“La Grange” by ZZ Top

song info

    “La Grange” by ZZ Top is a southern rock song.
    commentary by Princeboy99
    “La Grange” is the hit song from ZZ Top’s 1973 album “Tres Hombres”. The song charted highest at number 41. Notice that the lyrics, at first do not seem harsh or brash in any way, but if you listen closely and start putting it all together, you realize that they are really describing a little whorehouse. In 1973, most songs, especially a Top 10 hit, did not contain much dirty language if any at all for that matter. Only a group like ZZ Top could get away with something like this and have the blurred message slip through the radio airwaves. The blues influence in this song is also undeniable. The “Haw haw haws” are a tribute to the great blues master John Lee Hooker.
    Another aspect in this song that makes it amazing is the guitar riff- it’s just one of the best of all-time. In Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time” issue, they talk about how Billy Gibbons’ first band opened for Jimi Hendrix in the late 60’s. Jimi was very impressed with Billy’s guitar playing. There is a reason why Jimi Hendrix once said that Billy Gibbons was going to be the next big guitarist. He was right. This song proves that.

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