Winslow is home to nearly 10,000 residents and acquired international recognition in the 1970s because of a brief mention in the Eagle's recording of Jackson Browne's popular song "Take it Easy." To capitalize on its claim to fame, the town erected a statue next to a cleverly executed mural painted on a wall at its Corner Park, allowing visitors to have their photos taken next to it while "standin on a corner in Winslow, Arizona." I wanted my photo of this statue to gain context from the painting on the wall of the building just behind it. The two stanzas of Browne’s song that inspire this image adds additional important context to this photograph. Without knowing the lyrics, the image means much less.

“Well I‘m a-standin on the corner in Winslow, Arizona
With such a fine sight to see
It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed truck Ford
Slowin down to take a look at me.

“Come on baby, don’t say maybe
I’ve got to know if our sweet love is going to save me
We may lose and we may win
But we will never be here again
Open up, I’m climbin in, to take it easy”

To express the essence of the song, I focus on the statue of the boy, who seems appropriately moody and wistful. I put the painting of the girl in the flatbed Ford just out of focus, as if seen in a dream. She seems to be driving right through the statue.

Browne does not tell us if the boy’s wishes are to be fulfilled or not. We can only wonder. Interestingly, an actual flatbed Ford truck was parked on the street next to Corner Park, just a few feet from this statue. And another painting, which occupies a faux window on the upper part of the wall, shows an abstracted couple in a passionate embrace. (You can see this part of the wall in another image I made of Winslow’s Corner Park, which appears in my “Time Machine” gallery. To see it, click on the thumbnail below.