“Hickory Wind,” on which much of Parsons’ reputation rests, is a majestic piece of music that would be beautiful in any genre. Parsons harkens back to a more carefree existence, one of being young, of being in the familiar environment of the South. Sitting by the stereo, the listener feels bathed in the warmth of the melody, the heartbreaking vocals, and the experience could best be likened to basking in the warmth of the sun. Parsons sings deceptively simple lyrics, which take on added meaning when one considers the pressures he was facing as a working musician, constantly on the move, constantly trying to prove himself:

 “In South Carolina there are many tall pines/ I remember the oak tree that we
used to climb/ But now when I'm lonesome, I always pretend/ That I'm getting the
feel of hickory wind.”

 The slow waltz features not only the best harmonies on the album, but also the most cohesive, least self-conscious music of all the songs. Interestingly, there has been a recent claim made that Parsons may not be the actual writer of “Hickory Wind,” but there has been no evidence to back this up. When asked about this, McGuinn says with a chuckle, “Well, I knew Gram, and I wouldn’t put it past him...but I have no proof one way or the other.”
 The album closes out with another Bob Dylan song, “Nothing Was Delivered,” a mid-tempo shuffle that is very much in keeping with the Merle Haggard-Buck Owens vibe of the other songs. The song is closest in feel and arrangement to the
Byrds’ earlier periods, and it almost acts as a transition out of the country-theme, back to the more familiar Byrds sound and style. And, just as with the opening track, it is written by Dylan, a man whose work at the time was so closely associated with the group’s earlier successes. With the closing bars, the listener feels as if he has just returned from an audio pilgrimage to the past, and the end result is one of laid-back contentment.
 “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” has aged quite well in the past three decades, and its influence has been far reaching. By the early 1970s, mainstream acceptance of country-flavored music had widened considerably, with releases like Dylan’s “John Wesley Harding,” the Band’s “Music From Big Pink,” and the rise of people like Emmylou Harris and John Prine. With the death of Gram Parsons in 1973, and the subsequent cult following that built up around him, newer generations have gradually realized just how vital and important the roots-oriented country music is. While a very bastardized, cliche-ridden form of country music sprung up in the past 20 years, with people like Garth Brooks and Billy Ray Cyrus leading the charge, it seems that country music is finally turning a corner. Today, in 2002, audiences are beginning to reject those people, and are now seeking the authentic sounds that carry on in the rich traditions of the genre. Everyone from Elvis Costello to Evan Dando to Jeff Tweedy has felt the reverberations of the Byrds’ great experiment, and has played their own form of country music which clearly owes a great deal to the warmth and feel of that classic disc. As Roger McGuinn puts it, “I think [Sweetheart] is a cornerstone, and it led the direction for the Eagles, and later Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Wilco and all these
newer acts” in country music. McGuinn’s analysis is an accurate one, and in today’s musical climate, it seems that “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” is finally getting the praise and recognition it deserves.
-Neal Alpert