Unlocked: 14 Essential DBT Song Essays
Since we have so many new fans here, I am taking my favorite song essays out from behind the paywall for your reading pleasure.
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Since launching Mundane Mayhem one year ago, I have written 21 essays about DBT songs. Thankfully, that’s not even close to the total number of songs those guys have written; 21 songs isn’t even enough to fill one Drive-By Truckers setlist. But I’m very proud of what I’ve created so far.
The Mundane Mayhem One-Year Anniversary Vinyl Giveaway has helped so many DBT fans discover my newsletter, and I’m downright giddy about it. Thank you to everyone who has subscribed and commented so far. I am lucky to have you.
Since we have so many new fans here, I am taking my favorite song essays out from behind the paywall for your reading pleasure. Leave a comment and let me know what songs you want me to tackle next. (Commenting will enter you into the vinyl giveaway!) And stay tuned later this week for a brand-new issue of Mundane Mayhem.
Nancy Einhart
Patterson Hood Songs
“Dead, Drunk and Naked”
The Lord Picked Up the Tab
Every time I hear “Dead, Drunk and Naked,” I think about those LSD lost boys, suspended in time, stuck forever in the Florida panhandle.
“What It Means”
With a Pocket Full of Skittles
Patterson Hood intentionally wrote “What It Means” from a Southern white man’s POV.
“Margo and Harold”
50 and Crazy, Big Hair and Cocaine
“Margo and Harold” unsettles like a Southern gothic Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
“The Righteous Path”
Trying to Hold Steady on the Righteous Path
“The Righteous Path” holds a special place in my heart because of The Hold Steady connection.
“The Buford Stick”
Just Another Crooked Lawman
The true story of shady Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser and his "ambushed" wife.
“Sink Hole”
An Unlocked Door and a Loaded Burglar Alarm
The fan-fiction of “Sink Hole” and other existential threats to the family.
Mike Cooley Songs
“Zip City”
Maybe You're Just a Destination
“Zip City” barrels toward its ending like the narrator’s fuel-inefficient car.
“Shit Shots Count”
Trophy Tail Wives Taking Boner Pill Rides
A tribute to two great works of art: “Shit Shots Count” and the movie Road House.
“Grievance Merchants”
An Eternity For Every Tear They Mock
With the sinister organ and heavily reverbed vocals, “Grievance Merchants” sounds like a sermon designed to counterprogram hateful forces.
“Birthday Boy”
The Pretty Girls From the Smallest Towns
“Birthday Boy” is a profound tribute to women who take care of immature men.
“Kinky Hypocrite”
A Daily Syndicated Hissy Fit
In the words of “Kinky Hypocrite,” the greatest separators of fools from their money party harder than they like to admit.
"Made Up English Oceans"
Quote It Like It’s Scripture
"Made Up English Oceans" is inspired by the career of Republican political operator Lee Atwater.
Bonus Tracks
“Do It Yourself” and “When the Pin Hits the Shell”
A Loaded Shotgun in the Closet
“Do It Yourself” and “When the Pin Hits the Shell” reckon with death by suicide.
"Goddamn Lonely Love"
I Got Green and I Got Blues
"Goddamn Lonely Love" sounds like an ongoing negotiation with loneliness, where drinking is an easy but dangerous solution.