Jackson Browne


One of those songs that can actually move me to tears, is Jackson Browne's "The Load Out".

In most songs, there's an extra brilliant line or lyric and here it's "that's the sound they'll never know" or maybe "these towns all look the same" (which catches the loneliness of touring perfectly and reminds people even rockstars, with all their fame and fortune due, have boring lives)

With "that's the sound they'll never know", Browne gives proper credit to his roadies, who indeed work for a minimumwage and who never get the attention they deserve. Remember : no set gets built without these guys! Where would any stadiumband be without its 100+ workers, builders etc?!

I wish one day I can write lyrics that are only 10% as good as "The Load Out", but I know that's idle hope. Because I'm not a native English speaker and I don't 'breathe' the English language : I'll always translate from Dutch what I want to say .

If for nothing else, Jackson Browne deserves a place in the pantheon of lyricists just for "The Load Out". Downright mastery & genius!



Julian De Backer, 18 March 2007