Released: 2024
Zach Bryan’s ‘Memphis; The Blues’, featuring John Moreland, is a poignant love song, steeped in nostalgia and longing. It’s a ballad that intertwines the narrator’s love for a woman with his deep affection for the city of Memphis and its rich blues heritage.
Starting off with ‘Rain started fallin’ on the roof that mornin’, It was early summertime’, Bryan sets the scene of a summer morning. The ’67 Three-hundred, in-line is a reference to a classic car, likely a place of intimate memories. The ‘Beale Street boys’ is a nod to the famous street in Memphis known for its blues clubs.
‘The thrill is gone so slow and easy, won’t you love me tender?’ is a clever blend of song titles from blues legend B.B. King and Elvis Presley, both closely associated with Memphis. The ‘life-long bender’ suggests an addiction, but in this context, it’s to the woman he loves.
‘Rest them tired eyes and let your dress fall to the ground’ indicates a moment of intimacy. The line ‘We’re the only ones left who love Otis in this town’ shows their shared love for Otis Redding, another iconic figure in Memphis blues.
‘Cracked up skies tried on a couple lives to find the one that fit’ speaks to the tumultuous journey of life, and ‘you keep my candle lit’ signifies the woman’s role as a beacon of hope. The ‘skeleton key’ is a metaphor for her access to his heart, while his ‘chain around my heart’ suggests his deep attachment to her.
‘Church bells ringing in the air down the hill from the house where you were born’ is a picturesque image of their shared past. The question ‘Baby, don’t you think we ought to live a little bit before Gabriel blows his horn?’ is a plea to seize the moment before it’s too late, as Gabriel’s horn is often associated with the end times in Christian tradition.
The repeated line ‘I need you like Memphis, the blues’ serves as the chorus, emphasizing his deep longing for her, equating it to his love for Memphis and its blues music. The final line ‘Fuck it, yeah, I’m in’ is a raw, unfiltered declaration of his commitment to her, regardless of the challenges they may face.
