Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country singer Sam Outlaw plays the part of a callous lover in his 2017 release, “Diamond Ring.”
Outlaw’s “slow, sad waltz” tells the story of a couple with conflicting opinions about the status of their relationship. They've gone to a dance bar, where Outlaw has consumed more than his fair share of whiskey. Despite his drunken state, his girlfriend presses him for a marriage commitment.
He responds, “You want my heart to surrender / I see no courage ending life here / I see no reason at all / I see no diamond ring on your finger / I see no diamond ring on you at all.”
“‘Diamond Ring’ is about being a self-centered twenty-something,” Outlaw told Rolling Stone magazine. “I’m no longer in my twenties, but the rest of that still applies to me pretty accurately.”
In April of 2023, Outlaw exposed his sensitive side with an Instagram post directed at his wife of nine years, Andie Morgan.
"The wedding was fun, but the marriage is what I’m proud of," wrote Outlaw. "We’ve grown so much together and it’s my greatest privilege to raise a family with my true love. I feel like I have it all, so here’s to another day of trying to not mess it up. Thanks for loving me, Andie."
The 42-year-old has been performing “Diamond Ring” on tour since 2012, but the song made its “official” debut in 2017 as the eighth track of Outlaw’s second album, Tenderheart. “Diamond Ring” got another boost when a live version of the song recorded at the 2017 Americana Music Festival in Nashville was cherry-picked in 2018 for Amazon’s “Love Me Not” playlist.
Born in Aberdeen, SD, in 1982, Sam Morgan moved with his family to Southern California when he was 10. He borrowed his mom’s maiden name, Outlaw, when he abruptly gave up a career in advertising to pursue his dreams of being a singer-songwriter. At the age of 30, he hit the road as a touring musician.
Outlaw describes his music as “SoCal country,” defined as country music refashioned with a Southern California vibe and a melding of classic honky-tonk and troubadour pop.
He told Rolling Stone that he’s noticed that Los Angeles’s appetite for Southern culture has only been growing.
“It’s nice that now I can wear my Stetson to a restaurant,” he told the magazine, “and not have people think I’m insane.”
In May of 2019, the artist made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry.
Please check out the video of Sam Outlaw’s live performance of “Diamond Ring” at WFUV's Studio A on the campus of NYC's Fordham University in April of 2017. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“Diamond Ring”
Written and performed by Sam Outlaw.
You took me dancing, you got me drunk
You kissed me, oh I remember
I was a man needing a woman’s touch
And that’s all that I claim to be
And now you got questions, now come the tears
You want my heart to surrender
I see no courage ending life here
I see no reason at all
I see no diamond ring on your finger
I see no diamond ring on you at all
You look so pretty, you look like hell
You kissed me, oh I remember
Couple with whiskey, from a bottomless well
I must have been quite a show
Now you want answers, now comes the fear
You want me only forever
I see no wisdom in drawing death near
I see no reason at all
I see no diamond ring on your finger
I see no diamond ring on you at all
I see no diamond ring on your finger
I see no diamond ring on you at all
So can you forgive me for not putting trust
On someone who thinks I’m so special?
I’m just a man needing a woman’s touch
And someday you’ll see me again
Credit: Screen capture via YouTube / WFUV Public Radio.