Gotta think every artist has a song or two like this in their catalog. It’s only natural for an artist to end up regretting some of the songs they released earlier in their career. Their music changes, they grow in both their music and their personal life, and all of a sudden those earlier songs come back to haunt them or don’t seem to hit the same as they used to. But when it just happens to be one of their most popular songs? Well that’s even worse. Sturgill Simpson released “You Can Have the Crown” way back in 2013 on his debut studio album High Top Mountain. The song is a cynical look at the music business and the journey of an artist trying to “write a song that’ll pay the bills.” But when he finally does have a hit, he realizes that he’s just “King Turd” on “Sh-t Mountain.” “Well, now Lord, if you can hear me won’t you throw a d-mn dog a bone ‘Cause if the Devil shows up with a better deal this old soul’s a-goin’ down Oh, I sing ’em real pretty, sing ’em real sad And all the people in the crowd say “He ain’t half bad” Well, they call me King Turd up here on Sh-t Mountain If you want it you can have the crown” The song quickly became a fan favorite, especially for casual Sturgill Simpson fans, and even seems to have broken through with some of the mainstream country crowd who hasn’t dug deep into his catalog. I’ve even heard the song quite a bit on Broadway here in Nashville (it’s probably just the bands’ go-to when somebody requests Sturgill because it’s the only song of his they know, but hey, at least it’s Sturgill). Unfortunately though, Sturgill hates the song. He rarely plays the song live anymore, though it did make a brief return to the setlist of his recent Who The F**k Is Johnny Blue Skies? tour. But before that, it had been nearly a decade since it had been a staple of his live shows. And a few years ago, Sturgill talked about why he hated the song so much – and why he wishes he had never written it: “I can’t even sing it live anymore. That’s the one I wish I hadn’t written. I wrote it as a joke. I wanted to write a laundry list song, sort of making fun of those laundry list songs that were really popular in country, but about my life. So I just pulled out every cliche token country-ism I could and put it in this song.” He says that the song was meant to be a jab at the hustle culture in Nashville, something you no doubt understand if you live here or work in the music business. It’s a big small town, where everybody is connected to everybody else and trying to figure out how to get ahead in their own career – all just so they can call themselves “King Turd” here on “Sh-t Mountain.” “That was my biggest part with like the hustle in Nashville, when you’re going out, it just seems like everybody’s sort of fighting for the same nothing. All these people are shaking your hands and looking over your shoulder to see who else is in the room they should be talking to. And it made me sick, I didn’t want any part of it. So I felt like King Turd on Sh-t Mountain. So I wrote that. Now I’m King Turd on Sh-t Mountain.” He kinda nailed it, and that’s a big part of the reason I hate going to events here in Nashville. Everybody just seems fake, constantly looking around the room to see who else is there who can help them (or their clients) get ahead. It’s exhausting. Luckily Sturgill has a deep enough catalog now that he can leave “You Can Have The Crown” off the setlist if he wants to and his fans aren’t going to be too disappointed. When you’ve released so much incredible music, “King Turd” doesn’t seem quite as important anymore. The post Sturgill Simpson Explains Why “You Can Have The Crown” Is The One Song He Wishes He Hadn’t Written first appeared on Whiskey Riff.