O
Did You Know
- • Rhett Miller answered a newspaper ad seeking a 'country band,' despite lacking country experience.
- • Their 1997 album, *Too Far to Care*, featured a hidden track of just dial tones.
- • The Old 97's inspired the name of a Dallas bar, Double Wide, a popular local hangout.
- • Old 97's formed after Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond met answering a classified ad in Dallas.
- • The band's name is a nod to the tragic folk song "Wreck of the Old 97."
- • Early gigs at Dallas's Club Dada helped solidify their signature sound.
- • Elektra Records signed them after a particularly raucous performance at South by Southwest.
- • Their album "Too Far to Care" featured a hidden track of a prank phone call.
- • Johnny Cash's music, particularly his narrative storytelling, influenced their songwriting.
- • They're considered pioneers of alt-country, blending punk energy with classic country themes.
- • Old 97's collaborated with Kristen Schaal on a song titled "The Interpreter."
- • Their music has been featured in numerous TV shows, including "Scrubs" and "King of the Hill."
- • Though based in Texas, they have strong ties to the vibrant music scene of Los Angeles.
Locations in Lyrics
72 location references across 22 songs
Songs & Places
Doreen
New York City, NY
Cleveland, OH
Frankfort, KY
Queens, NY
off the highway, OH
the boroughs, NY
"In the moonlight on a side street in the wreckage we call Queens"
El Paso
El Paso, TX
New Mexico
New Mexico Badlands, NM
West Texas
badlands_nm, NM
"Out in the West Texas town of El Paso"
Victoria
Berkeley, CA
Texas
"She lived in Berkeley 'til the earthquake shook her loose"
Longer Than You’ve Been Alive
Memphis, TN
"Honky-tonks and theaters from Memphis to Mars"
A State Of Texas
Cedar Creek Lake, TX
Rhome, TX
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
San Antonio, TX
El Paso, TX
Texas
I-35, TX
Guadalupe River, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Gun Barrel City, TX
New Braunfels, TX
"When the day breaks on Cedar Creek Lake"
Nashville
Nashville, TN
"SONG: Nashville"
Nightclub
New York City, NY
Manhattan, NY
"Eighteen-hundred miles from Manhattan"
Barrier Reef
Chicago, IL
"The Empty Bottle was half empty, tide was low, and I was thirsty"
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Bethlehem, PA
"How that in Bethlehem was born"
Stoned
Memphis, TN
Rhome, TX
Fredericksburg, TX
Mexico, MO
"Maybe Memphis, maybe Mexico"
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign, IL
Chicago, IL
Springfield, IL
blacktop highway, IL
Champaign, Illinois
"You'll go to Champaign, Illinois"
Jesus Loves You
San Antonio, TX
"I've got a Lone Star in cans"
El Paso (King of the Hill O.S.T.)
El Paso, TX
Rollerskate Skinny
Pickwood Bowl
"Do you want to meet up at the Pickwood Bowl?"
Valium Waltz
Marble Falls, TX
Denton, TX
"Daughter of the mayor of Marble Falls"
If My Heart Was A Car
El Paso, TX
What We Talk About
Laredo, TX
The Other Shoe
I-35, TX
W. TX Teardrops
El Paso, TX
Rio Grande, TX
Tupelo County Jail
Tupelo, MS
"Send that letter in care of the Tupelo County jail"
Manhattan (I'm Done)
New York City, NY
"Manhattan, I'm done"
W. TX. Teardrops
West Texas
El Paso, TX
New Mexico
Rio Grande, TX
"Well, the roadmaps of West Texas"
GOAT Standings
1
Thumbs Up
0
Thumbs Down
0.2065
Wilson Score
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Measures confidence in approval rating. Accounts for sample size — an artist with 8/10 likes ranks higher than 1/1. Ranges 0–1; higher is better.
66
In playlists this season
Region: North Texas / DFW
Conference: Texas
Regional Rank: #26
Weekly Trend
Rivers & Roads in Song Nearby
Connected Places
Where to Next
Explore Dallas, TX
Hometown of Old 97's
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Where they're from, what they sing about
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