Shooter Jennings lived his first few years in a crib on his parents' tour bus. By age five, he was playing drums. Between tours, he took piano lessons. He started playing guitar at fourteen and sometimes played in his father's band. He and his father recorded a few things together when they happened to have some microphones set up and the tape recorder plugged in. At age sixteen, Jennings discovered rock 'n' roll.
As an adult, Jennings left Nashville, Tennessee to seek his fortunes in Los Angeles. He assembled and performed with Stargunn, a southern rock band whose sound he described as Lynyrd Skynyrd mutating into Guns N' Roses. Stargunn performed at local clubs for six years, built a rabid following and earned praise from the local music press. But the Hollywood party scene eventually began to bother him. He says, "I was posing as a rocker—a country guy trying to be something he wasn't."
On March 30, 2003, Jennings dissolved Stargunn and moved to New York City to spend time with his girlfriend and sort out what he wanted to do next. An unexpected gig at the House of Blues a few weeks later revived his creativity. He returned to Los Angeles to form another band, the 357s. After six weeks in the studio, he completed his first solo album, Put the O Back in Country. Universal South released the album in early 2005.
Jennings portrayed his father in the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line. He is the host of Shooter Jennings' Electric Rodeo, a two-hour weekly music show on Sirius Satellite Radio's Outlaw Country channel. He currently dates Drea de Matteo. Shooter Jennings' second solo album "Electric Rodeo" was released on April 04, 2006.
Put The O Back In Country
Shooter Jennings Lyrics
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Well I'm rollin' like a freight train
Comin' straight at you
Playing hillbilly music like I was born to do
You know that ain't country music you been listenin' to
Oh, so are you ready for the country
Better get ready for the country
Ain't I a sight to see
You know there ain't no soul on the radio
Let's put the O back in country
Pickin' easy listenin', ain't what I do best, no
But they say in country music, it's either hit or miss
Well, if you're talking about record sales
You can sound scan this, yeah
Oh, are you ready for the country
Are you ready for me?
But better get ready for the country
Ain't I a sight to see
Oh, you know there ain't no soul on the radio
Let's put the O back in country
You take a little country and a little rock and roll
A little Neil Young and a little George Jones
A little Merle Haggard and a little bit of the Stones
And a little Cash and a whole lotta Waylon
Are you ready for the country
Are you ready for me?
Yeah, better get ready for the country
Ready for me
Yeah, are you ready for the country
Are you ready for me?
Better get ready for the country
Ain't I a sight to see
Yeah, you know we need a little soul on the radio
Let's put the O back in country
In Shooter Jennings's song "Put The O Back In Country", he makes a statement about how modern country music has lost its soul and authenticity. He is rolling like a freight train, playing hillbilly music as it is born in him. The lyrics say that what people have been listening to is not real country music. It is a blend of country and rock and roll, Neil Young and George Jones, Merle Haggard, the Stones, Cash, and Waylon. Jennings clearly misses the soul of country music, and he wants to bring it back. By putting the O back in country, he suggests that we need to bring back the original sound, which has been lost in the modernization of country music.
The lyrics suggest that we need to move away from the easy-listening country music that dominates the airwaves and get back to the roots of country music. Jennings takes us on a journey through some of the most iconic country music figures and shows how they all contributed to the country's soul. He wants us to embrace the raw and unapologetic country sound and not be afraid to bring it back.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's put the O back in country
Let's return to the traditional country music style
Well I'm rollin' like a freight train
Comin' straight at you
Playing hillbilly music like I was born to do
You know that ain't country music you been listenin' to
I'm playing real country music, not the modern pop-influenced version
Oh, so are you ready for the country
Are you ready for me?
Better get ready for the country
Ain't I a sight to see
You know there ain't no soul on the radio
Let's put the O back in country
Are you prepared for genuine country music? Let's revive the genre with more soul on the radio
Pickin' easy listenin', ain't what I do best, no
But they say in country music, it's either hit or miss
Well, if you're talking about record sales
You can sound scan this, yeah
I don't do easy-listening music, but in this industry, you're either successful or not. If it's about record sales, I'll deliver
You take a little country and a little rock and roll
A little Neil Young and a little George Jones
A little Merle Haggard and a little bit of the Stones
And a little Cash and a whole lotta Waylon
I combine country and rock influences from Neil Young, George Jones, Merle Haggard, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings
Yeah, are you ready for the country
Are you ready for me?
Better get ready for the country
Ain't I a sight to see
Yeah, you know we need a little soul on the radio
Let's put the O back in country
Let's bring back the soulful traditional country music, and enjoy my music.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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