That's Right (You're Not from Texas)
Encyclopedia
That's Right is a song
on Lyle Lovett
's 1996 album The Road to Ensenada
.
Due to its use in a series of advertisements promoting Texas
tourism
, the phrase has also come to be used independently to describe the quirky and sometimes misunderstood attitudes associated with Texas.
in urban
settings, and reflects the general sense of Texan
pride that newcomers and outsiders often misunderstand.
The second verse is a tribute to the members of Uncle Walt's Band
, a band actually from South Carolina who later became associated with the Austin, Texas
country music
scene.
Lovett was a huge fan of Uncle Walt's band as a college student, and Lovett had gone on to produce Hyatt's 1990 album King Tears. Walter Hyatt died a month before the release of this album.
Possibly because of the national exposure of the ad campaign, the phrase has been used independently, even in non-musical contexts as a general expression conveying Texans' sometimes baffling customs. Roger Ebert
titled a compilation of responses to his review of the movie Friday Night Lights "That's right you're not from Texas", in which most of the writers rebuked Ebert for misunderstanding the devout Texan football culture. Garrison Keillor
used the same title for a tribute to Molly Ivins
, explaining that she exemplified and celebrated a distinct Texan attitude that many others didn't understand.
praises several songs on the album as being "funny without being silly".
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
on Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
's 1996 album The Road to Ensenada
The Road to Ensenada
The Road To Ensenada is an album of songs recorded by Lyle Lovett and released in 1996.At the Grammy Awards of 1997, The Road to Ensenada won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.-Track listing:All songs composed by Lyle Lovett except as noted....
.
Due to its use in a series of advertisements promoting Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, the phrase has also come to be used independently to describe the quirky and sometimes misunderstood attitudes associated with Texas.
Lyrics
That's Right is a lighthearted song that lightly mocks the popularity of cowboy fashionsWestern wear
Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th-century American West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of pioneer, mountain man, Civil War, cowboy and vaquero clothing to the stylized garments popularized by...
in urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
settings, and reflects the general sense of Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
pride that newcomers and outsiders often misunderstand.
The second verse is a tribute to the members of Uncle Walt's Band
Uncle Walt's Band
Walter Hyatt, Champ Hood, and David Ball formed Uncle Walt's Band. They moved from Spartanburg, South Carolina to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1972, where they caught the attention of Willis Alan Ramsey, a famous and revered Texas singer and songwriter...
, a band actually from South Carolina who later became associated with the Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
country music
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...
scene.
Those boys from Carolina
They sure enough could sing
But when they came on down to Texas
We all showed them how to swing
Now David's on the radio
And old Champ's still on the guitar
And Uncle WaltWalter HyattWalter Hyatt American singer and songwriter. His band, known as Uncle Walt's Band, was involved in the alternative music scene in Austin, Texas, from its inception and is credited by many with being the Godfather of Americana Music or the Original Americana Artist, never easily pegged into any one...
he's home with Heidi
Hiding in her loving arms
Lovett was a huge fan of Uncle Walt's band as a college student, and Lovett had gone on to produce Hyatt's 1990 album King Tears. Walter Hyatt died a month before the release of this album.
Other media
In 1999, the Texas Tourism board ran an ad campaign featuring Lyle Lovett singing the refrain "That's Right, You're Not from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway."Possibly because of the national exposure of the ad campaign, the phrase has been used independently, even in non-musical contexts as a general expression conveying Texans' sometimes baffling customs. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
titled a compilation of responses to his review of the movie Friday Night Lights "That's right you're not from Texas", in which most of the writers rebuked Ebert for misunderstanding the devout Texan football culture. Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
used the same title for a tribute to Molly Ivins
Molly Ivins
Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins was an American newspaper columnist, populist, political commentator, humorist and author.-Early life and education:Ivins was born in Monterey, California, and raised in Houston, Texas...
, explaining that she exemplified and celebrated a distinct Texan attitude that many others didn't understand.
Reviews
Allmusic's review of The Road to EnsenadaThe Road to Ensenada
The Road To Ensenada is an album of songs recorded by Lyle Lovett and released in 1996.At the Grammy Awards of 1997, The Road to Ensenada won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.-Track listing:All songs composed by Lyle Lovett except as noted....
praises several songs on the album as being "funny without being silly".