Jimmy Webb Finds Himself “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” On New Single
|
Yours For The Taking: The Found Songs Of Jimmy Webb Out October 23 Via Sun Records, Featuring Previously Unheard Songs Written Across Decades And Brought To Life For The First Time
|
September 4, 2026: Today, GRAMMY-winning legendary songwriter and Songwriters Hall of Famer Jimmy Webb shares his new single “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” from his upcoming album Yours For The Taking: The Found Songs of Jimmy Webb due out October 23 via Sun Records. Lively and infectious on the surface, the song finds Webb navigating the far messier territory of a relationship caught between commitment and uncertainty.
A desperate plea filled with equal parts wit and frustration, “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” captures the emotional limbo of not knowing where a relationship is headed. Inspired by the phrase “you’ve got me between a rock and a hard place,” which his father would say often, Webb cleverly turns the popular expression on its head multiple times as the narrator finds himself “between your heart and a hard place,” at the mercy of someone who refuses to make up their mind: “I’m damned if you do and I’m damned if you don’t.” Matching its witty wordplay with high energy, the guitar-driven song taps into an uptempo groove, punctuated by a harmonica that producer Fred Mollin added as an homage to Bob Dylan. Written decades ago but heard for the first time today, the song is another reminder of the enduring immediacy of Webb’s songwriting, finding wit, tension and vulnerability in the complications of love.
Listen to “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” HERE.
Watch the lyric video for “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” HERE.
Webb announced his record Yours For The Taking: The Found Songs of Jimmy Webb in August on the eve of his 80th birthday. The album brings together previously unheard songs Webb wrote across decades of his extraordinary career that, through circumstance or chance, were never released, but which remain deeply meaningful to Webb and his musical legacy. Yours For The Taking is a collection that feels less like an excavation than a new Jimmy Webb album hiding in plain sight. These are not fragments or unfinished ideas, but fully formed songs bearing the unmistakable hallmarks of Webb’s writing: sweeping melodies, sophisticated and unexpected chord changes, and lyrics capable of breaking – or mending – a heart.
Produced by longtime Webb producer Fred Mollin and recorded with some of Nashville’s finest musicians, Yours For The Taking is decidedly not a “Nashville record.” It is rock and roll with a splash of jazz and a whisper of country, pairing Webb’s singular songwriting with lush new arrangements and performances. Across eleven newly produced tracks and two original demos, Webb is joined by dear friends Graham Nash, Michael McDonald, Amy Grant, Marc Cohn, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Justin Currie.
Alongside last month’s announcement, Webb shared “Winter Clothes (Original Demo),” an intimate early recording of a song he wrote with Frank Sinatra in mind nearly 50 years ago. Listen HERE. A newly recorded version of the song, featuring special guest Graham Nash, also appears on the album. You can read more about the song via Webb’s interview with Billboard HERE.
|
|
|
Yours For The Taking marks another chapter in Webb’s six-decade-plus career that has permanently shaped the American songbook. As both composer and lyricist, Webb has written some of the most enduring songs of the modern era, including “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “MacArthur Park,” “Up, Up and Away,” “Galveston” and “Highwayman.” His songs have been recorded by artists across generations and genres, from Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Barbra Streisand and Nina Simone, to R.E.M., Guns N’ Roses, Keith Urban and Flea. With Yours For The Taking, he reminds us there are still new Jimmy Webb songs for the world to discover and cherish. Pre-order/save Yours For The Taking: The Found Songs of Jimmy Webb HERE. |
|
YOURS FOR THE TAKING: THE FOUND SONGS OF JIMMY WEBB TRACKLIST 1. Never Say Die 2. Winter Clothes (feat. Graham Nash) 3. If I Ever Get To Talk To You Again (feat. Beth Nielsen Chapman) 4. Yours For The Taking (feat. Justin Currie) 5. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 6. My Golden Girl 7. Farther Than Eyes Can See (feat. Michael McDonald) 8. I Miss the Mistakes 9. Almost Alright Again 10. The Man In the Moon (feat. Marc Cohn) 11. As Long As Life Goes On (feat. Amy Grant) 12. Winter Clothes (Original Demo) 13. If I Ever Get To Talk To You Again (Original Demo)
ABOUT JIMMY WEBB Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer and performer known worldwide as a master of his trade. Since his first platinum record, “The Worst That Could Happen,” Webb has had numerous hits including “Up, Up and Away,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” “Highwayman,” “All I Know,” “Didn’t We” and “MacArthur Park.” Webb’s songs have been recorded by some of the greatest voices in music history, including Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Barbra Streisand, Nina Simone, Isaac Hayes, Art Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt and Tony Bennett. His timeless, cross-genre compositions continue to be performed, and recorded by artists across generations, spanning pop, rock, country, R&B, jazz and classical music including James Taylor, Guns N’ Roses, Keith Urban, and Flea, and sampled by ODESZA and Kendrick Lamar among others.
ABOUT SUN RECORDS Established in 1952 by Sam Phillips, Sun Records is renowned for discovering music legends including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The label moved to Nashville in 1969, where it continued cultivating acclaimed artists Jeannie C. Riley, The Dixie Cups, Linda Martell, and many others. Today, as part of the Sun Label Group under Primary Wave, Sun Records continues to foster musical innovation while honoring its rich legacy, with a frontline roster that includes Ruthie Foster, Robert Randolph, The SteelDrivers, and The Waterboys. Ruthie Foster’s 2025 GRAMMY win for Mileage marked the first in Sun Records history, followed by Robert Randolph’s 2026 win for Preacher Kids, the label’s second. For more information, visit https://sunrecords.com.
|
