El Paso (song)
Encyclopedia
"El Paso" is a country and western
ballad
written and originally recorded by Marty Robbins
, and first released on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
in September 1959. It was released as a single
the following month, and became a major hit on both the country
and pop
music chart
s, reaching number one in both at the start of 1960. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
in 1961
, and remains Robbins' best-known song. It is widely considered a genre classic for its gripping narrative, haunting harmonies by vocalists Bobby Sykes and Jim Glaser (of the Glaser Brothers) and the eloquent Spanish guitar
accompaniment by Grady Martin
that lends the recording a distinctive Tex-Mex
feel.
The song is a first-person narrative
told by a cowboy
who is in El Paso, Texas
, in the days of the Wild West
. He falls in love with Feleena, who is dancing at "Rosa's Cantina
". When another man makes advances on "wicked Feleena", the narrator guns down
the challenger, then flees El Paso for fear of being hanged
for murder
or killed in revenge by his victim's friends. He hides out in the "badlands
of New Mexico
".
The narrator switches from the past tense to the present tense for the remainder of the song, describing the yearning that drives him to return to El Paso: "It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden / My love is stronger than my fear of death". Upon entering the town, he is attacked and fatally wounded by a posse
. At the end of the song, the cowboy is found by Feleena, and he dies in her arms -- although, as it is a first-person narrative, it is unclear if this is what 'really' happened, or if Feleena's sudden appearance at the end of the song is the delirious final imaginings of a dying man.
Six years later, Robbins wrote a sequel to "El Paso", telling the story from Feleena's point of view. This song confirmed that the cowboy does indeed die in Feleena's arms.
of the University of Texas at El Paso
Miners.
in concert. The song entered the band's repertoire in 1969, and remained there until the band's demise in 1995; in total, it was performed 389 times. It was sung by rhythm guitarist Bob Weir
, with Jerry Garcia
contributing harmony vocals. On the album Ladies and Gentlemen... The Grateful Dead, Bob Weir introduces the song as the Dead's "most requested number."
The alternative country
band Old 97's
have also covered this song, with it appearing on their album Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's
. In addition, it has been covered by Jason and the Scorchers.
, but went to El Paso seeking inspiration for the conclusion.
Born in a desert shack in New Mexico
, Feleena runs away from home at 17, living off her charms for a year in Santa Fe
, before moving to the brighter lights of El Paso to become a paid dancer. After another year, the narrator of "El Paso" arrives, the first man she did not have contempt for. He spends six weeks romancing her, before shooting the other man with whom she was flirting through "insane jealousy." Her lover's return to El Paso comes only a day after his flight; immediately after his dying kiss, Feleena shoots herself with his gun. Their ghost
s are heard to this day in the wind blowing around El Paso: "It's only the young cowboy showing Feleena the town".
", in which the narrator is on an airplane
over El Paso and remembers a song he had heard "long ago", proceeding to summarize the original "El Paso" story. "I don't recall who sang the song", he sings, but he feels a supernatural
connection to the story: "could it be that I could be the cowboy in this mystery", he asks, suggesting a past life
. This song was a country number one. The arrangement includes riffs and themes from the previous two El Paso songs. Robbins wrote it while flying over El Paso, in - he reported - the same amount of time it takes to sing, four minutes and fourteen seconds. It was only the second time that ever happened to him; the first time was when he composed the original El Paso as fast as he could write it down.
created a music video for the song. He plays the cowboy. The rest of the cast are chimpanzees and an orangutan
. Martin's first "horse
" is a miniature pony; he later rides an elephant
to escape the posse.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
written and originally recorded by Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
, and first released on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is an album released by Marty Robbins on the Columbia Records label in September 1959, peaking at #6 on the U.S. pop albums chart. It was recorded on April 7, 1959...
in September 1959. It was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
the following month, and became a major hit on both the country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
music chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
s, reaching number one in both at the start of 1960. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording was awarded from 1959 to 1968. From 1959 to 1961 the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Performance...
in 1961
Grammy Awards of 1961
The third Grammy Awards were held on April 13, 1961. They recognized musical accomplishments by the performers for the year 1960. Bob Newhart and Henry Mancini each won three awards.-Award winners:*Record of the Year...
, and remains Robbins' best-known song. It is widely considered a genre classic for its gripping narrative, haunting harmonies by vocalists Bobby Sykes and Jim Glaser (of the Glaser Brothers) and the eloquent Spanish guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
accompaniment by Grady Martin
Grady Martin
Thomas Grady Martin was one of the most renowned, inventive and historically significant American session musicians in country music and rockabilly....
that lends the recording a distinctive Tex-Mex
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
feel.
The song
"El Paso" was, at some four minutes and thirty-eight seconds in duration, far longer than most contemporary singles at the time. Robbins' record company was unsure if radio stations would play such a long song, and so released two versions of the song: the full-length version on one side, and an edited version on the other which was nearer to the three-minute mark. The full-length version was overwhelmingly preferred.- "Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl..."
The song is a first-person narrative
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
told by a cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
who is in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, in the days of the Wild West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. He falls in love with Feleena, who is dancing at "Rosa's Cantina
Cantina
Cantina is a word that can refer to various places and establishments. It is similar in etymology to "canteen", and is derived from the Italian word for a cellar, winery, or vault.Cantinas are found in many towns of Italy...
". When another man makes advances on "wicked Feleena", the narrator guns down
Gunslinger
Gunfighter, also gunslinger , is a 20th century word, used in cinema or literature, referring to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun...
the challenger, then flees El Paso for fear of being hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
or killed in revenge by his victim's friends. He hides out in the "badlands
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
".
The narrator switches from the past tense to the present tense for the remainder of the song, describing the yearning that drives him to return to El Paso: "It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden / My love is stronger than my fear of death". Upon entering the town, he is attacked and fatally wounded by a posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
. At the end of the song, the cowboy is found by Feleena, and he dies in her arms -- although, as it is a first-person narrative, it is unclear if this is what 'really' happened, or if Feleena's sudden appearance at the end of the song is the delirious final imaginings of a dying man.
Six years later, Robbins wrote a sequel to "El Paso", telling the story from Feleena's point of view. This song confirmed that the cowboy does indeed die in Feleena's arms.
Chart performance
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot C&W Sides | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Legacy
El Paso has become extremely popular in the American West with many crediting Robbins with capturing the spirit of the West. In the late 1980s "El Paso" became known as the Official Fight songFight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
of the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
Miners.
Other versions
"El Paso" was frequently covered by the Grateful DeadGrateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
in concert. The song entered the band's repertoire in 1969, and remained there until the band's demise in 1995; in total, it was performed 389 times. It was sung by rhythm guitarist Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
, with Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
contributing harmony vocals. On the album Ladies and Gentlemen... The Grateful Dead, Bob Weir introduces the song as the Dead's "most requested number."
The alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band Old 97's
Old 97's
The Old 97's are an alternative country band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1993, they have since released nine studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is The Grand Theatre, Volume Two...
have also covered this song, with it appearing on their album Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's
Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's
Hit By A Train: The Best of Old 97's is a best-of compilation album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on June 20, 2006.-Track listing:#"Stoned"#"Cryin' Drunk"#"Doreen"#"Victoria"#"Timebomb"#"Niteclub"#"Four Leaf Clover"...
. In addition, it has been covered by Jason and the Scorchers.
Sequels
Robbins wrote two songs that are explicit sequels to "El Paso", one in 1966, one in 1976. (He also wrote other songs that told Western stories in a similar vein, but they are not sequels to "El Paso", as they involve none of the same characters.)Feleena (From El Paso)
In 1966, Robbins recorded "Feleena (From El Paso)", telling the life story of Feleena, the "Mexican girl" from "El Paso", in a third-person narrative. This track was over eight minutes long. Robbins wrote most of it in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, but went to El Paso seeking inspiration for the conclusion.
Born in a desert shack in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Feleena runs away from home at 17, living off her charms for a year in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, before moving to the brighter lights of El Paso to become a paid dancer. After another year, the narrator of "El Paso" arrives, the first man she did not have contempt for. He spends six weeks romancing her, before shooting the other man with whom she was flirting through "insane jealousy." Her lover's return to El Paso comes only a day after his flight; immediately after his dying kiss, Feleena shoots herself with his gun. Their ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s are heard to this day in the wind blowing around El Paso: "It's only the young cowboy showing Feleena the town".
El Paso City
In 1976 Robbins released another reworking, "El Paso CityEl Paso City (song)
"El Paso City" is a 1976 single written and recorded by Marty Robbins. "El Paso City" was Robbins' fifteenth number one on the U.S. country singles chart...
", in which the narrator is on an airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
over El Paso and remembers a song he had heard "long ago", proceeding to summarize the original "El Paso" story. "I don't recall who sang the song", he sings, but he feels a supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
connection to the story: "could it be that I could be the cowboy in this mystery", he asks, suggesting a past life
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. This song was a country number one. The arrangement includes riffs and themes from the previous two El Paso songs. Robbins wrote it while flying over El Paso, in - he reported - the same amount of time it takes to sing, four minutes and fourteen seconds. It was only the second time that ever happened to him; the first time was when he composed the original El Paso as fast as he could write it down.
In real life
Plotting the hints from Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” trilogy of songs, one can determine approximately where to find Rosa’s Cantina. At a juncture near where Texas, Chihuahua, and New Mexico converge, at the bottom of a hill, with a back door from which the narrator can run, there is an actual neighborhood bar called Rosa’s Cantina. Its address is 3454 Doniphan, El Paso,TX, and its ambience lends itself to the lyrics of the three songs.Steve Martin video
For his TV special "Comedy Isn't Pretty," Steve MartinSteve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
created a music video for the song. He plays the cowboy. The rest of the cast are chimpanzees and an orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
. Martin's first "horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
" is a miniature pony; he later rides an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
to escape the posse.