Marques Morel – “Gas Station Girl”
Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Marques Morel’s new song “Gas Station Girl” from his forthcoming album Tales and Tellings, which is due to be available on June 28. This song, however, will be released this week on April 26. The album was produced by Andrija Tokic, and recorded at the Bomb Shelter studio.
“Gas Station Girl” is Morel on acoustic guitar, vocals, and harmonica; Jack Lawrence on bass; Ellen Angelico on lap steel, pedal steel, electric and acoustic guitars; Charlie Garmendia on drums; and Bo Coleman on lead guitar.
This song has a profound inspiration, stemming from a time when Marques was homeless and forgot his money after walking a long distance to buy a cup of coffee, and the girl behind the counter bought it for him. Sometimes we are so touched by a stranger’s act of kindness it absolutely needs to be memorialized. The music is grassroots classic, with old timey sounds and a honky tonk rhythm, “the gas station girl, you saved my world … got no idea what your kindness done for me.” Marques’ vocal tones have more than a little resemblance to Elvis’ trilly vocals in a song that’s as throwback as they come.
“Gas Station Girls” was one of those songs I never thought I’d perform or record. It was basically just a jingle I wrote for a girl who worked at the Shell station after she showed compassion to me in a time when I was at rock bottom. Recognizing my despair, she insisted on buying my coffee and subsequently sent me out the door with a warm smile and salutations. As insignificant or mundane as that may seem, it had a profound impact on me and illuminated the fragility and beauty of humanity. Instead of continuing to sulk in my self-loathing and cynicism, I drank that coffee in my truck and wrote this song for her and for all unsung heroes and their random gestures of kindness. – Marques Morel
Find the music here: https://orcd.co/gasstationgirls