“Deeper Than the Holler”
Randy Travis
Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz
Radio & Records
#1 (4 weeks)
December 16, 1988 – January 6, 1989
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
January 28, 1989
Maybe it was a little too on the nose to go with the Overstreet/Schlitz love song for a lead single again, but “Deeper Than the Holler” realized its obvious destiny as the biggest hit from Old 8 x 10 when it was released as the second single.
What’s unique about this feature is that it has the benefit of decades of history to draw from when evaluating a song’s place in country music history. Listening to “Deeper Than the Holler,” I’m struck by how it positions country life as a striking contrast to city life, which is still typical of country songs today. But whereas so many of these songs choose provocation in the modern era, “Holler” is an invitation to the unique beauty of the American South.
This song came out before the internet, friends. Us folks up north didn’t know what a holler was and had never heard a whip-poor-will. We’ve seen oceans and the stars though, and that’s the metaphor we would reach for when trying to capture the scale of unconditional love. We laughed with recognition about how salty the ocean is. Experiencing a mouthful of the Atlantic is a formative experience for us northeastern brats. We can infer that there are probably some drawbacks to going deep into a holler and that the sound of a whip-poor-will might be annoying sometimes, but when trying to capture the scale of affection in a new romance, what better for a southern poet to point to?
And yes, “Deeper Than the Holler” is poetry, pure and simple, a declaration that Music Row is every bit the peer of Tin Pan Alley just like William Faulkner was every bit the peer of Ernest Hemingway. The details of the inspiration drawn from the world around an artist may be regionally dependent, but the ability to transform that world into universally understood metaphorical language transcends such local boundaries. I knew a little something about how deep a holler would be before I visited one and how long a whip-poor-will would sing before I heard one, thanks to this record.
This is why Randy Travis was the perfect emissary for the country genre during this period of time. He not only produced country music that was executed at the levels of excellence of his leading pop and R&B contemporaries, but his music also reflected a humility and genuine curiosity about the world beyond his own experiences. In turn, this created a curiosity about country music from discerning listeners who clocked immediately that Travis was as extraordinary a talent within his genre as Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross were within R&B.
Collectively, Travis and these artists tapped into a patriotism of the time that defined being American through being the very best in your field. It was a relatively brief window of time, but when Randy Travis was the world’s avatar for country music, he planted a flag on the pop culture landscape that still stands today. This hit perfectly represents his unique perspective and enduring impact.
“Deeper Than the Holler” gets an A.
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This recording has always been problematic for me. On the one hand, this strikes me as an ersatz country song; however, on the other hand Travis sings it extremely well. Song C+ / Performance A+ / Overall grade A-
I’ve always found the lyrics extremely hokey and unrealistic, myself. Easily my least favorite Randy Travis song.
I’m with Kevin here. This is a rare example of a “dirt road cred” song that really works for me because it comes from a posture of humility rather than bravado or ham-fisted self-consciousness. Whether it’s Brantley Gilbert or Loretta Lynn giving me long-winded three-minute assurances of how country they are, it feels insecure. In “Deeper than the Holler”, the narrator concedes he can’t relate to love songs using oceans as metaphorical depictions for feelings toward a significant other, but substitute oceans for hollers and pine trees and he gets it. It’s a clever analogy and Randy Travis is an extremely convincing emissary for it. The humility really shines through on the second verse when he acknowledges that his countrified depictions of metaphors for love are no better than what the city singers are proffering, they’re simply what he understands and relates to. Another great hook from Overstreet and Schlitz. I like the song better than “Forever and Ever, Amen”.
“Deeper than the Holler” would have been a compelling record in the hands of quite a few male hitmakers of the era but it’s hard to imagine anyone nailing it better than Randy Travis, whose winning streak was by this point perhaps the most impressive of any other 80s act with the possible exception of early 80s Alabama. The insurgent class of ’89 kind of stole his thunder moving forward, meaning this was arguably the pinnacle of Randy’s Nashville domination.
Grade: A
By the way, George Strait’s previous song is no longer listed on the roster.
Perfect write-up for this wonderfully warm song!
This was my favorite country song as a kid. It brings me so much joy to listen to it now and have it still hold up as sincere, warm, and genuine.
It’s a classic for sure but it has never been a favorite of mine in Randy’s catalog.
I remember “Country Music” magazine taking this song to task for the same country-city dialectic being celebrated here in 2024. Oh, how times have changed!
This song listens like love letters read. It is humble and genuine, intimate and honest. It doesn’t overreach. The narrator is enacting the old adage to write what you know, except he is singing about what is familiar to him.
The truth of the song is found in the love the narrator feels for his lover. Neither the city nor the country can fully contain that love.
Has a better love song ever been recorded that freely admits it is saying the same thing as a million other love songs out there?
So damn good!