3 Vince Gill Songs From 1991 That Changed Songwriting as We Know It

Vince Gill, the iconic singer-songwriter behind country songs like “Whenever You Come Around” and “Go Rest High On That Mountain”, dropped exactly three singles in the year 1991. Those singles came from his legendary record Pocket Full Of Gold, and each song, in its own way, impacted country songwriting as we know it. Let’s dive into those three tracks, shall we?

“Pocket Full Of Gold”

“How many lies you must have told / You think you’re a rich man / With your pocket full of gold.”

Vince Gill has always been excellent at packing a rich story into a fairly short song, and that is best exemplified by the title track of his 1991 record. “Pocket Full Of Gold” touches on cheating, feeling guilty, consequences, deception, and more in just a few minutes. Essentially, Gill took the classic country music narrative and made it easier to digest, but at no cost to the quality of the story told. “Pocket Full Of Gold” peaked at No. 7 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1991.

“Look At Us”

“If you wanna see how true love should be / Then just look at us.”

“Look At Us”, in my opinion, is the strongest work on Pocket Full Of Gold. There are so many elements that make it a good song: that pedal-steel intro, Gill’s emotional delivery as he looks back at a loving relationship’s past. The subject isn’t exactly new, but the way Gill put the song together might have made some listeners believe in enduring, “forever” love. That takes some serious vulnerability as a songwriter, which is definitely something that Gill taught a lot of aspiring songwriters back in the 90s.

“Look At Us” did well on the charts, reaching No. 4 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1991 and No. 12 in Canada.

“Liza Jane”

“You’ve got my number / You’ve got my name / So why don’t you call me / Little Liza Jane.”

Pocket Full Of Gold was full of ballads. In fact, many of Gill’s biggest hits are ballads. But he is more than capable of dishing out a more upbeat number, and “Liza Jane” proved that a typically somber and slow singer-songwriter can step into more high-energy songs without sacrificing their authenticity. This playful little tune could have easily been a pop hit. 

This entry on our list of songwriting-changing Vince Gill songs from 1991 peaked at No. 7 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 3 on the Canadian country charts.

Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

The post 3 Vince Gill Songs From 1991 That Changed Songwriting as We Know It appeared first on American Songwriter.