Actually Josh and Wendy and I all lived in the same place over on 10th Avenue. Back in the early days, we'd all get together, and Wendy and I would cook. But Josh Leo came from Los Angeles to Nashville at the same time Wendy and I did, and he had just gotten the job to produce the Dirt Band. They had actually cut a song of mine that Norbert Putnam produced on them, previously. We weren't trying to be like any other song.ĭid you know the Dirt Band in L.A.? How did they get the song?
Who would have thunk it?Īnd the first thing I thought was, "I want to run away screaming, because I love my song." But she said, "No, fishing in the dark." We started messing around with it, and it just happened, you know? We did it for fun. It was a song called "You Can't Run Away From Your Heart." Then we got back together again, and she had just finished listening to "A Prairie Home Companion." She said, "Let's write a song about fishing."Īnd again, you two, writing a fishing song. I took both of them to Wendy, and we wrote the minor, bluesy one first, and it got cut by Terri Gibbs, Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless and Lacy J. Both of them had that same chordal thing, but one of them had the minor mode and one had the major mode. One morning I woke up and I turned on my tape recorder, sat up and played these two pieces of music. I was experimenting with this one particular chording on the guitar that only played the first and fifth tones of the chord, so you could sing either a major or a minor over it. Listen to “Fishin’ in the Dark” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band below.On this one particular visit, I was staying at Shoney's (Inn) over on Demonbreun. Perhaps we just have dirty minds here at Extra Chill, but we think the lyrics speak for themselves. Interestingly enough, the songwriters make no mention of the song also being about sex. Jim Photoglo on the origins of “Fishin’ in the Dark”. We weren’t trying to be like any other song. He was hesitant at first, but he relented, and the beloved “Fishin’ in the Dark” was born.Īnd the first thing I thought was, “I want to run away screaming, because I love my song.” But she said, “No, fishing in the dark.” We started messing around with it, and it just happened, you know? We did it for fun. Jim showed the melody to Wendy Waldman and she was the one who suggested that they write a song about fishing.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Hold On cover art.Īccording to a 2015 interview that songwriter Jim Photoglo did with the Tennessean, the song came out of a melody that Jim had been working with in the mid 80s, inspired by a few visits to Nashville earlier that decade. That doesn’t matter, though, because all you need is that special person by your side and it’s a good night, even if the fish aren’t biting. So, they are indeed fishing, but they aren’t exactly paying attention to the fish. In this case, we would imagine the two fishing poles stuck in the dirt while the lovers lie on their backs, perhaps on a blanket but likely just in the grass, making love. It feels so good to be with you Chorus to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in the Dark”. We’ll be fallin’ in love in the middle of the night
Lyin’ on our backs and countin’ the stars While on the surface, the song is clearly about fishing, the chorus could just as easily describe a sexual encounter under the light of the summer stars: So “baby get ready,” because we’re going “Fishin’ in the Dark.” It sounds like the ideal summer evening, especially when you’ve got a loved one by your side. With a “lazy yellow moon coming up tonight,” a nice, cool breeze blowing over the creek, with crickets and lightning bugs abound.
The song has a feel of excitement thanks to its bouncy melody, and the lyrics capitalize on this exciting feeling by telling of the perfect evening to go fishing. It has even been covered by arguably the the biggest name in country, Garth Brooks, and many more. Written by California songwriters Wendy Waldman and Jim Photoglo, the track appeared on the band’s 1987 album Hold On and has since found its way into the hearts of both fishermen and moonlit boot-kickers everywhere. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1987 country hit “Fishin’ in the Dark” carries with it a double meaning that is simultaneously about fishing and a peaceful late-night encounter with a loved one.
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