With more Johnny Blue Skies confirmed to be on the way… why not look back at what the “JBS Era” has already brought up in Sturgill Simpson’s career?
Though the Johnny Blue Skies name has been around for almost two years now, some fans are still confused as to why Sturgill would change things up artistically after a very successful run under his legal name. If you are one of those people, you’ll want to lean in for this next part. Sturgill long promised that he would only release five albums, and he reaffirmed that promise with the release of his fifth: The Ballad of Dood & Juanita. However, there’s a loophole… because he never said that he’d stop making music altogether. Hence, Johnny Blue Skies.
After unveiling his new identity, Simpson sat down with GQ and first revealed the shallow reason he went with Johnny Blue Skies:
“When I was about 21 years old, there used to be this bar in Lexington, Kentucky with this bartender named Dave who was like Silent Bob and Charles Bukowski, literally in the long trench coat, and he could do way more Zippo tricks than anybody should know.
When I started performing and getting my confidence at open mics and stuff, he’d come to this other bar and see me because it was his night off. And he started every time I’d walk into his bar, he’d say, ‘Johnny Blue Skies.’ So I just started using it.”
It’s a shallow yet profound answer to the question. However, the reason why he went all in on Johnny Blue Skies is the deeper – and my preferred – story. Simpson elaborated that as his celebrity grew more and more over the years, he associated with the name Sturgill less and less:
“I’d be at an airport or a restaurant, and I’d hear somebody say my name and I’d turn around and realize I had no idea who the person is. All of a sudden, I’d hear that name, and it was like it didn’t belong to me. It was just a commodity or a brand. Sturgill served his purpose, but he’s dead, he’s gone, and I’m definitely not that guy anymore. That’s why I put that skeleton face on that (reissued) cover of Metamodern. I just can’t even relate.”
Pretty profound stuff from the artist formerly known as Sturgill Simpson.
We were all introduced to the new era of Sturgill – A.K.A. Johnny Blue Skies – with his July 2024 release of Passage du Desir. If you ask me, that album was phenomenal, and his Why Not? Tour (which has seemingly been going on ever since that project release) provided some of the best shows in all of music.
Now, with the recent announcement of another album titled Mutiny After Midnight on the way (dropping March 13), fans are gearing up for even more Johnny Blue Skies music that’s currently being advertised as a disco/dance record. I’m certainly excited for it, mainly just because we’re getting new music from the mind of Sturgill Mr. Blue Skies.
And it got me thinking… why not power rank the songs that we already have from Johnny Blue Skies? There aren’t many to choose from, obviously, but there are certainly enough to craft a Top 5 list. Who doesn’t love a Top 5 list?
Honorable Mention- “Scooter Blues”
This one’s a fun one, and paints quite the scene. Listen to this one, close your eyes, and just imagine Johnny Blue Skies fishing, making Eggo waffles, and riding around town on a little scooter.
5) “Who I Am”
The fifth track on Passage du Desir provided a familiar sound on the new endeavor. It’s a simple, sauntering song with plenty of country twang. And it even featured a shot at country radio.
4) “Use Me (Brutal Hearts)”
Didn’t see this one coming, did you? This is actually the very first song we ever got to hear from Johnny Blue Skies, and it’s actually the only song that lists both Sturgill Simpson and Johnny Blues Skies as featured artists. When does Sturgill sing and when does Johnny? Beats me, but this Diplo collab was an unexpected surprise… and could it give some insight into what’s to come on Mutiny After Midnight?
3) “One For The Road”
Who doesn’t love a nearly 10 minute song? The last track of the album is sprawling, emotional, rocking song that features a never-ending guitar solo. If you’ve seen Johnny Blue Skies live, this studio recording gets you as close to a live show as you can without actually presenting a ticket.
2) “Mint Tea”
I don’t ever get tired of this one. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve howled “PUT ANOTHER BAND-AID ON MY BULLET WOUND.” The love song that speaks of mint teas and early morning matcha is exquisite, and probably most people’s favorite Johnny Blue Skies track.
1) “Jupiter’s Faerie”
I’ll never stop fighting for this song. I was perturbed when I saw Johnny Blue Skies live and other concert goers used this one as their bathroom break song.
Granted, it’s a somber song. But like a lot of the other songs in Johnny Blue Skies “debut” album, “Jupiter’s Faerie” toes the line between hopelessness and hope. Those feelings are juxtaposed as clear as can be in the song, which tells the story of a person who waited too long to reach out to an old friend or love interest, and eventually found out that they no longer had the chance to say goodbye. It’s beautifully tragic, and for my money, Johnny Blue Skies’ best… so far.
