Gulf Coast Highway

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 3 Dec 2000 8:28 am

Sometimes a song hits you square between the eyes, through the center of the heart, whatever. There's plenty of songs like that out there--it's the difference between a well written song, a great song, and a living breathing gem.
And of course there's no accounting for time and place when you hear something that just catches you off-guard and open to it.

Austin City Limits rerun last night, songwriter's special, EmmyLou and Dave Matthews sang this Nancy Griffith song. My eyes are still welling up with tears as I keep replaying it in my head. How do explain such beauty?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 3 Dec 2000 9:50 am

Jon, it's all point of view. Each of us has different "triggers" in our psyche that songs may touch. For some, it's about people...a family member, or a lost love. For some, it's a harkener to another time, when life was not so difficult. And for others, it's merely a new experience, a window into something different, a raising of consciousness.

Whichever it is, there are others who share your views and feelings, and still others who could care less. I think that "City of New Orleans" is a truly sad song...one that reflects on the bygone era of a century of railroads. Someone else may just think of it as a a dumb "train song".

What makes a great song, or a great song writer? The drunk at the end of the bar and the Nashville producer may have completely different viewpoints. But each is valid in his own world.

There is no longer universality in any kind of beauty. But rest assured, that no matter how you feel about something, there is someone out there who feels exactly the same. And, in the cyberworld of today, it's much easier to find them!

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 8 Dec 2000 7:05 pm

This is a great song. I have been a Nanci Griffith fan for a long time. I have several different versions of this song (3 different ones from Austin City Limits). Nanci is a great songwriter, and comes straight from the heart. I think my favorite is a version she did on Austin with her keyboard player, James Hooker, doing the male vocal. She gave a history of the song. She and James wrote it while on the road driving in the snow, dreaming of home, and James' wife was at home expecting a child. One of the best songs ever.
Lefty <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Lefty on 08 December 2000 at 07:06 PM.]</p></FONT>

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 9 Dec 2000 7:52 am

or "Just Once In A very Blue Moon" or "Tecumseh Valley" or ..... the hits just keep on a comin'~

Alan Michael · Post by **Alan Michael** » 10 Dec 2000 8:41 pm

I agree Jon. Gulf Coast Highway is a beautiful song, well written in it's entirity. I haven't heard the Emmylou version but it was always one of my favorite Nanci tunes. What an incredible song writer. Her writing is always so descriptive. Just the other day I was reviewing some of her early stuff that I was listening to long before I got interested in steel guitar. I was delighted to hear some tasty steel licks that I had not heard years ago, but I don't know who the player was. Man, so much good music and so little time.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 11 Dec 2000 10:52 pm

Lloyd Green has played on a lot of her stuff- he told me once he turned down the opportunity to put a steel track on "From A Distance" way before it was a hit~~ oops~~

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 12 Dec 2000 2:47 pm

Matter of fact Lloyd gets the dobro credits on this cut--it's basically a synth song with dobro all over it. Did Lloyd record much dobro? That's a new one on me.