The Vine: October 28, 2011
Sometime in the early ’90s, there was a wave of New Country — Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, that gang. And there was a song that I LOVED. But I can’t remember very much about it, and Google only directs me to “Boulder to Birmingham,” by Emmylou Harris, which isn’t right.
Anyway, the song is about a waitress who is leaving her job (possibly there’s a line about hanging up her apron) to be with the man she loves, and moving to Boulder (I think, but maybe Denver — Colorado, either way). She might ride a bus. The man might be rich. Oh, and the song is sung by a woman, but almost certainly not Trisha Yearwood or Suzy Bogguss or Reba McEntire. That’s all I’ve got. Strange I can’t find it, huh?
If anyone can identify this song for me, I will love you forever.
Really, I mean it
Tags: Ask The Readers Emmylou Harris Garth Brooks music popcult Reba McEntire Suzy Bogguss Trisha Yearwood
Just a stab in the dark, but I Googled “Martina McBride + Waitress” and came up with this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HH0O8l71p4
There’s no mention of Boulder, but it does mention “hanging up her apron”.
Maybe this? http://yhoo.it/b6us1X
WHOOO I know one, I know one! It’s by Kathy Mattea, and it’s “She Came from Ft. Worth”. I love Kathy Mattea, and I recently downloaded a bunch of her songs on iTunes. She leaves Ft. Worth on a bus to go to Colorado for a guy.
The good news is, “Boulder to Birmingham” is one of the most beautiful songs, ever.
I know I know the song you’re trying to remember… it is on the tip of my BRAIN…
You can listen at this link:
http://new.music.yahoo.com/kathy-mattea/tracks/she-came-from-fort-worth–35396937
I GOT IT.
Kathy Mattea: “She Came from Fort Worth”
She came from Fort Worth, Fort Worth couldn’t hold her
Her dreams were bigger than the Texas sky
She’s got a one-way ticket on the next bus for Boulder
And it won’t take long to say goodbye
She was workin’ at a diner just a week ago
When a man from Colorado smiled and said ‘hello’
And he turned her head with stories about a cabin in the trees
Where the wind can sing you love songs
Beneath snow-capped mountain peaks
It sounds like it might be “Heads Carolina, Tails California” by Jo Dee Messina.
This sounds sort of like Jamie O’Neal’s “There Is No Arizona”, though some of the details aren’t quite right. Could that be it?
Trip – I immediately thought of “There is No Arizona” as well. I never, ever listened to country and I remember hearing that song on some random station while I driving cross-country one time. I absolutely SOBBED, and I am usually not emotional at all. I’ll never forget it. I don’t think that’s what the writer is looking for, but man, that’s a good one.
Just in case it’s not the Kathy Mattea song, this also came to mind (because it mentions Boulder): “Stand Beside Me,” Jo Dee Messina
Not the letter writer, but thank you @Ellen. That was the song I thought it might be and for the life of me could not remember it!
It is She Came from Ft Worth, thanks!
(I actually did a last-ditch lyrics search after I sent this email in, and found it, and emailed again to say I’d found it, but oh well, thanks Sars! Now I DO love you guys forever! and some of those other songs look interesting too, I’ll check them out.)
I also thought “Stand Beside Me”! But glad you found the one it actually was! :-)
What is it about country songs and Boulder, anyway?