"Back to the River" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

The Pretty Reckless The Pretty Reckless is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2009. The band consists of Taylor Momsen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ben Phillips (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Damon (bass), and Jamie Perkins (drums). The band ...

featuring American musician Warren Haynes. It was released to

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

radio in the United States on June 13, 2017, as the third and final single from the band's third studio album, ''

Who You Selling For ''Who You Selling For'' is the third studio album by American rock band The Pretty Reckless. It was released on October 21, 2016, by Razor & Tie. The album reached number 13 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number 23 on the UK Albums Chart. Its le ...

'' (2016). The song peaked at number 12 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s Mainstream Rock Songs chart.

Background

The song was first written by frontwoman Taylor Momsen and guitarist Ben Phillips in 2015, during the last leg of the band's

Going to Hell Tour Going to Hell Tour is the third headlining tour by American rock band The Pretty Reckless in support of their second studio album, ''Going to Hell''. Opening acts * Born Cages (September 20, 2013) * Heaven's Basement (September 22 – November 1 ...

. The two presented the song to the rest of the band with an impromptu rough performance on the tour bus, and upon everyone's approval, set it aside as one of the songs to be recorded for their next studio album, which would become ''

''. Recording for the album spanned the second half of 2015 and the first half of 2016. The band recorded the song live together in the studio, but left certain sections open for additional

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

work to be added later on. The band discussed collaborating with an outside musician on the track. The song's southern rock sound, along with the members collective appreciation of the genre, lead the band to decide to reach out to Warren Haynes to play on the track, previously known for working with The Allman Brothers and

Govt Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule''. ...

. The band contacted him through a shared connection, and Haynes agreed to play on the track, recording his parts and then sending it to the band. The band was very impressed with the direction he took with his additions, feeling that it is improved the song greatly, and the parts were kept on the final studio version of the song.

Themes and composition

Hayne's parts were played using a

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

. The song was described as having elements of southern rock and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

genre of music.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs The Pretty Reckless songs Razor & Tie singles Songs written by Taylor Momsen