One of the great songwriters of the 1970s is the one and only Jackson Browne. This is the title track from an album where each song reflects life on the road as a touring musician and songwriter. The entire album was recorded during his tours, with each song either captured during live performances, at locations tied to touring, or even in hotel rooms and tour buses. This particular tune was recorded at a live concert in Columbia, Maryland, on August 27, 1977.
Jackson Browne wrote this song while recording his album The Pretender. He told Rolling Stone magazine, “I was always driving around with no gas in the car.” He also said, “I just never bothered to fill up the tank because—how far was it anyway? Just a few blocks.”
My Listening Tips/Thoughts: David Lindley is a multi-instrumentalist who played with Jackson Browne for most of the 1970s. He’s the one playing slide guitar throughout this tune. Russ Kunkel is on drums, with Leland Sklar on bass. The combination of these three musicians with Jackson’s driving vocals gives this song its “put the pedal down and drive” angsty rock and roll feel. I hope you listen while driving on the freeway. It’s a good time. 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Song: “Running On Empty”
Artist: Jackson Browne
Album: Running On Empty
Year: 1977
Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In sixty five I was seventeen and running up 101
I don’t know where I’m running now, I’m just running on
Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I’m running behind
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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post (hopefully) one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 You can just wait for the next one. All the info I find is from wikipedia/youtube/interviews/news articles/personal stories I’ve heard/random googling. Sorry if there are any mistakes 🙂
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