Songfacts®:

• John Hiatt was 36 in 1988 when he released "Slow Turning," the title track to his ninth album, but he had a lot of miles on him. Hiatt started playing in bands when he was 12 and developed an addition to alcohol not long after. He finally got help in 1985 when he went to rehab, but that same year his second wife died by suicide.
  
  By the time he released this song, Hiatt was in a better place, with two daughters and married to his second wife. The song reflects what he learned on his journey.
  
  "You become a parody of yourself. That's the real danger," he told Musician magazine. "How do you keep on moving? That's a lot of what 'Slow Turning' is trying to talk about. Okay, the narrator seems to be saying, you've got it great. You've got a marriage that works, you've got a family, life's good. Are you gonna f--k it up? How do you keep moving and changing and growing and prospering? I think those are all good questions."
• "Slow Turning" is Hiatt's highest-charting song as an artist, placing at #8 on the Mainstream Rock tally. He's been more successful with other artists covering his songs. Rosanne Cash had a #1 Country hit with Hiatt's "The Way We Make A Broken Heart," and Bonnie Raitt popularized his song "Thing Called Love."
• Hiatt used a lot of different backing bands and producers throughout his career. On his 1987 album Bring The Family - the first one he made sober - he had an all-star team of session players that includes Ry Cooder on guitar and Jim Keltner on drums. He couldn't get them back for Slow Turning, so he had his touring band play on it, including Sonny Landreth on guitar and Kenneth Blevins on drums.
• Hiatt played this song when he was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 1989.
• "Slow Turning" shows up in the 2002 movie The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid.