"Righteously" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

. It was released in 2003 as the first single from her seventh album, ''

World Without Tears ''World Without Tears'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released on April 8, 2003, by Lost Highway Records. The album debuted at No. 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 54,000 copies in its first week. ...

'' (2003). The song earned Williams a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works (songs or albums) conta ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said of the track "the muck and mire of 'Righteously', with its open six-string squall, is pure rock. It's an exhortation to a lover that he need not prove his manhood by being aloof, but to 'be the man you ought to tenderly/Stand up for me,' Doug Pettibone's overdriven, crunching guitar solo quotes both

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...

and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

near the end of the tune."

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As critic and music editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays and profiles appeared in publications around the wor ...

, in his review of ''World Without Tears'' for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', stated "The tempo picks up on 'Righteously', but the lyrics still speak of the search for some shelter in a stormy relationship. The fiery electric guitar underscores the desperation of the lyrics." Country music website The Boot ranked the song No. 7 on their list of the best Lucinda Williams songs, writing "In a sense, 'Righteously' is a sophisticated update of '

Passionate Kisses "Passionate Kisses" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. It was released in 1989 as the fourth single from her third album, ''Lucinda Williams'' (1988). The song was famously covered by Mary Chapin Car ...

'. The slow-burning, searing blues riffs convey the main character's stance that she deserves desire and respect (Be the man you ought to tenderly/Stand up for me), and that her man simply needs to love her, not impress her (You don't have to prove/Your manhood to me constantly." Music website Return of Rock ranked it No. 10 on their list of Williams best songs."

Track listing

;CD single - US * Radio Edit - 3:57 * Album Version - 4:36 ;CD single - Europe * Radio Edit - 3:57 * Album Version - 4:36

Awards

Charts

References

External links

*, official audio (no music video) {{Authority control 2003 songs 2003 singles Lucinda Williams songs Songs written by Lucinda Williams Lost Highway Records singles