A Haunting Ballad of Love and Ruin on the Open Road
In the twilight of the 20th century, two of America’s most evocative voices—Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris—joined forces to craft Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, a luminous collection that delved deep into the human heart. The album’s opening track, “Loving the Highway Man”, stands as a chilling testament to the perils of forbidden love, weaving a tale of passion, sacrifice, and inevitable loss.
Released on August 24, 1999, under Asylum Nashville and produced by the legendary Glyn Johns, the album achieved critical acclaim, reaching #6 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and #73 on the Billboard 200 . While the song itself did not chart as a single, its impact was profound, resonating deeply with listeners and critics alike.
“Loving the Highway Man”, penned by Andy Prieboy, tells the story of a woman ensnared in a destructive affair with a criminal figure, the “highway man.” The lyrics, laden with foreboding imagery—”The wind is a warning, these fields turn to sand”—paint a picture of a life unraveling due to dangerous choices . The repeated lament, “Damned, damned, damned I am,” underscores the protagonist’s despair and the weight of her decisions.
The song’s arrangement is sparse yet haunting, featuring ethereal harmonies between Ronstadt and Harris that evoke a sense of desolation and longing. Critics have noted the track’s ability to pull listeners through its chilling narrative with “ethereal, haunted vocals and whimpering, hallucinatory guitars” .
The collaboration between Ronstadt and Harris on this track is a culmination of decades of mutual admiration and musical synergy. Their voices, distinct yet complementary, intertwine to bring depth and authenticity to the song’s tragic narrative. As Harris once remarked about their song selection process, “We just had to fall in love. You have to just be at the point where you can’t stand the idea of not recording a song” .
For those who have loved and lost, who have stood at the crossroads of passion and peril, “Loving the Highway Man” serves as a poignant reminder of the choices that define us and the roads we travel in pursuit of love.