(2) Very few musical artists achieve a true signature style -- one that makes comparisons to other musicians impossible. But Texas guitarist Eric Johnson arguably comes as close to this echelon as any musician from the past quarter-century. Like fellow Lone Star State guitarists Johnny Winter, Billy Gibbons, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnson blends the rock style of Jimi Hendrix and the blues power of Albert King. Yet Johnson's wide array of additional influences (from the Beatles and Jeff Beck to jazz and Chet Atkins) makes for a guitar sound as unique as his fingerprints.
"When I first heard Eric," Winter recalled, "he was only 16, and I remember wishing that I could have played like that at that age." Former Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter said, "If Jimi Hendrix had gone on to study with Howard Roberts for about eight years, you'd have what this kid strikes me as." The Austin prodigy appeared on the cover of Guitar Player magazine while working with Texas jazz/fusion band the Electromagnets and as a session player (Cat Stevens, Carole King, Christopher Cross), and a 1984 performance on the TV show Austin City Limits set his recording career in motion.
Johnson's 1986 debut album, Tones, certainly proved that the hype was warranted. Playing with the ace rhythm section of bassist Roscoe Beck and drummer Tommy Taylor, Johnson mixed blazing instrumentals ("Zap," "Victory") with Beatles-influenced vocal tunes like "Emerald Eyes" and "Bristol Shore." Johnson used the same half-and-half format on the 1990 follow-up, Ah Via Musicom, but a trio of the album's tunes surprisingly made him the first artist to have three instrumentals from the same album to chart in the Top Ten in any format (with "Cliffs of Dover" earning Johnson a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental).
But, if Johnson had a perceived weakness, it was the perfectionism that caused four years to pass between recordings. Even in concert, he would painstakingly tune his guitar between songs, by ear, for minutes on end. With the success of Ah Via Musicom, the guitarist admitted to feeling pressure to raise the bar again. But Johnson's studio nitpicking delayed Venus Isle until 1996, and the disappointing CD contained fewer instrumentals and sounded forced.
A stint on the 1997 G3 tour with fellow headlining guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and its resulting live release, breathed new life into Johnson and sparked the idea of a live album. Overhauling his band for the 2000 CD Live and Beyond, Johnson brought in bassist Chris Maresh and drummer Bill Maddox, and concentrated on more of a blues feel. The guitarist still blended instrumentals with his vocal tunes ("Shape I'm In," "Last House on the Block"), but perhaps realized that his thin voice was too one-dimensional for guttural blues or R&B. Guest vocalist Malford Milligan ignites "Don't Cha Know" and "Once a Part of Me," helping Johnson's blazing debut on Vai's Favored Nations label and reestablishing the versatile virtuoso's status for the 21st century. As Vai himself testified, "Eric has more colorful tone in his fingers than Van Gogh had on his palette."
Souvenir, an album available only through Johnson's website, appeared in 2002, followed by CD and DVD versions of New West's Live from Austin, TX and Bloom, the second album for Vai's Favored Nations imprint, in 2005. Johnson returned in 2010 with Up Close, a studio album that slightly emphasized the guitarist's Texas roots. A collaboration with jazz guitarist Mike Stern, Eclectic, appeared in 2014. ~ Bill Meredith
Forty Mile Town
Eric Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down the melody ranch, I know you're there most everyday,
That's where you like to spend some time alone.
I need to talk to you,
Tell you what I feel, like warm hellos in the morning mist,
And you're the magic that turns my heart around.
Seems to me, we're really living way too fast,
Sometimes I just want to go and drift away...
And move on to some forty mile town.
I got a way I can see you,
Close my eyes to watch the ancient water flow,
Like a crystal dance that paupers know so well.
That's the way kings keep dreamin',
Hold their head up high and live below forty mile skys,
The way that it can be in ocean towns
Things of this world, guess we never really own;
Oh that mountain falls, and then we're goin' home.
We should try to make the best and get away...
And work on towards a forty mile town.
Seems to me we really need to feel love more,
Oh, and ordinary simle opens the door.
Sometimes all I want to do is dream away...
And wake up in some forty mile town.
The lyrics of Eric Johnson's Forty Mile Town convey the singer's desire to slow down and appreciate the small things in life that are often overlooked in our fast-paced world. He imagines finding his love interest in a peaceful place called Melody Ranch, where she goes to spend time alone. Here, he wants to tell her how he feels, but also advocates for taking things slowly and enjoying the moment. The singer expresses a desire for a simpler life where people are not so wrapped up in material possessions and superficialities, where things like ancient water flow and crystal dances can be appreciated. He acknowledges that the things of this world are fleeting, and that we should focus on love and making the best of our time in this world while we can.
The idea of a forty mile town is a metaphor for finding a place of simplicity and peace, a place where life is slower and more focused on what truly matters. Johnson urges listeners to let go of the fast-paced, consumerist world we live in and find their own forty mile town, a place where they can slow down and focus on finding joy in the simple things in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a way I can find you,
I know how to locate you
Down the melody ranch, I know you're there most everyday,
I know where you spend most of your days
That's where you like to spend some time alone.
You like to be alone at the melody ranch
I need to talk to you,
I have something to say to you
Tell you what I feel, like warm hellos in the morning mist,
I want to share my feelings with you, like greeting someone on a foggy morning
And you're the magic that turns my heart around.
You have the power to change my mood completely
Seems to me, we're really living way too fast,
It appears that we're living too quickly
Oh when we should let the story of love last.
Instead, we should focus on making our love last
Sometimes I just want to go and drift away...
Occasionally, I feel like escaping
And move on to some forty mile town.
And moving towards a small town located far away
I got a way I can see you,
I know how to visualize you
Close my eyes to watch the ancient water flow,
I close my eyes to see the movement of the old water
Like a crystal dance that paupers know so well.
It moves like a dance known well by poor people
That's the way kings keep dreamin',
This is how kings keep their dreams alive
Hold their head up high and live below forty mile skys,
They live humbly under the vast sky of small towns
The way that it can be in ocean towns
Similarly, this is how life can be in coastal towns
Things of this world, guess we never really own;
We don't truly own anything in this world
Oh that mountain falls, and then we're goin' home.
When the mountain crumbles, our time on this earth is over
We should try to make the best and get away...
We should enjoy life and escape our hectic lives
And work on towards a forty mile town.
Towards a peaceful, small town far away
Seems to me we really need to feel love more,
We need to experience love more often
Oh, and ordinary simle opens the door.
A simple smile can open the door to positivity and happiness
Sometimes all I want to do is dream away...
Sometimes I just want to escape into my dreams
And wake up in some forty mile town.
And find myself waking up in a peaceful small town
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID ERIC JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Van Ry
I lost my beautiful wife of 25 years this week. This was our wedding song. Godspeed Sally, and thank you Eric for sharing your amazing talent with the world.
John Baker
Priceless and Timeless.
Jeff Warner
This always hurts to read. I'm sorry for the pain you're enduring but I'm certain that this man's music will help you through. It did for me, still does. My tears for this song and you sir, time does heal... 🙏
freewaybeast
I danced with my wife to this song at our wedding. Mystical
roby robinson
one of the best albums of the 90s....eric is awesome..
Jay G
Eric is currently on tour performing this album in it's entirety
Bob Bab
Possibly the most relaxing song I've ever heard.
Sondra Poorbaugh
I definitely agree. Puts me in a relaxing mode and for a few minutes there are no cares in the world.
okrajoe
A wonderful song too often overlooked.
Stephan Campbell
Always loved this one..