Jimmy Buffett: City of New Orleans
Arlo Guthrie: City of New Orleans (My personal favorite version)
The Highwaymen: City of New Orleans (Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, & Johnny Cash)
Steve Goodman: City of New Orleans  (The guy who wrote the song)

The City of New Orleans pulls out of Chicago

       Since my very first Sunday post I've dedicated the Sunday blog to relaxation and reflection before the work week.  Today's selection is Jimmy Buffett's version of the Steve Goodman song City of New Orleans.  I like Buffets version because it retains the intimate and somewhat lonely feel of the popular Arlo Guthrie version but it also has a touch of that Jimmy Buffett good natured smiling pirate.  

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         The City of New Orleans is a regularly scheduled daily train running from Chicago to New Orleans.  Originally the route was operated by the Illinois Central Railroad but was eventually replaced by Amtrak.  The song reflects the feeling of uncertainty that was pervasive in America in the early 1970's.  With the passage of time the economy had changed and it was no longer viable for a railroad to survive delivering one or two carloads of goods per week to a customer let alone delivering people to far away places.  The national highway system had overtaken rail as the transportation source of choice for family vacations. Over the road trucking was also replacing rail service by inexpensively delivering to every corner of the country.  The railroads soon found the only real way to earn profit was by carrying bulk commodities such as coal or iron ore. 
         Passenger service was also decreasing in popularity because people were now flying the longer distances in ever increasing numbers and airline ticket prices were dropping in response.  Eventually most railroads discontinued their costly passenger services.  The song The City of New Orleans freezes that moment of American uncertainty in our memories and wonders aloud if anything will ever be right in our country again.  The song avoids cynicism and blame by focusing on the sadness of the loss of what used to be.
        Our country survived that momentary loss of confidence by putting our nostalgia behind us and doing what America does best, stepping boldly into the future. The City of New Orleans is such a special piece of Americana that nobody can listen to it without being swept back to a time when rail ruled our world.  Please take a moment to enjoy this wonderful song. 
Happy Sunday
Jay