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Highwayman (song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Highwayman'" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history: as a highwayman, a sailor, a construction worker on the Hoover Dam, and finally as a captain of a starship. The song was influenced by the real-life hanged highwayman Jonathan Wild. Webb first recorded the song on his album 'El Mirage', released in May 1977. The following year, Glen Campbell recorded his version on his 1979 album 'Highwayman'.
In 1985, the song became the inspiration for the naming of the supergroup the Highwaymen, which featured Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Their first album, 'Highwayman', became a number one platinum-selling album, and their version of the song went to number one on the 'Hot Country Songs Billboard' chart in a 20-week run. Their version earned Webb a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1986. The song has since been recorded by other artists. Webb himself included a different version on his 1996 album 'Ten Easy Pieces', a live version on his 2007 album 'Live and at Large', a version with his sons (Christiaan, Justin and James) The Webb Brothers on their 2009 album 'Cottonwood Farm', and a duet version with Mark Knopfler on the 2010 album 'Just Across the River'.
Composition
According to Webb, he wrote the song in London while he was finishing up work on his album 'El Mirage'. After a late-night round of "professional drinking" with his friend Harry Nilsson, Webb went to sleep and had "an incredibly vivid dream":
Webb included the phrasing in the line "Along the coach roads I did ride" to convey a kind of "antique way of speaking". Not sure of where the song was leading him, Webb realized that the highwayman character does not die, but becomes reincarnated, and the three subsequent verses evolve from that idea. In the second verse he becomes a sailor, in the third verse a dam builder, and in the fourth verse Webb switches to future tense and the character becomes an astronaut who will someday "fly a starship across the universe divide".
Jimmy Webb version
Webb's version of the song was first released on the album 'El Mirage' in May 1977.
Glen Campbell version
Webb then brought the song to Glen Campbell, who recorded it in 1978.Hoekstra, Dave. "Glen Campbell, The Zelig of Roots Music". 'Chicago Sun-Times'. July 24, 2005. Campbell eventually released the song on his album 'Highwayman' in October 1979.
Finn Kalvik version
The Norwegian singer Finn Kalvik recorded a translated version of the song for his 1981 album "Natt og Dag".
Finnish version
Pate Mustajrvi, Harri Marstio, Jorma Kriinen and Topi Sorsakoski recorded a Finnish version called "Eln vielkin". Finnish lyrics were written by Hara Laukkanen, Eeki Mantere and Juha Tapaninen. In this version the story is told with references to local history: the characters are a prisoner, lumberjack, soldier and singer.
The Highwaymen version
In 1984, Campbell played the song "Highwayman" for Johnny Cash, who was making a quartet album with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. A few years earlier, Webb brought the song to Jennings, but Jennings, having heard the Campbell version, said "I just couldn't see it then."Hurst, Hawkeye. - "Waylon and Johnny Walk the Straight and Narrow Together". - 'Orlando Sentinel'. - July 21, 1985. The four were all together in Switzerland doing a television special and decided that they should do a project together.Campbell, Mary. - "High-powered Highwaymen are musical outlaws". - Associated Press. - (c/o 'The Augusta Chronicle'). - June 1, 1995. While the four were recording their first album, Marty Stuart again played the song for Cash, saying it would be perfect for themfour verses, four souls, and four of them.Hurst, Hawkeye. "Marty Stuart Has Come a Long Way to Just Now be Arriving". 'Orlando Sentinel'. June 15, 1985. Campbell then played the song again, this time to all four of them, and the quartet had the name for their new supergroup, the Highwaymen, the name of their first album, 'Highwayman', and the name of their first single. The four thought it was a perfect name for them because they were always on the road and all four had the image of being outlaws in country music.
In the Highwaymen's version of the song, each of the four verses was sung by a different performer: first Nelson as the highwayman, then Kristofferson as the sailor, then Jennings as the dam builder, and finally Cash as the starship captain. Webb later observed, "I don't know how they decided who would take which verse, but having Johnny last was like having God singing your song." Rosanne Cash has said her father did not realize the song was about reincarnation until she explained it to him.
A black-and-white music video was released, which used actors to re-enact the song's lyrics, including the deaths of the first three characters. Each of the performers is seen briefly in the sky singing a few lines, as their segment of the song concludes.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFkcAH-m9W0 YouTube.com/Highwayman] The video wraps up with the faces of Jennings, Nelson, Cash and Kristofferson lined up, similar to the presidents on Mount Rushmore.
Their cover of the Webb song remains the most popular and widely known of the Highwaymen's songs, being their only song to reach number 1 ("Desperados Waiting for a Train" at number 15 is the next closest).Compiled from data from Allmusic - [http://www.allmusic.com/ allmusic.com] and 'Billboard' - [http://www.billboard.com/ billboard.com]. The version by the quartet entered the 'Hot Country Songs Billboard' chart on May 18, 1985, rose to number 1 and spent 20 weeks total on the chart.[http://www.billboard.com/charts/1985-09-28/country-songs "Highwayman"]. - Hot Country Songs. - 'Billboard'. - billboard.com. It finished 1985 as the number 5 country song of the year in terms of airplay.MacDonald, Patrick. - "Proud Time for Pop". - 'The Seattle Times'. - December 29, 1985."Billboard's Ratings of 1985's Top Pop Music Artists". - 'San Francisco Chronicle'. - January 1, 1986.
Chart positions
Awards
The Highwaymen's version of the song earned songwriter Jimmy Webb a Grammy Award for 1985's "Best Country Song".[http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=Highwayman&winner=&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1 "Highwayman"]. - Grammy Awards. - c/o grammy.com.References
Category:1985 singles
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:The Highwaymen (country supergroup) songs
Category:Johnny Cash songs
Category:Glen Campbell songs
Category:Kris Kristofferson songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Chips Moman
Category:Songs written by Jimmy Webb
Category:Waylon Jennings songs
Category:Willie Nelson songs
Category:Black-and-white music videos
Category:1979 songs
Category:Vocal collaborations
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