“Nashville CA / L.A. Tennessee” by Tim McGraw (ft. Lori McKenna)
After already looking at a handful of songs from Tim McGraw’s album “Standing Room Only”, we hastily concluded in our last post (“Some Songs Change Your World“) that they’re relatively easy to understand and devoid of the type of religious terminology we have come to expect in today’s musical landscape.
Such is not the case with “Nashville CA/L.A. Tennessee”. First of all, this track does make use of what can be deemed religious terminology, even if they are not used specifically in such a context. And secondly what’s being put forth, all lyrics considered, isn’t abundantly clear to make sense of.
Thesis Sentiment of “Nashville CA / L.A. Tennessee”
Actually, the thesis sentiment of this piece is quite apparent. This is obviously a love song, one of those types in which the vocalist is expressing his willingness to go anywhere, more specifically within the continental United States it would seem, to be with his sweetheart. What isn’t as straightforward is how Tim, buttressed by Lori, goes about expressing that idea.
Or let’s say that this song may be a little over-the-top with its poeticism. For example, Nashville is not in California, nor is L.A. in Tennessee, as seemingly presented. Instead the opposite is true, with L.A. being in Cali and Nashville in Tennessee.
So presumably, the songwriters wrote it that way for artistic purposes. But in the grand scheme of things, such lyricism arguably makes the track more confusing than it would be otherwise.
And with that said, it may even be debatable whether this is a love song or not. That is to say that it’s never specified, though it is implied, that the addressee is a romantic interest. On one hand, it reads as if the vocalist is down to travel cross country to be with his significant other.
But on the other, McGraw comes off like a “cowboy” who is out pursuing his calling. So putting those two ideas together, he obviously perceives being with the addressee, wherever she may be, as part and parcel of his destiny. Or another way of looking at it is that he considers the two of them to be kindred spirits.
“If God made the two cities closer
I’d be right beside you
But then where would the Grand Canyon be
I’ll meet you in Nashville, California
Or L.A. Tennessee”
Release Date of “Nashville CA / L.A. Tennessee”
This song hit the marketplace on 25 August 2023 as part of the aforementioned “Standing Room Only”, which marks the tenured Tim McGraw’s 16th studio album.
The label behind this track is Big Machine Records which, to note, is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.
Credits
Tim McGraw both co-wrote and co-produced this song. In the latter regard he worked with Byron Gallimore, and the other writers of “Nashville CA/L.A. Tennessee” are Bob Minner and Lori McKenna.
Lori McKenna, a singer from Massachusetts, plays more of a supporting-vocal role on this track, i.e. not having a verse of her own. And she has worked with Tim McGraw, in a songwriting capacity, regularly throughout the years.
