“There’s just something in a night like this that can
– “Am I That Lonely Tonight?” Justin Townes Earle
Be so hard to take
Oncoming headlights through the mountain mist
They’re too close for comfort and too much at stake”
Listening to a Justin Townes Earle record is a journey from the Southern Gothic romanticism of Civil War Virginia to the neon lights of a Nashville long gone.
Just as an artist is appreciated more after they are gone, such is the case with Justin Townes Earle. As a long-time fan of JTE, I have grown in my understanding of his music since he passed to the point where the philosopher in me felt convicted to write an essay. I did not want to write a review or a biography, but rather I wanted to highlight the genius of his music, his lyrics, and his mind.
If there were ascetics of the music world, JTE would undoubtedly be among them. His devotion to music was all-encompassing, distilling his philosophy into lyrical stories that filled the soul. A traveling man, or rather, a traveling song in the body of a man, his creativity was poured into every album. I do not wonder what Justin would have thought of the age of TikTok that we now live in, where musicians rise and fall faster than nobility in the middle ages. In his own words, “I know I’m never going to be a big pop star, because I’m not willing to conform.” Justin would have wanted as many people to hear his music as possible, but not if it required becoming inauthentic. Dabbling throughout genres, time periods, and methods of storytelling, he was a poet, an artist, and a writer.
As of writing this, country music has become more popular than ever. Due to artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, and Zach Bryan, the genre has expanded into territory previously unimaginable a decade ago. Where does the legacy of JTE fall among the popularity of modern country music? It doesn’t. The legacy and music of JTE cements its own cathedral along the path less traveled. For those who are willing to do a little hiking, they will find the warmth of a southern troubadour with the wit of a young songwriter in New York City. In an age of processed sound, the simpler music of JTE possesses the listener with its straightforward blend of emotion and intellect. To use the words of Justin, “I heard Nirvana, and discovered that songs could be like poetry, but a little bit more refined: you didn’t have to have 20 verses to get your point across.”
What can we all learn from Justin Townes Earle? Whatever position we may fill in life, we must live it authentically. We are human, and as such, we are to experience the full range of emotions in this existence. This emotion does not weigh us down, but rather makes us who we are. It gives us a story, a worldview, and most of all, it forges character. Justin was able to write the way he did because of the way he lived, the experiences he had, and the emotions that he felt. All of us can harness the energy in our own lives that he put into his music, into whatever path we choose in life. Whatever your path may be, live out your existence in authenticity. “I didn’t get into music to become a blues musician, or a country musician. I’m a singer-songwriter. In my book that means I get to do whatever I want.”
Justin Townes Earle 1982-2020
Credit To @bjaminphoto on Instagram
