There are some songs that are so special and unique that they deserve their own category. One of them is Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." Another is "Green Grass and High Tides" by The Outlaws. What do these two distinctive masterpieces have in common?
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For starters, they are each very long. "Stairway" is over eight minutes on YouTube. "Green Grass" clocks in at almost ten minutes. I have read that the band sometimes stretched it out in concert to 20 minutes of guitar-twanging glee. The song hit the half-century mark this year. (It dropped in 1975 on the band's freshman album.) Let's look back at this wondrous track that still sounds fabulous today.
The Outlaws Were Part of a Wave of 1970s Southern Rock Bands
The band was among a gaggle of other classic 1970s Southern rockers. Their counterparts included the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Marshall Tucker Band. The Outlaws had other successful tunes like "There Goes Another Love Song," but nothing comes close to "Green Grass and High Tides." It was written by Outlaws member Hughie Thomasson.
Band Member Henry Paul Talked About Their Signature Song
Per Songfacts, Paul, now 76, shared the origin of the song's title and what the track means, at least from his perspective. "From what I gather, there was an album out, the best of the Rolling Stones, called 'High Tides and Green Grass.' That was the name of the Rolling Stones' greatest hits - this is like 1966 - and I think it was a manifestation of that title turned in reverse, 'Green Grass and High Tides.' I know that much."
He added, "And I know that it was a song written for rock and roll illuminaries, from Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix, and it had nothing to do with marijuana. But it had to do with, I think, a specific person's lyrical look at rock and roll legends. 'As kings and queens bow and play for you.' It's about Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. 'Castles of stone, soul and glory.' A lot of it is just sort of a collage of words that really don't have all that much to do with anything, they just fit and sounded right. But I have to say it's one of my favorite lyrics."
Paul also mentioned, "My songwriting is more Steinbeck, really rooted in accuracy and reality; this is definitely Alice In Wonderland. It's the whole 'White Rabbit.' It's sort of like one of those magic lyrical moments that will forever be mysteriously unclearly conceived."
