Jackson Dean’s ‘Blacktop Blues’ and The Tug of War in Country’s Limelight: ‘The Beauty of Nashville Is That It’s a Song Town’
Billboard's Makin' Tracks column looks at Jackson Dean's "Blacktop Blues."
Jackson Dean's "Blacktop Blues" captures the emotional tug between the excitement of touring and the longing for a simpler, country life. Dean explains how the song represents his desire to return home after long bus rides and settle back into his cabin and family. He says, "I got everything that I dreamed of, you know — a woman, and a cabin, and a dog, and one of the coolest jobs on planet Earth."
Nashville songwriters Jimi Bell and Tucker Beathard grappled with the challenge of writing songs that reflect the stark contrast between small-town life and the big city. Bell and Beathard met to brainstorm ideas, but their initial concept, "Red Dirt Blues," gave way to "Blacktop Blues" after incorporating a green and brown narrative.
They enlisted Dean to help bring the song to life, and during a writing session at Little Louder Music, Dean was struck by the three-chord, groovy nature of the lyrics. When they recorded the demo at Blackbird Studio A, the song featured simple acoustic playing and heavy syncopation, capturing the essence of a backporch tune. "Blacktop Blues" became the opening track on Dean's album Magnolia Sage, and it quickly became one of the album's most memorable hits.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
