By 1995, Emmylou Harris was already a certified star, with 10 Top 10 albums and five No. 1 hits on country charts. But after releasing several underperforming albums in the late '80s and early '90s, she set out to reinvent herself with Wrecking Ball.
The 12-track LP incorporated electric mandolin, electric guitar and synthesizers to create a modernized Appalachian sound, pushing the boundaries of Harris' established acoustic country aesthetic. The musical shift was a bold one for the then 48-year-old upon its September 1995 release, especially at a time when pop-leaning, stadium-ready country was mainstream. Yet Harris' willingness to experiment and take a risk — particularly later in her career — became influential for other artists, even Harris herself.
"I knew that I was no longer invited to the party on country radio, so why not just try something?" the 13-time GRAMMY winner and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree tells GRAMMY.com of her sonic pivot. "It was a huge turning point, because it was a sea of change that inspired me in a lot of ways that I still feel I'm carrying on from it 30 years later."
To help guide her sound into atmospheric Americana, Harris recruited Daniel Lanois, who had helmed Bob Dylan's career-revitalizing set, 1989's Oh Mercy — a precursor for what Wrecking Ball would do for Harris. Lanois also aided the country singer/songwriter in delivering some of the most unexpected covers of her career, from takes on Dylan's "Every Grain Of Sand" and the Jimi Hendrix Experience's "May This Be Love" to a reimagined version of Neil Young's "Wrecking Ball" for the title track. Whether covers or originals, all of the songs were unified by Harris' signature howl and a fearless conviction that made the album feel true to her artistry.
While Wrecking Ball wasn't initially embraced by diehard country fans, it helped reignite both Americana's popularity and Harris' career in the mid-'90s. The album earned the singer her seventh GRAMMY win in 1996, which marked her first for Best Contemporary Folk Recording, and has since become one of her most essential works to date. And now, three decades later, it's being inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.
Wrecking Ball is one of 13 recordings that will be celebrated at the May 16 gala, which will also honor Big Star's #1 Record, Santana's Supernatural, J.D. Crowe & The New South's self-titled LP, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, and Cat Stevens' Tea For The Tillerman, among others. Making the night even more special for Harris, she will reunite with Lanois and fellow Wrecking Ball collaborator Brian Blade for a rare performance.
Ahead of the gala, Harris spoke about the leap of faith the album embodies, how it helped revitalize her career, and what it means to her 30 years on.
What inspired Wrecking Ball's sonic shift?
It was all Daniel. I knew he had something to do with U2 [Lanois produced the band's GRAMMY-winning sets The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby]. But it was his solo record Acadie [that really got my attention].
Around the same time, I rediscovered Dylan — not that I ever stopped listening to him — through the album of his that Daniel produced, Oh Mercy. Those were the two records that I just listened to all the time. When I was given the go-ahead [to record another album for Elektra Records], they asked me who I wanted to work with and I immediately said "Daniel Lanois." I had no idea at that point what the record was going to be like, but I really loved what he did so I thought, "Why not?"
Sounds like you already had your mind made up on making a change prior to picking Lanois, it was just up to him to guide the ship once he was aboard?
I've always been one to put a lot of trust in my producers, so I didn't really know what kind of record it was going to be until we were in the studio making it. I've always basically been an interpreter, so I figured I'd get a bunch of songs and see what we could come up with together.
I knew that I was no longer invited to the party on country radio so why not just try something? I was mostly just excited to work with someone whose work inspired me so much.
I love how you called yourself an interpreter of songs — it reminds me of a recent interview we did with Alison Krauss where she referred to herself as a "song finder." How did you go about finding these songs for Wrecking Ball?
Like Alison, I really love finding good songs that I can try to make my own. That being said, there is one song [I co-wrote], "Waltz Across Texas Tonight," that was a little country before Daniel and Malcolm Burn Wrecking Ball'd it up. Then with "Deeper In The Well" by David Olney, Daniel and I added a couple verses to because we felt it needed to be a little bit longer.
Of course, I loved Daniel's writing too. [He wrote] "Where Will I Be" and "Blackhawk," but overall it was very collaborative when it came to finding the material. Daniel was really adamant about doing a Dylan song, so he came up with "Every Grain Of Sand" and turned it into a waltz in 6/8 time compared to the 3/4 when Dylan first wrote it. In a similar fashion, it was Malcolm who suggested we cover "Wrecking Ball."
Speaking of the song "Wrecking Ball," was it always the intention for it to be the album's title track?
I don't think so. In a band you're always around different songs, so coming up with an album name can sometimes be elusive. At one point we thought about calling it Deeper Well, but then you start thinking about how it's gonna read, and that's where Wrecking Ball came in. I don't remember why we picked it, but it did sort of take a wrecking ball to my career in a really good way.
Going back to what you said about being an interpreter of songs, I can't think of a better example on Wrecking Ball of taking a song outside your realm and making it your own than your cover of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's "May This Be Love." Mind telling us how it came to be?
Well, I have to again give credit to Daniel there, because he could always find the country element in a song. He could see into it — almost like X-ray vision — and noticed that doing it as a duet like that would bring out a romantic side of the song by further emphasizing the lyrics.
The production was beautiful as well; we basically recorded it live right off the floor. We didn't even cut it with a bass, as far as I can remember. In a sense, the production was really simple, but the sound that Daniel got always gave so many layers to what we were doing.
While a lot of the artists you collaborated with and covered on Wrecking Ball — Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, et cetera — were mostly established names by the '90s, Gillian Welch was just bursting onto the scene. Do you remember how her song "Orphan Girl" first got on your radar?
I recall her giving me a cassette of that song early on, probably at Telluride [Bluegrass Festival] in the early '90s. I loved it then, but I really loved what Daniel wound up doing with it on Wrecking Ball. He was able to turn it into something else while holding onto what made it so special to begin with — he took it to another place.
Your entire career has been massively influential to women in country and Americana, especially your fearlessness on Wrecking Ball. What does it mean to you seeing so many other creatives inspired by what you made?
It's very hard [to quantify] because you're very close to the work that you do yourself, which makes it tough to not just be subjective. Anything that you do, you hope touches people in some way — not just other musicians, but anyone who makes music a part of their lives. The fact that what that record did for me musically — not even in the context of my career — during a time where I felt stuck and was wondering what I'd do next has carried over into everything that I've done since. If it inspires other people too, then all the better.
What does the Wrecking Ball era of your career mean to you, both then and now?
It was a huge turning point, because it was a sea of change that inspired me in a lot of ways that I still feel I'm carrying on from it 30 years later. My next album after it was Red Dirt Girl, and even though I wrote most of the songs on it, I still wanted it to have that sort of Wrecking Ball sound. I worked with Malcolm on that too.
I just feel like it gave me another few decades of doing something I really, really love, which is making music. It doesn't get much better than that.
No, it doesn't — except for an induction into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame, perhaps. What is the significance of that honor?
It's very sweet and wonderful to be recognized, especially among these other incredible artists. It's a nice way to go back and celebrate the record and be grateful again for the chance to work with Daniel and come up with something that has inspired me, and apparently a lot of other people, too. I'm just a lucky gal.
Do you have any other plans to celebrate the GRAMMY nod or 30 years of Wrecking Ball? I recall a run of shows a decade or so ago to commemorate 20 years — there's nothing like that on the horizon, is there?
Daniel put together those shows, which were a lot of fun. I still do several songs from the album in my live shows depending on what musicians I'm working with, which helps to keep things fresh, too.
I don't have a favorite from the record, but I will say that it's very rare that I do a show without "Orphan Girl." It's a good one to get the juices going early in the set.
What has your time with Wrecking Ball taught you about yourself?
I've never been afraid to take a chance. I always did what I wanted to do and never felt like I was competing with myself. I never wanted to repeat myself and always tried to do something different [with each record], which may not seem obvious earlier in my career.
It's so important to keep yourself excited about the music. Don't worry about sales or if you're being played on the radio, worry about what excites you. You can't excite an audience if you aren't into what you're doing — I just don't think that's something you can fake.