Something a little more swanky from Loretta Lynn’s rolodex… “Portland, Oregon.”
With a heavy rock influence and killer guitar solo to open up the tune, “Portland, Oregon” was a much different sound than the rest of Lynn’s singles, but still a damn good one. It is so fitting that the insanely talented Jack White is featured on the record with Lynn. Two of Nashville’s finest in their genre.
White has been very vocal on social media about Loretta Lynn’s impact on him, and their unexpected friendship shows how great Lynn was on and off the stage.
In a touching tribute video, he calls Loretta:
“I said years ago that I thought she was the greatest female singer/songwriter of the 20th century… I still believe that.“
Back in 2015, during a Jack White show, you saw a large ballgown start to walk across the stage, and you knew that is a signature Lynn look and what is to come.
White helps get her set up and then starts the song’s introduction. The band is ROCKING out, and Lynn is letting the lyrics rip. The two have a great banter on stage, making notions to each other throughout the song.
At the end of the tune, White gives her a huge hug and says to the crowd:
“Thank you, Loretta Lynn; I’m glad you didn’t have anything to do tonight.”
After “Portland, Oregon,” White shares a story of the phone call that led to her making an appearance that night, and he had requested for them to play “Whispering Sea” together. Lynn says that song is so old she is surprised it shows up in searches today, but she was glad he wanted to sing it with her.
The duo gives a hell of performance during this tune, too.
We all know that Loretta Lynn impacted the music industry as a whole, but looking back and finding videos like this just makes you smile and reminds you that her reach was much further than country music.
Just for fun, check out this clip Jack White shared of them performing “Portland, Oregon” on ‘The David Letterman Show” when the album was first released.
And the studio version:
