15 May 2023

15 May 2023 - Steve Earle - Back To The Wall

This was the second single off Earle's 1988 breakthrough Copperhead Road album - and, as a country-rock album, it was outside my wheelhouse from a musical taste standpoint.  However, off the strength of "Copperhead Road", the single, I purchased this album.  

The standout for me wasn't the title song (which I liked for a while but grew tired of), but, rather, this gritty song about homelessness.  The video supports it - directed by Meiert Evis and featuring homeless people.  Written by Earle, the entire album and this song in particular cemented his legacy as a great storyteller.


Yes, Earle still performs this song live.  Here he is in 2018, 30 years after the song's initial release (yes, this song is 35 years old this year), performing it as gritty as ever in New York City.

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