Country Music Wins Again with Highway Don’t Care!
Sometimes music gets made and right away you’re like – damn! And I mean damn in a good way. Right now that’s exactly how I feel about Highway Don’t Care by Tim McGraw and featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. That’s a heavyweight combination of country stardom all together on 1 track. It’s not something we see often.
It’s not a happy song to be frank – but it is gorgeous. The voices fit together exactly how you want them to, Keith Urban’s guitar work is as good as it’s ever been – and the writing by Mark Irwin, Josh Kear and the Warren Brothers is excellent country work.
One of the reasons that I love country music is that it consistently tells stories that people relate to. And one of the things that I love about music is that you don’t have to identify with a song in the present moment to connect with it and love it and want to listen to it on repeat.
Remember that part in Almost Famous (I know it’s a rock & roll movie, but stay with me) when William is interviewing Russell and he asks, “Do you have to be depressed to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song?” Well I don’t write music, so I don’t know the answer to that. But when it comes to listening to music and loving music, I think the answer is no.
The lyrics of Highway Don’t Care read like poetry to me. The kind of poetry that I tried to write when I was younger. Just a ton better. And as I mentioned before, the talent level and the execution in bringing this thing to Tim’s new record are top notch.
Here’s a quick shot from the song – the 2nd verse and chorus. It’s a simple song, the beauty isn’t in complexity. It’s in the simplicity and emotion and sound.
It’s a home run.
I bet you got a dead cell phone in the shot gun seat/ Yeah, I bet you’re bending God’s ear talking about me./ You’re trying not to let the first tear fall out/ Trying not to think about turning around/ Trying not to be lost in sound but that song is always on/ So you sing along
I can’t live without you, I can’t live without you baby/ I can’t live without I can’t live without you baby, baby/ The Highway won’t hold you tonight/ The highway don’t know you’re alive/ The highway don’t care if you’re all alone/ But I do, I do
The highway won’t dry your tears/ The highway don’t need you here/ The highway don’t care if you’re coming home/ But I do, I do.
Give it a listen and see what you think. I’ve got in on repeat – so if you see the hit count rising in real time – that’s me.
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[…] in Keith Urban on That’s When, after opening shows for him in 2009 and featuring with him on Tim McGraw’s Highway Don’t Care in 2013, is the kind of reconnection to her own country music career that was absolutely wonderful to see […]