My Morning Jacket Shares Previously Unreleased "John Dyes Her Hair Red"

My Morning Jacket have released “john dyes her hair red,” a previously unreleased new song included as a bonus track on THE TENNESSEE FIRE: DELUXE EDITION, an epic 20th-anniversary celebration of their now-classic debut album. “john dyes her hair red” is available at all DSPs now. THE TENNESSEE FIRE: DELUXE EDITION includes all 16 original tracks alongside 16 previously unreleased demos, outtakes, alternate versions and more. The newly expanded edition arrives via Darla Records on Friday, August 2; A signed edition of the record, which includes a screenprint created by Status Stereograph, will be available only at the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Of the track, James says: “this is one of the first song-poems I ever wrote- I always liked the idea of a song being this little picture or puzzle, and not necessarily having to “mean” something or be about some big story or have tons of linear lyrics, but more just painting a weird little scene. I have always tried to make my music gender-neutral when it comes to love or romance for the most part, so that a person of any gender could experience a song and not feel excluded if I was using “he’s” or “she’s” or whatever and this is an early experiment with that, of a person named John, which is traditionally a “male” name, who is dying her hair red and sitting in the shower til it all turns back brown- and maybe one would think- “well why did she ever even dye her hair red in the first place?”