Emmylou Harris wrote the song "Red Dirt Girl"
which is the name of the album for which she won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
which is the name of the album for which she won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
- Emmylou Harris explained the background to this song on her website: "I am very, very inspired by the sound of words, and the names of places are so melodic and beautiful," she said. "I was passing through Meridian on my way down to record in New Orleans and that's what started it."
"But what really took it over the edge for me was on a night off in New Orleans we went to see Boys Don't Cry," Emmylou continued. "It unnerved me, not only because of the violence and homophobia, but also because of the underlying theme of how trapped those young people were. We all come into this world with so much potential and so many dreams. Who knows why some people escape and other people don't? The key idea is in the lyric, 'There won't be any mentions on The News of the World.'"