Cinematic Cowboys
My Mixtape’s A Masterpiece is a weekly feature in which a guest compiles a playlist around some theme. This week Heather Beattie assembles 12 songs that conjure up life in a saddle and on the plains. Read Heather’s thoughts on each song and listen along to the Spotify playlist on top and/or the YouTube playlist at the bottom of the post.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cowboy. I was a big daydreamer, and country music is for daydreamers. The musicians that rang through the stereo in my uncle’s pickup told tales that I itched to see for myself - mystifying characters and sweeping instrumentals that could occupy me for hours on end, just like the movies. That daydreaming kid took that love of country music with her into adulthood and found solace in isolation, heartache, and bittersweet hopefulness. From classics to new staples of the genre, here’s the soundtrack to your own cinematic cowboy adventure.
1. “Dead Of Night” by Orville Peck
Sometimes you wait your whole life to hear a song. I waited my whole life to hear “Dead Of Night.” The opening track off of Peck’s debut album stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it - so nostalgic of the outlaw country and crooners that I grew up hearing and yet something completely new. Often the best country is about heartache, and Peck sings the chorus with such a devastated yearning that you feel the love gone wrong at your very core. When the second verse comes in with the band, you can see it all — colorful city lights, canyons, and two cowboys hurtling towards despair and loneliness.
2. “Video Games” by Trixie Mattel
Auto-harps, steel pedals, and cymbal filled crescendos make up the enchanting soundscape of Trixie Mattel’s cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games.” It’s a cover so good, I routinely question why it wasn’t originally a country song. Wistful whistles (provided by Orville Peck) and soaring instrumentals paired with Mattel’s tranquil voice make you think of cool summer dusks, and nothing but the person you love for miles around. There's a feeling of isolation at play here too, but it’s not so bad when you’re alone together.
3. “Delta Dawn” by Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker’s biggest hit is the kind of song that requires everyone you can gather on your front porch singing along to the inquisitive, slightly eerie song. Tucker, backed up vocally by a massive choir, introduces us to the title character and uses the chorus to question her about the direction her life has gone in. The chorus repeats five times, growing with intensity as the song progresses, and evokes images of everyone in town prying into the life of the woman they once called “Delta Dawn.” It’s overwhelming, cinematic, and quintessential to the genre
4. “Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight” by Emmylou Harris
The rhythm of Emmylou Harris’ “Leaving Louisiana…” is infectious. It’s the kind of song you sway and sing along to after a few drinks in a dim bar off the beaten path. It has everything: colorful characters, running away from home, locations that feel alive, and a beat that is daring you not to dance your blues away.
5. “Jolene” by Dolly Parton
“Jolene” is a song that needs no introduction — it’s the definition of a classic. But this version from the Live At The Boarding House, San Francisco highlights another reason why Dolly is so beloved: her storytelling abilities. In the spoken intro of the track, Parton tells the story of Jolene and ends by saying “She jerked my wig off and tried to beat me to death with it, but I had another wig and I had no use for another man.” Legend. The tempo is quicker than usual, and the percussion and guitars are lively — the perfect song for a showdown.
6. “Pancho And Lefty” by Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard
You know when you’re a kid and you experience sadness for the first time, and you can’t put it into words and so you just sit there and sob for a while? That’s the best way I can put into words how this Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard duet makes me feel.
It’s a song filled with dusty, sprawling landscapes and gorgeous instrumentals that attempt to soothe that melancholy you’re left with. Still, everytime Merle Haggard comes in at the end to say “Now he’s growing old,” I’m overwhelmed with emotions. Time moves forward, you grow older, but you never leave your past behind.
7. “San Francisco Is A Lonely Town” by Linda Martell
If there is one artist who has been vastly overlooked in the country music genre, it’s Linda Martell. Martell was the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry, and her 1970 album Color Me Country is chock full of cinematic sounding songs. My favorite however, is “San Francisco Is A Lonely Town.” Some of the best films and stories have a place at their center, and the way Martell’s robust voice travels up and down, you’d think you were climbing the hills of San Francisco yourself.
8. “Jeremiah” by Sierra Ferrell
Strong characters are at the forefront of plenty of country songs; this list alone is filled with them. Sierra Ferrell provides another addition to that wide canon with “Jeremiah.” Ferrell’s twangy, lilting, voice guides you through a tale so rich that it could have its own screenplay. A man running from himself, a woman called “sweet Sue,” and a concerned narrator flesh out this stunning ‘70s sounding track.
9. “Tucson Train” by Bruce Springsteen
Western Stars is one of Springsteen’s more ambitious albums, and early on in the track listing comes “Tucson Train.” It’s a song that talks about something as mundane as someone coming to town, but it checks off some of the essentials of a great country song. It has simple songwriting that conveys an extensive history, it’s backed up by hearty instrumentals (including a full orchestra), and most importantly, you can see the story unfolding in front of you. Heartache and isolation are lingering in “Tucson Train,” but it’s overpowered with the hope that love can start anew.
10. “Jackson” by Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash
The king and queen of country music deliver this playful, quarreling duet that is the perfect tonic for traveling those lengthy stretches of highway. The song is upbeat, conversational, and the lyrics are a joy to sing out loud. “Honey, I’m gonna snowball Jackson,” Johnny Cash remarks in the second verse. June’s response? “See if I care.” I’m Team June.
11. “If We Were Vampires” by Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
“If We Were Vampires” is perhaps one of the most devastating love songs of all time. It’s an acknowledgment that to love is to lose — unlike vampires, we won’t live forever. Still, maybe that’s where the beauty lies. Isbell and his wife and fellow musician Amanda Shires sing the haunting tune together, with not much more than an acoustic guitar and resonator guitar joining them. It’s the perfect song to play in the background during those tender moments of romance on screen.
12. “Love Is Light” by Yola
When Yola’s voice floats out of your speakers, there’s no wondering why she was picked to play Sister Rosetta Tharpe in ELVIS. Her clear sound mixed with a divine horn section makes “Love Is Light” the perfect song to end on. It’s ethereal and uplifting, and perfectly captures the feeling of turning your face to the sun and basking in the light. Storms don’t last forever; let the love and light swell.
