've said before that Kris Kristofferson is my favorite songwriter of all time. (If you can listen, and I mean really listen, to 'Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down' and not find yourself alone in a strange town on a deserted street, you might not be breathing).
And so it is that one of my all-time favorite songs is 'The Gospel According To Luke' by another terrific writer and artist, Skip Ewing.
This 1989 classic rings as true today as it did over 25 years ago, maybe more. And that's the beauty of it. A great song, a truly great song, lives forever. It doesn't have an expiration date. While the vast majority of hits come and go, a special few stay in your head and your heart for a lifetime.
So, let's go back into that alley there and find out the 'Gospel According To Luke'.