

“We did three takes of the solo, and I just went off into the ozone,” Gibbons says. Both guitars went through a 100-watt 1968 Marshall Super Lead amp. The engineer was waving through the glass yelling, ‘Don’t stop! You’ve got it!’”įor the song’s intro, Gibbons relied on a 1955 hardtail Fender Stratocaster, and for the overdriven riff, he pulled out his now-famous 1959 Gibson “Pearly Gates” Les Paul standard. “Finally, something transpired, and whatever I was singing worked. “Finally, the engineer and studio manager said, ‘Let’s take a lunch break.’ With the studio manager dispatched to a barbecue joint some 30 miles away, Gibbons sat down in a folding chair, pulled up a microphone and said, “Run the track.” “We tried every which way we knew, but nothing felt right,” Gibbons remembers.
#ZZ TOP LA GRANGE LYRICS HOW TO#
“It started to get longer and longer,” he says, “and we kept asking ourselves, ‘Is this a song? Let’s see where this goes.’” Once they laid out the musical framework – spoken-word intro and riff, verse, then off to the races – the band debated how to work out vocal passages. While recording Tres Hombres in Memphis, Gibbons and his bandmates – bassist/co-vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard – would warm up with a blues vamp. “Plus, Holly left things open to interpretation: ‘I heard it’s a rumor from a friend.’ Did she get married or not? So with ‘La Grange,’ we tagged the closing with lines like, ‘I hear it’s fine… but I might be mistaken.’ The invitation stood at that moment.” Thank Goodness For Barbecue “That song showed us you didn’t have to rhyme every single stanza or verse,” Gibbons says.

The guitarist points to Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue Got Married,” the rock pioneer’s sequel to “Peggy Sue,” as compositional inspiration. We somehow captured both in one single trip.” Retrieved September 10, 2021.As Gibbons recalls, “Growing up in Texas, there were two requirements toward manhood: You had to visit La Grange, and you had to go to the Mexican border. ^ "British single certifications – ZZ Top – La Grange".^ "ZZ Top Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)".Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JULY 13, 1974".Select "ZZ Top" from the artist drop-down menu. ^ "Les Tubes de chaque Artiste commençant par Z".^ " Top RPM Singles: Issue 5040a." RPM.^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989".^ "Singles Reviews > Picks of the Week" (PDF).: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link) Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time".^ "Q Magazine – 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever!"."How Billy Gibbons Wrote ZZ Top's "La Grange" ". "ZZ Top's New Documentary Spurs Rock Chart Debuts, Streaming & Sales Gains". ^ "ZZ Top Setlist at Fayette County Fairgrounds, La Grange, TX, USA".^ Laney, Karen 'Gilly' (November 3, 2011)."CMT Awards: ZZ Top, Jason Derulo, Florida Georgia Line go all in". "Catalog box sets sum up Beatles, Dylan, Eagles, Ramones". ^ Gundersen, Edna (December 21, 2013).Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard) Reception Ĭash Box called it a "hard driving delight certain to satisfy those fans of heavy blues." Charts Chart (1974) The single's B-side, "Just Got Paid", is from the band's second album Rio Grande Mud.

Rolling Stone called the song, ".a standard for guitarists to show off their chops." 74 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. In March 2005, Q placed "La Grange" at 92nd of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. The line "a-how-how-how-how" is quoted from John Lee Hooker's song " Boom Boom".

Background Ī failed lawsuit by the copyright holder of "Boogie Chillen'" resulted in the court ruling that the rhythm was in the public domain. The initial groove of the song is based on a traditional boogie blues rhythm used by John Lee Hooker in " Boogie Chillen'". In March 2020 the song re-entered the Billboard charts following the release of the documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas. The first time ZZ Top played the song in La Grange, Texas was during the Fayette County Fair on September 5, 2015. The brothel is also the subject of the Broadway play and film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The song refers to a brothel on the outskirts of La Grange, Texas (later called the " Chicken Ranch"). 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1974. One of ZZ Top's most successful songs, it was released as a single in 1973 and received extensive radio play, rising to No. " La Grange" is a song by the American rock group ZZ Top, from their 1973 album Tres Hombres.
