ZZ Top’s most underrated song, according to Billy Gibbons
In 1969, ZZ Top emerged from the ground of Texas’ blues scene with a single vow: to inject it with a harder rock edge. Billy Gibbons had been at it for quite some time with the psychedelic blues band Moving Sidewalks, but ZZ Top would be a no-nonsense take on the genre, one that would adorn rock-solid Southern swagger with a deep, bluesy grit.
When placing Gibbons under the microscope, all roads lead to the blues. Even when venturing into more traditional rock realms, many of his guitar parts were steeped in blues roots and characterised by his signature raw, gritty, and soulful tone. A lot of his playing incorporated classic blues techniques with a modern twist, resulting in an emotional depth and improvisational approach characteristic of early blues material.
Although this established ZZ Top as the little Texas band that could, it also placed Gibbons as one of the most respected blues-rock musicians in music, capturing the attention of contemporary rock innovators like Keith Richards and other believers in the genre-blending revolution. “These guys are the heartbeat of the entire country, the heartbeat of rock and roll,” Richards once said. “These cats know their blues, and they know how to dress it up.”
However, to describe Gibbons as solely rooted in blues would be too reductive an observation, as his emergence from the genre also allowed him to innovate other spaces and experiment with how blues could cross over into other arenas. Many of the earlier, more traditional blues materials wouldn’t have sufficed as a model for ZZ Top, particularly if they wanted longevity, so Gibbons helped gift the scene with a much-needed modern update.
Not only did he blend these traditional elements with more forward-thinking ones, but he also took the hard edge of rock and the groovy rhythms of boogie to amplify its appeal, using distorted guitar tones and louder, more refined beats to inject the genre with more obvious energy than before. With Tejas, Gibbons built on this fusion of blues-rock and Texas boogie but sprinkled in more country influences, demonstrating his growing musical versatility and willingness to experiment beyond the usual terrain.
This record also came equipped with several hidden gems, the ones that hint at more subtle, polished sounds that paved the way for Gibbons’ future experimentation with technology and production techniques. ‘It’s Only Love’, for instance, blended blues with a mellow, almost country-inspired atmosphere, proving that Gibbons could execute a more relaxed groove that complemented the album’s softer, more contemplative moments.
“[I] Was just thinking about ‘It’s Only Love’ from Tejas,” Gibbons said during an interview with Songfacts when asked about ZZ Top’s more underrated compositions. “It’s a blues/country combo platter that owes something to the immortal Jimmy Reed insofar as “Baby, what you tryin’ to do” is a lyric inspired by Jimmy’s ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do’. It’s ‘fonky’ with an ‘o.'”
While maintaining their signature bluesy sound, tracks like ‘It’s Only Love’ platformed Gibbons as a maestro at blending subtlety with technical skill. This track also highlighted how his blues interests came with a versatile edge, proving he could evoke deep emotion and sophistication while still staying rooted in the raw essence of blues rock.
