Guitar Town (song)

"Guitar Town"
Single by Steve Earle
from the album Guitar Town
B-side""Little Rock 'N' Roller"
ReleasedJune 2, 1986
Genrecountry rock, rockabilly[1]
Length2:33
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Steve Earle
Producer(s)Emory Gordy Jr., Tony Brown
Steve Earle singles chronology
"Hillbilly Highway"
(1986)
"Guitar Town"
(1986)
"Someday"
(1986)

"Guitar Town" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Steve Earle. It was released in June 1986 as the second single and title track from the album Guitar Town. The song reached number 7 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.[2] It was Earle's highest-peaking song to date on the country charts in both the U.S. and Canada. The album version mentions a "Jap guitar", which the radio edit changes to "cheap guitar".

Critical reception

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Kip Kirby, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Earle "revives the tremolo-laden guitar sound of the early '60s for this song about music and love on the road."[3]

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #146 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.[4]

Music video

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The music video was directed by Gerry Wenner and premiered in mid-1986.

Chart performance

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Chart (1986) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 7
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 7

References

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  1. ^ Conrad, Karen (2016). "Steve Earle - Guitar Town". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 558.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 113.
  3. ^ Billboard, June 7, 1986
  4. ^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "Steve Earle Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.