“On a long and lonesome highway East of Omaha. You can listen to the engine. Moanin’ out his one note song. You can think about the woman. Or the girl you knew the night before. But your thoughts will soon be wandering. The way they always do. When you’re ridin’ sixteen hours. And there’s nothin’ much to do. And you don’t feel much like ridin’. You just wish the trip was through.” Many musicians dream of living a life headlining tours across the globe. They imagine performing every night in front of packed out crowds, traveling to far away cities, and getting to do what they love. While that does sound amazing for anyone with the dream of making music professionally, Bob Seger’s song “Turn the Page” got extremely honest about the hardships of living on the road. The song was on Seger’s album “Back in ’72” that was released in 1973.
“Turn the Page” is about the darker side of fame, as it describes the loneliness and pain of continually traveling on tour. This song was one of the two popular songs that Seger wrote while touring, during his long career. The other being the well-known “Night Moves”.
Apart from having inspired the song “Wanted Dead or Alive”, according to Jon Bon Jovi, “Turn the Page” has since been covered by illustrious acts, such as Metallica, Jon English, Jason Aldean, Waylon Jennings, Golden Earring and Eric Church. And now most recently, the Alabama rock band, Shallow Side have released an acoustic version of the song.
“Turn the Page” is the first of a series of cover songs that will be released over the remainder of the year through Thermal Entertainment. Shallow Side vocalist, Eric Boatright stated: “I’ve been a huge fan of Bob Seger since before I thought music could be a career choice. Having the recent covid-19 pandemic ground the entire industry, continued to bring back thoughts of the road and an overwhelming feeling of simply wanting to just turn the page from this chapter so we can get back to the asphalt!” Considering this was a song about the pains of travelling, Boatright’s explanation shows just how badly we need to get out of this pandemic.
The raw, honest lyrics and the beautiful tune, makes “Turn the Page” one of those songs that you can listen to over and over again. Add that perfect equation, and sum it to the eloquent and heartfelt rendition Shallow Side turn out here, and you’re left with an impactful, emotive package that has no negatives.
Eric Boatright is thoughtful, nuanced and powerful on the vocals, while Matt Daniels and Seth Trimble’s acoustic guitars lay down a sweeping backdrop that will blow away the static in your soul. Powerhouse drummer, Heath Fields, gets to take a well-earned break on this one.
While Bob Seger’s original was more restrained, almost conversational in parts, conveying the sense of repetition and restlessness described in the lyrics, Shallow Side inject a potent aura of angst and yearning, perfectly befitting of the situation they (and all of us) are forced to live under.
Boatright’s voice at times, breaks into a full-throated scream, communicating all of his frustrations and the desperate desire to move on. The tension and dramatic effects of the current situation are clearly felt. This is how you re-imagine a cover song in an original way, while sticking to the script.
Stream or download today: https://ffm.to/ssturnthepage. The band is currently supporting their first full length album “Saints & Sinners” and will resume touring when it is safe. The album can be streamed at https://ffm.to/shallowsidesaintsandsinners.
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