Arlene

Album: Farmer's Daughter (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This closing track from 2010 American Idol runner up Crystal Bowersox' debut album features the singer's longtime bandmate and friend Frankie May playing bass. The bassist's father, Bob May, is one of Bowersox's musical mentors.
  • Bowersox explained the story behind the song in an interview with Artist Direct: "'Arlene' was the tour bus driver this summer on the American Idol tour. When I couldn't sleep, I spent many nights in the front of the cab and had some really good talks with her. She was an inspirational, strong, independent woman and a role model to me. She told me she's been 'rock 'n' roll trucking' for 30 years and no one's ever written a song for her, so I did! I'm really happy it made it on the album. Arlene made sure we got from point A to B and B to C, and she was there for counsel as well.

    It's also the song that I feel is the closet to my roots musically. My friend Ryan Suzuka played harmonica. My bass player Frankie May who I've played with since high school is on that track as well. That song is very sentimental to me. I think the statement in the song, 'If you want it done right, you've got to do it yourself,' is about being strong as a man or a woman. It's about living a simple life and loving it. I even wrote the song on that tour around the beginning of August."
  • Want some more songs inspired by or about bus drivers? You've come to the right place – check out:
    Barbados by Typically Tropical.
    Civil Twilight by The Weakerthans.
    Dirty Frank by Pearl Jam.
    Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street by Bruce Springsteen.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

90s Metal

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.