Highwayman (song)
Encyclopedia
"Highwayman" is the title of a song written by American songwriter Jimmy Webb
, about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history, a highwayman
, a sailor
, a construction worker on the Hoover Dam
, and finally as a star ship captain
.
, he went to the piano and started writing the song.
He first recorded it for his 1977 album El Mirage
, released that May.
, who recorded it in 1978. But his record label, Capitol Records
, wanted him to go in a different direction and record music like the group The Knack
. Campbell wanted to release the song as a single, but Capitol refused. After recording 30 albums for the only record label he had worked with since 1962, Campbell got up and left the main studios of Capitol, never to return. Although he would record three more albums with Capitol, the relationship was at an end. After disagreeing with the label, he released the song on his 1979 album Highwayman
, released in October.
. Webb brought the song to Waylon Jennings
in about 1981, but Jennings, having heard the Campbell version, said "I just couldn't see it then". Cash, Jennings, Willie Nelson
and Kris Kristofferson
were all together in Switzerland doing a television special and decided that they should do a project together. In 1984, while the four were recording, Marty Stuart
again played the song for Johnny Cash, saying that it would be perfect for them, four verses, four souls, and four of them. Campbell then played the song 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 their version of the song, each of the four verses was sung by a different singer: first Nelson, then Kristofferson, Jennings, and finally Cash. Their cover of the Webb song remains the most popular and widely-known of The Highwaymen's songs, being their only song to reach #1 ("Desperados Waiting for a Train" at #15 is the next closest). The version by the quartet entered the Hot Country Songs
Billboard
chart
on May 18, 1985, rose to #1, and spent 20 weeks total on the chart. It finished 1985 as the #5 country song of the year in terms of sales and airplay.
for 1985
's "Best Country Song"
.
Ray Cooper (aka Chopper) of Oysterband
recorded a version on his solo album Tales Of Love War and Death By Hanging.
Jimmy Webb
performed a duet of the song with Mark Knopfler
on his eponymous 2010 album.
In an episode of King of The Hill
"Not in My Backhoe" Dale sings this song while stalking Hank and his new friend
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
, about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history, a highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
, a sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
, a construction worker on the Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
, and finally as a star ship captain
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
.
Background
Webb wrote the song while in a London hotel suite. His suite included a piano, and after he woke up from a dream about being an English highwaymanHighwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
, he went to the piano and started writing the song.
- "I had a black cape and pistols, and I was definitely a bandit. A highwayman, as it were. I was being chased within an inch of my life by these grenadiers on horseback, and I knew for a fact that if they caught me, they were going to kill me." — Jimmy Webb, on the song: "The Highwayman".
He first recorded it for his 1977 album El Mirage
El Mirage (Jimmy Webb album)
El Mirage is Jimmy Webb's sixth album. Released by Atlantic Records in 1977, it was the first album for which Webb handed production and arrangement duties on to another person, George Martin, producer of The Beatles....
, released that May.
Glen Campbell version
Webb then brought the song to Glen CampbellGlen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, who recorded it in 1978. But his record label, Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, wanted him to go in a different direction and record music like the group The Knack
The Knack
The Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
. Campbell wanted to release the song as a single, but Capitol refused. After recording 30 albums for the only record label he had worked with since 1962, Campbell got up and left the main studios of Capitol, never to return. Although he would record three more albums with Capitol, the relationship was at an end. After disagreeing with the label, he released the song on his 1979 album Highwayman
Highwayman (Glen Campbell album)
Highwayman is the 35th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1979 .-Track listing:Side 1:# "Highwayman" - 3:01# "Hound Dog Man" - 2:39...
, released in October.
The Highwaymen version
Campbell then played the song for Johnny CashJohnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. Webb brought the song to Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
in about 1981, but Jennings, having heard the Campbell version, said "I just couldn't see it then". Cash, Jennings, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
and Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
were all together in Switzerland doing a television special and decided that they should do a project together. In 1984, while the four were recording, Marty Stuart
Marty Stuart
John Martin "Marty" Stuart is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music...
again played the song for Johnny Cash, saying that it would be perfect for them, four verses, four souls, and four of them. Campbell then played the song to all four of them, and the quartet had the name for their new supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
, The Highwaymen
The Highwaymen (country supergroup)
The Highwaymen were an American supergroup comprising four country music artists well known for, among other things, their involvement and pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson...
, 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 their version of the song, each of the four verses was sung by a different singer: first Nelson, then Kristofferson, Jennings, and finally Cash. Their cover of the Webb song remains the most popular and widely-known of The Highwaymen's songs, being their only song to reach #1 ("Desperados Waiting for a Train" at #15 is the next closest). The version by the quartet entered the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
on May 18, 1985, rose to #1, and spent 20 weeks total on the chart. It finished 1985 as the #5 country song of the year in terms of sales and airplay.
Chart positions
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 19 |
Awards
The version by The Highwaymen earned songwriter Jimmy Webb a Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for 1985
Grammy Awards of 1986
The 28th Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1986. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year, 1985.- Award winners :*Record of the Year**Quincy Jones for "We Are the World" performed by USA for Africa...
's "Best Country Song"
Grammy Award for Best Country Song
The Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the writer of the song.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
.
Cultural references
Pate Mustajärvi, Harri Marstio, Jorma Kääriäinen and Topi Sorsakoski made a Finnish version of this song, called Mä elän vieläkin (I'm still alive)Ray Cooper (aka Chopper) of Oysterband
Oysterband
Oysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...
recorded a version on his solo album Tales Of Love War and Death By Hanging.
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
performed a duet of the song with Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
on his eponymous 2010 album.
In an episode of King of The Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
"Not in My Backhoe" Dale sings this song while stalking Hank and his new friend