"Way Out Here" is a song co-written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer Josh Thompson. It was released in March 2010 as the second single and title track from his debut album of the same name. Thompson co-wrote the song with David Lee Murphy and

Casey Beathard Casey Michael Beathard ( ; born December 2, 1965) is an American country music songwriter. The son of former NFL general manager Bobby Beathard, and father to current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback C. J. Beathard, and country music artist Tuc ...

Content

"Way Out Here" is a ballad, mostly accompanied by

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

. In it, the narrator tells of his rural upbringing, the way he was raised, and his desire for the United States to return to a simpler time, back when things "were run the way they ought a be". The song further laments small town America, stating with nostalgia images of

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

s, unlicensed dogs running free, and hard working blue collar men who "chew and fry everything". A further narrative relates to service in the

United States armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

, of which the narrator tells how people from small town America often wind up joining the military to earn a living and are then deployed overseas.

Music video

The music video for "Way Out Here" was filmed in

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...

. The video begins with scenes of farms, a

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

run by a young woman in her late teens (apparently married with a wedding ring and also religious locket which reads "faith") then shifts to a local bar where the narrator sings the song on his guitar. Interspersed into the video are scenes of men working on a farm as well as scenes of young men deployed in the Army to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

Critical reception

The song and video drew mostly positive reviews from critics, however some negative reviews resulted from the portrayal in the music video of an entirely white town (Cairo, Illinois is in fact 70% African American), as well as nostalgia (instead of concern) regarding boarded up small towns steeped in

rural poverty Rural poverty refers to poverty in rural areas, including factors of rural society, rural economy, and political systems that give rise to the poverty found there.Janvry, A. de, E. Sadoulet, and R. Murgai. 2002“Rural Development and Rural Pol ...

. Paul Brian of Engine 145, gave the song a thumbs-down rating. His review criticized Thompson's vocals for " immeringwith anger, despair, and moral force as the song approaches numerous key concerns including the economy, military service, work ethic, religious belief, gun ownership, governance, and musical taste."

Chart performance

"Way Out Here" debuted at number 57 on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart dated March 20, 2010, and then fell off the next week. However, it re-entered the country chart at number 58 on the chart dated April 3, 2010. In September 2010, it peaked at number 15 on the chart.

Year-end charts

References

{{Josh Thompson (singer) 2010 singles 2010 songs Josh Thompson (singer) songs Songs written by Casey Beathard Songs written by David Lee Murphy Columbia Nashville Records singles Music videos directed by Wes Edwards Songs written by Josh Thompson (singer) Song recordings produced by Michael Knox (record producer)