Backwoods

Album: Justin Moore (2009)
Charted: 69
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Moore wrote this song with Jamie Paulin and producer Jeremy Stover. He recalled to Great American Country: "We were in Jeremy's house and we were discussing my keyboard player, who grew up in Eastern Kentucky. My guitar player also grew up in Eastern Kentucky. We've become really good buddies. I went up to where he's from, Pike County, Kentucky. I thought I grew up in the backwoods! I found out that they grew up in a holler called Greasy Creek. I came back and said, 'Y'all would not even believe how backwoods this is.' One of us just started playing the melody, the guitar stuff on it, and Jeremy just started rambling, 'Rifle on my gun rack, hanging in my back glass.' That was one of those songs that we wrote in 30 or 40 minutes. We wrote it and were like, 'It could be cool,' and when we demoed it, we loved it. It's a fun song to play live."
  • This was released as the third single from Moore's self-titled debut album.
  • Moore told AOL's The Boot about the song's lyrical content: "I grew up in a little bitty town in Arkansas, back in the sticks. I've got a guitar player from Pike County, Kentucky - it's actually called Greasy Creek where he's from! I went up there, and he and I played a couple of gigs together up there. I came back home and called my producer. I said, 'Dude, I grew up out in the woods, but you wouldn't believe how backwoods this place is!' It was a song we wrote in about 20 minutes. One of us just started rambling, and the other one started playing the groove of it. Some songs you write and know it's a really good song, then some of them you get into the studio and it comes to life then. This was one of those songs. I liked it when I wrote it, but when we got done doing it in the studio, we both went, 'Man, this has got to go on the album!'"
  • Moore told The Boot about the song's music promo: "It was our first night shoot. It was a fun shoot. I was glad to have my band in the video. Probably my favorite thing about it is my guitar. They made me a camouflage guitar for the video. It's the simple things in life that make me happy!"
  • A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed by Tennessee songwriter Bobby Carmichael and Louisiana fiddler Britton Curry against Moore and his record company, Big Machine Label Group, in August 2012. The suit claimed that "Backwoods" sounds strikingly similar to a song they wrote in 2003. The pair alleged that when they tried selling their tune in Nashville in 2005, Jamie Paulin "heard and/or secured the song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.