Noteworthy for their three guitars lineup, the 'Truckers' are often associated with the Southern rock movement of the 70s and "jam" bands but are too cerebral and irreverent to sit squarely in either genre. Their lyrics often revolve around the working class trying to survive in economically-depressed small towns of the South.
Co-founded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend and musical partner Mike Cooley in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. The two men had played in various other bands including Adam's House Cat which was chosen as a top ten Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s.
Together with a revolving group of musicians, Drive-By Truckers put out their first two albums, Gangstabilly (1998) and Pizza Deliverance (1999). Following their second release, the band embarked on a nationwide tour, resulting in a live album called Alabama Ass Whuppin' (released in 2000 by Second Heaven Records, re-released in 2002 by Terminus Records). They had an entertaining and informational website long before most bands had begun taking advantage of the internet as a promotional tool, and together with constant touring, they quickly developed a large and dedicated fan base both on and off-line.
After three years on the road a tight-knit group of musicians emerged and they began work on 2001's Southern Rock Opera. Southern Rock Opera is a double album executed as a song cycle. The album loosely uses the rise and literal fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd as a metaphor for the culture of the American South.
Self released on their own Soul Dump Records on September 12, 2001, Southern Rock Opera, quickly accumulated praise from fans and critics alike, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. To take advantage of the positive reception, Southern Rock Opera was re-issued by Mercury and Lost Highway Records in July 2002. Soon after, Drive-By Truckers were named Band of the Year by No Depression.
Before they could record a follow-up to Southern Rock Opera, guitarist Rob Malone left and was replaced guitarist and songwriter, Jason Isbell. Originally from Greenhill, Alabama, during his five years with Drive-By Truckers, Isbell contributed a number of significant songs to the albums he worked on.
Due to changes at Lost Highway, the Truckers were released from their contract and signed with Austin-based record label New West, for the follow-up to Southern Rock Opera, 2003's Decoration Day. Like its predecessor, the album received broad praise from fans and critics alike. Although it isn't a concept album, the songs of Decoration Day explore a common theme of hard decisions in the context of marriage, incest, break-ups, revenge, murder, and suicide are major themes.
After years of producing and playing with Drive-By Truckers, bassist Earl Hicks left the band on December 22, 2003. Hicks was immediately replaced by studio bassist Shonna Tucker, then wife of guitarist Jason Isbell. Tucker had previously guested on Decoration Day playing upright bass on the Cooley-penned track, "Sounds Better in the Song".
In 2004, Drive-By Truckers released The Dirty South. Like Southern Rock Opera, The Dirty South was a concept album. The Dirty South further explored the mythology of the South, with songs focusing on Sam Phillips and the Sun Records crowd, John Henry and his hammer, and a three-song suite about Sheriff Buford Pusser.
After touring throughout 2004 and 2005, Drive-By Truckers found their way to the Fidelitorium Recording Studio in Forsyth County, North Carolina during late 2005. These recording sessions, once again produced by David Barbe, resulted in the band's seventh LP, A Blessing and a Curse.
Released on April 18, 2006, A Blessing and a Curse showcased Drive-By Truckers' ability to branch out into new territory, and can be seen as the band's attempt at shaking labeling by critics, detractors, fans, and followers, particularly the Southern rock label that has haunted the band since Southern Rock Opera. The album sounds less like Skynyrd, and more closely resembles the bare-bones British rock of the early 1970s such as The Rolling Stones and Faces. Tom Petty's influence on the band's sound is more prominent on this album as well.
In 2006, Drive-By Truckers reunited, both on-stage and on-record, with Athens-based pedal steel guitarist, John Neff. Neff first played with the band on their 1998 debut LP, Gangstabilly, and played pedal steel on three subsequent albums, 1999's Pizza Deliverance, and 2003's Decoration Day. Neff was featured heavily on the 2006 release, A Blessing and a Curse. During the next year, Neff began touring with the band as an unofficial sixth member.
On April 5, 2007 Jason Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of the band. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as "amicable" and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support Drive-By Truckers as well as Jason's solo efforts. In the same letter, Hood announced that John Neff would become a full-time member playing both guitar and pedal steel.
Shortly after Isbell's departure, on April 20, 2007, Patterson Hood announced via the band's website that a longtime friend of The Hood Family, Spooner Oldham, would be joining the band playing keyboard for a string of acoustic performances called The Dirt Underneath Tour.
Drive-By Truckers performed as backup musicians for Bettye LaVette's 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime. The album went to #1 on Billboard's Blues Chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Partly as a result of this collaboration, the Truckers went on to act as the backing band for Booker T Jones for his first recording in more than a decade. The album, Potato Hole, was well received by critics and it resulted in numerous shows together.
On January 22, 2008, the Drive-By Truckers' eighth album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark (named after a line in a Cooley song entitled "Checkout Time in Vegas"), was released in the US and went to #37 on the Billboard 200 album charts. Once again, David Barbe produced the album and artist Wes Freed provided the artwork. The album has nineteen tracks and features the first song contributions from bassist Shonna Tucker.
The band's ninth album "The Big To-Do" was issued on March 26, 2010 on ATO Records, the label founded by Dave Matthews and home to such artists as My Morning Jacket, Radiohead, The Whigs and Brendan Benson.
Lisa's Birthday
Drive-By Truckers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's got no money for a cab she's way to drunk to walk
Lisa's had more birthdays than there are sad country songs
About trying to love two women and only taking one girl home
It's a good thing that her dancing shoes don't run on gasoline
She could dry up Texas in one night the way she feels that beat
If I don't find them under the bed we make love on,
So happy birthday Lisa Good evening Jim Beam
Goodnight all you socialites don't wait up for me
I'll be out way past the time the scenes' no sight to see
Ya'll don't live with Lisa
And she don't stay with me
It's always Lisa's birthday when I get that call
Her car's not where she parked it it's with her wallet and her phone
Lisa's had more birthdays than there are sad country songs
About trying to love two women and only taking one girl home
I get older and Lisa keeps on turning twenty-one
The Drive-By Truckers' song Lisa's Birthday is a poignant reflection on a tumultuous and perhaps toxic relationship between the singer and a woman named Lisa. It appears that whenever the singer receives a call from Lisa, it's always her birthday, and she's in need of a ride home because she's too intoxicated to walk or drive. The singer laments the fact that Lisa has had "more birthdays than there are sad country songs" about trying to love two women while only bringing one girl home. Despite this, Lisa's birthday becomes a metaphorical representation of her recklessness and lack of responsibility, as she misplaces her car and her belongings while getting blackout drunk.
The lyrics paint a picture of Lisa as a wild and free-spirited woman, whose dancing could "dry up Texas in one night." Her carefree attitude and wild lifestyle seem to conflict with the singer's more restrained and sober way of life. They have an on-again-off-again relationship, where they make love but ultimately don't stay together. The line, "I get older and Lisa keeps on turning twenty-one," suggests that Lisa represents a kind of youthful spirit that the singer is unable to shake off, despite his advancing age.
The song is a powerful commentary on the complexities of relationships and the way people can become trapped and defined by their own self-destructive patterns. The tone of the song is at once melancholic and humorous, with the singer poking fun at himself and his inability to resist Lisa's siren call. Overall, Lisa's Birthday is a masterful example of Drive-By Truckers' gift for storytelling and their ability to capture the essence of the human experience through music.
Line by Line Meaning
It's always Lisa's birthday when I get that call
Lisa calls the singer every time she gets drunk and needs someone to pick her up.
She's got no money for a cab she's way to drunk to walk
Lisa is too drunk to get home by herself and doesn't have money for a cab.
Lisa's had more birthdays than there are sad country songs
About trying to love two women and only taking one girl home
Lisa is getting older and has had more birthdays than there are sad country songs about loving two women but only going home with one.
It's a good thing that her dancing shoes don't run on gasoline
She could dry up Texas in one night the way she feels that beat
If I don't find them under the bed we make love on,
She's lighting Lisa's candles and they'll be burning all night long
Lisa loves to dance and if her shoes ran on gasoline she would use up a lot of it. If the singer doesn't find her dancing shoes under the bed (where they usually are), they will have sex and afterwards, she will light her birthday candles and they will burn all night long.
So happy birthday Lisa Good evening Jim Beam
Goodnight all you socialites don't wait up for me
I'll be out way past the time the scenes' no sight to see
Ya'll don't live with Lisa
And she don't stay with me
The singer wishes Lisa a happy birthday, says hello to his friend Jim Beam (alcohol), and tells others not to wait up for him because he will be out late. He also mentions that Lisa doesn't live with him and she doesn't stay with him either.
Her car's not where she parked it it's with her wallet and her phone
Lisa lost her car, wallet, and phone while she was drunk.
I get older and Lisa keeps on turning twenty-one
The singer is getting older but Lisa remains the same age in his mind, which is twenty-one.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: JOHN MICHAEL COOLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J.B. Beverley
Cooley writes songs that rip through my ticker like a twister through the midwest.
yfz4501176
just a great song!!!
JoeDynasty
So happy birthday Lisa Good evening Jim Beam. Goodnight all you socialites don't wait up for me. Thats just some jam right there. I like to play this song after a few shats. Only 4,000 views, come on I'm responcible for atleast 100 of those and that was just last week!
Hans Van Houten
this is brilliant
Lisa Jayne
wow saw this song today and its my birthday :D ^-^ and guess what..? yes!! my name is Lisa xx :P
kookiekitt
scary, seeing as its my birthday today and that's usually how I am after a night out! :S
Rob Forshy
This song is for my niece is her birthday and her name is Lisa