Close, but not quite

New Mexico is another one of those states that I have never visited. I've been to three of the four states it touches, but I have never been to the state itself. In addition that, I am not sure I can really even include Arizona since I just stepped foot in it briefly after we crossed over the Hoover Dam. It was probably Colorado that brought me the closest to New Mexico, but even then, we were way up in Denver, so I still wasn't really that close.

I'm thinking about changing all of that this fall as I look into taking a trip out west. I'm not sure if it is really going to happen, but it's one of the things floating out there between @mrsbozz and myself. It would be to celebrate my 50th birthday, even though it would be about six months past the date. Unfortunately, our summer was already pretty booked by the time we started talking about going on a trip.

If Valley of Fire in Nevada is any indication of what I might expect to see in New Mexico, then I am all in for sure. Even if it isn't the sort of stuff I might see, I still want to take the chance to visit the 47th state. In case you haven't guessed, we are heading into New Mexico this week for my #threetunetuesday post sponsored by @ablaze. I was kind of worried going into this week that I wouldn't be able to find material for this post, but it turns out there are a lot more songs with New Mexico in the title or lyrics than I had anticipated.

One of them comes from a very familiar face in my #threetunetuesday posts. I have a feeling if I broke everything down, by the end of this series he will likely have been featured more than any other artist. In addition that, I have a bluesy favorite for you as well as another older artist that I have used maybe once or twice in the past.

Are you ready?

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Let's get started with the artist we all know and love, Billy Joel. Joel is the artist that I am guessing I have used the most in this whole series. He has a surprising number of songs where he references states in the union. It has actually surprised me just how much I have used his songs in this series. There was a song by Bruce Springsteen too, but I didn't want this week to look too much like last week.

Especially given the fact that next week is New York I think, and you better believe I'll be sharing another Billy Joel song for that. "Worse Comes To Worst" is one of his lesser known songs that I am not super familiar with. It has a killer intro though and then runs into a pretty amazing verse and chorus combination. I'd be struggling to say anything bad about any Billy Joel song to be honest. He's a national treasure if there ever was one.

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The easy way out this week would have just been to share three different versions of "Route 66" for you. It's probably the most well known song that mentions New Mexico and about a million different artists have covered it. I could have called it three hundred tune tuesday and you likely wouldn't have heard a single repeat. Instead, I decided to exclude that song from this post and pick a couple more obscure songs.

Paul Simon is another one of my favorite artists from back in the day. He was always able to put together some really poignant and witty songs. They kind of touch you in your soul and they have a way of kind of haunting you. "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes" is one of my favorites, but this week I am sharing with you "Hearts and Bones". It's a really mellow tune with some pretty amazing guitar work. The reference to New Mexico comes right at the beginning and then it moves into a really moody tune.

It's a really good song.

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Apparently, there is a Johnny Cash song called "New Mexico", but I can't say as though I have ever heard it and that seemed a bit on the nose, so instead, I am going to share the song "Outlaw State of Mind" for you by Chris Stapleton. I've had the chance to see Stapleton once or twice in concert and I have to say, he puts on a heck of a show. It's not one of those shows where it has a ton of production value and the pyrotechnics blow you away. Instead, it's more of a show where the guy just gets up there and melts your face off with his singing and guitar playing.

You tend to get that a bit more with country singers than you do with other artists.

Once again, the reference to New Mexico comes right at the beginning of this song. It's pretty clear and it sets the tone for the rest of the song. If you ever get the chance to see Stapleton in concert, I highly recommend it. Even if you aren't a country fan, you will likely dig his gritty bluesy sound. Some might even argue he isn't really a country singer.

You be the judge...

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