Word for Word

by Rodney Crowell

From growing up in Texas, to living in his car, to landing his first publishing deal, to writing fifteen #1 songs, Word for Word is a lavishly illustrated look at the lyrics of an icon among songwriting giants. Emmylou Harris—who once employed Rodney Crowell as the guitarist, harmony singer, and arranger in her legendary Hot Band—introduced many listeners to his finely-crafted songs, including “Til I Gain Control Again,” “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “I Ain't Living Long Like This,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” and “Ashes by Now.” They all went on to be become hits for other performers, while Crowell went on to carve out a career as the first country singer to earn five #1 singles from one album. Rodney continued writing and recording classics, such as “Lovin' All Night,” “I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried” (which was nominated for a Best Country Song Grammy), and “After All This Time” (which was nominated for both CMA and ACM Song of the Year and won a Grammy for Best Country Song). And other artists continued to take his songs to the top of the charts, including Bob Seger's recording of “Shame on the Moon,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream),” Tim McGraw's recording of “Please Remember Me,” and Keith Urban's cover of “Making Memories of Us.” By the early 2000s, Crowell was already a legend. But the poetic songs continued to flow as he became the embodiment of the growing Americana movement and continued to release new material that can be considered among his best work. In this disarmingly intimate look at Crowell's songs, he shares pages from his lyric notebooks, personal photographs, scribbles, and correspondence, alongside his memories and stories of some of the songs that have defined his life and career. Experiencing Word for Word is experiencing the heart of one of this generation's finest songwriters.

Genres: Music

401 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2022

About the author

Rodney Crowell is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt. From that album he one a Grammy Award for Best Country Song for the song "After All This Time".

He was married to Rosanne Cash (daughter of Johnny Cash), from 1979 to 1992 with Crowell producing most of her albums during that period. Crowell and Cash have three daughters.

Reviews

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first time I heard Rodney Crowell's single, After All This Time, in the '80s I was immediately a fan of his singing, entertaining and songwriting. In addition to his own hits, over the years Crowell has written for some of the most admired celebrities such as Emmylou Harris, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and the list goes on and on . . . His memoir Chinaberry Sidewalks tells about growing up in the Houston area and the hard-living family life he comes from. Word For Word includes photos of Crowell's own handwritten notebooks of lyrics, as well as songs co-written with Guy Clark, Rosanne Cash, Chris Stapleton, Bernie Taupin, Vince Gill, poet Mary Karr and many others. An amazing legacy and a fun look into music history.