Stay just a little bit longer…

In “The Load Out”, Jackson Browne tells us about his work experience and manages to make it palatable.  Most rock stars age out by the time they are 30. They never write another good song past that age. Why? Many reasons.

The main reason is that the exciting experiencing of youth have turned into the drudgery of the road. Once an artist gets to be famous to the “travelling-musician” level you are going to be seeing a lot of the road.

Or they hit it big and are riding in private jets. So, what do you write songs about if not your lived experience? You either must be super creative and imaginative, have a good memory of your youth, or use other people’s stories as content. Or attempt to describe your daily lived experience on the job. And that is risky. Paint an unflattering picture and risk being labelled a “sellout”, and alienate your audience.

But Browne avoids the pitfalls that I described above for two reasons. Primarily because the message is “All the mundane travel is worth it because when we walk on the stage and get to play for the fans it is all worth it.” And he is grateful to the behind-the-scenes people. He notices them. The work they do. Without this, the song wouldn’t work. Jackson Browne seems like a genuine guy, so the song connects.

There is one final touch that manages to bridge that gap that I was talking about—the wealth gap. This song is written as a love song. I am sure this has been called a “love song to the road” or a “love song to the fans” or whatever on a thousand publications, but here is apt. We can feel the love he has for the music.

And of course, the music of The Load out is so beautiful. And tender. The piano playing is casual as is his voice. As more instruments are introduced the song shows off the talents of each band member—each is given their time to shine.

The way he incorporates the song “Stay” by Maurice Williams is fun and unconventional. Just reading it sounds gimmicky, but it works. The falsetto is outrageous and playful. A contrast to the somber mood of where the song started. A great place to end the show.

The Ramones had a more colorful take about life on the road.

The Load Out Lyrics

Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
They’re the first to come and the last to leave
Working for that minimum wage
They’ll set it up in another town

Tonight the people were so fine
They waited there in line
And when they got up on their feet
They made the show

And that was sweet
But I can hear the sound
Of slamming doors and folding chairs
And that’s a sound they’ll never know

Now roll them cases out and lift them amps
Haul them trusses down and get ’em up them ramps
‘Cause when it comes to moving me
You know, you guys are the champs

But when that last guitar’s been packed away
You know that I still wanna play
So just make sure you got it all set to go
Before you come for my piano

But the band’s on the bus
And they’re waiting to go
We gotta drive all night
And do the show in Chicago

Or Detroit, I don’t know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same

We just pass the time in the hotel rooms
And wander ’round backstage
‘Til those lights come up, and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came

Now we got Country and Western on the bus
R & B, we got Disco
And eight tracks and cassettes in stereo

And we got rural scenes and magazines
And we got truckers on the C.B.
And we got Richard Pryor on the video

We got time to think of the ones we love
While the miles roll away
The only time that seems too short
Is the time that we get to play

People, you’ve got the power over what we do
You can sit there and wait or you can pull us through
Come along, sing the song
You know that you can’t go wrong

‘Cause when that morning sun comes beating down
You’re gonna wake up in your town
But we’ll be scheduled to appear
A thousand miles away from here

Songwriters: Jackson Browne / Bryan Garofalo

Stay Lyrics

Stay, ah just a little bit longer,
Please, please, please, please, please,
Tell me that you’re going to

Now your Daddy don’t mind,
And your Mommy don’t mind,
If we have another dance, yeah,
Just one more, one more time.

Oh won’t you stay, just a little bit longer,
Please let me hear you say that you will
Say you will

Won’t you place your sweet lips to mine,
Won’t you say you love me all the time

Songwriters: Cedric Allen Williams