Heartbroke

Album: Highways & Heartaches (1982)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • One of four #1 Country hits on Skaggs' Highways & Heartaches album, this was written by the Nashville songwriter Guy Clark. A tale of a difficult breakup, with lyrics like "Sheer madness prevails upon reason to yield," is typical of his intricate songwriting.
  • Clark recorded this on his 1981 album The South Coast of Texas, and Skaggs played on the track. In our 2011 interview with Guy Clark, he told us: "I was out in L.A. recording it and we were looking for a fiddle player - we couldn't find anybody who played fiddle like we wanted in L.A., and we called Ricky and he wasn't doing anything. And he came out and played fiddle on it. We were standing in the control room listening back to it and he said, 'You know, if I ever get a record deal, I think I'll do that song.' He said, 'I like that.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.