Joe Walsh – “Rocky Mountain Way” Live

Better Than The Way We Had!

“Rocky Mountain Way” was recorded by Joe Walsh along with his band “Barnstorm.” It was included in his second studio album “The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get” which was released on June 18, 1973 in the US and in September in the UK. Walsh wrote the song while staying in Boulder, Colorado after he moved there from Cleveland.

Joe Walsh: “I’m living in Colorado and I’m mowing the lawn. I look up and there’s the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and there’s snow on them in the summer. And it knocked me back because it was just beautiful. And I thought, well I have committed. I’m already in Colorado and it’s too late to regret the James Gang. The Rocky Mountain Way is better than the way I had. Because the music was better. I got the words, bam! I got all of the words all at once and ran into the house to write the words down. The lawn mower kept going over into the neighbor’s yard and ate the garden. It was an expensive song to write!”

The song basically celebrated not just the panoramic scenery but also the lifestyle of Colorado. Even before Walsh penned the lyrics, the music has already been written along with his Barnstorm bandmates. A notable feature is that this was one of the first tracks to use a talkbox which allows distorted vocalizations.

“It was a very expensive song to write,” Walsh said, implying he had to pay to repair the damage to the neighbor’s yard. He said the lyrics describe his anxiety about leaving the James Gang and his excitement about a solo career.

Listening to this feels nostalgic!