This morning’s musical selection is “Ford Econoline” by the phenomenal Nanci Griffith. 

An automobile can represent many things in the American songbook. Here, it’s the means of escape:

Now her husband was a gambler, he was a Salt Lake City rambler
He built a golden cage around his silver-throated wife
Too many nights he left her crying with his cheating and his lying
But his big mistake was him buying her that Ford Econoline

It’s a common theme in country music, not that you would ever consider Griffith a common country performer. Her work shares little with the overproduced pop lite that dominates the scene today. Calling her style “folkabilly,” the Grammy winner combines folk, country, and the finest traditions of American popular music.

Suzy Bogguss (“Outbound Plane”) and Kathy Mattea (“Love at the Five and Dime”) have scored big hits with Nanci Griffith songs, while her many collaborators over a long and accomplished career include Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and John Prine. Here’s a video of a live performance of “Ford Econoline” from 1986. You’re going to enjoy it.

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