The Highway

Album: The Highway (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of singer-songwriter Holly Williams' third album. She explained its inspiration: "I was pulling up to the gas station and I started singing the chorus ... came out of nowhere, prayers answered! I went home and grabbed my guitar ... I was so thrilled about this lyric because it was exactly where my longing has been. This came from a very personal place. I've begun to really miss the road."

    Holly has plenty to do at home in Nashville, where she owns a clothing store called H. Audrey and enjoys cooking and homemaking. She married her musical partner Chris Coleman in 2009, giving her all the ingredients for domestic bliss. The allure of the road, however, remained strong and meant that future Williams progeny (likely musical - Holly's dad is Hank Jr. and her grandfather is Hank Sr.) would have to wait. "If it wasn't for the music, I would have started having babies a long time ago," Holly told us. "I want at least three kids that I keep putting off because of music."
  • Williams says that this is a very important song for her, because it's the fruit of a long and arduous recording process where she refused to compromise until the album was just right. Before Holly wrote this song, the album was complete and ready to ship with the title Railroad (there are some promo copies of this version floating around Nashville). "I was actually done with the record," she told us. "I'd paid for it to be mastered, the artwork was done, and I wrote that song. And I kept telling Charlie (producer Charlie Peacock), 'There's something else I need to say. I don't know what it is, but I know there's something else that's going to come out.' And that was just such a true story of where I am right now, that longing for the road and the highway."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Crystal Waters

Crystal WatersSongwriter Interviews

Waters tells the "Gypsy Woman" story, shares some of her songwriting insights, and explains how Dennis Rodman ended up on one of her songs.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."