Vince Gill is a gem of the music industry, having been a steady presence in country, bluegrass, and rock since the 1970s when he was the lead singer of Pure Prairie League. He gained mainstream success as a solo artist as well when he burst onto the scene with his 1990 hit “When I Call Your Name.”
That song was what made him a breakthrough star, but it doesn’t have quintessential Vince Gill lyrics, according to Vince Gill himself. What he considers quintessential Gill may surprise you, as it’s not a song he released as a single. In a 2023 interview with Vulture, Gill revealed the lyric he considers his favorite, along with much more.
When asked the question, Gill didn’t pull a hit song out of his hat just for the sake of an answer. He seemingly gave it some thought, and replied, “I could pick a hit, but one of my favorite songs that I’ve written — a song I really felt was well-crafted — is called ‘Young Man’s Town.'”
[RELATED: Watch Vince Gill Pay Tribute to Late Friend and Oak Ridge Boys Legend Joe Bonsall With Grand Ole Opry Performance]
Vince Gill’s Most Vince Gill-Like Lyric? It May Surprise You
The song was released in 2003 on the album Next Big Thing. “’You feel like an old memory hangin’ round, and man you’ve gotta face it, it’s a young man’s town,’” said Gill, quoting the song. It’s about aging and seeing things change around you, how fast time moves and having to come to terms with it.
Gill went on to praise Don Henley, who he tours with as part of the Eagles, but also shared that Henley praised him as well. “I now work for one of the greatest songwriters that ever lived in Don Henley, and totally unsolicited, he told me that was his favorite song of mine,” he said.
As far as success goes, “Young Man’s Town” wasn’t released as a single, so it didn’t make the charts anywhere. However, there’s no doubt it’s most likely a cult favorite of diehard Vince Gill fans. Gill even addressed this in the interview, saying, “A lot of times, I think we equate the best things with the most successful things, and I don’t know that I subscribe to that.” He added, “There are certain songs that mean an awful lot to me that are just buried on a record somewhere.”
A good number of gems are often “buried on a record somewhere.” However, often they amass an underground following of devoted fans and sometimes even have an unexplainable surge in popularity. Maybe “Young Man’s Town” will do the same.
Featured Image by Sachyn Mital/Shutterstock
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