Satellite Rides by Old 97's

Satellite Rides, the fifth studio album from Dallas's Old 97's, came out on Elektra in 2001 and finds the alt-country pioneers leaning hard into power pop. Rhett Miller's songs are sharper and brighter than ever, and this time he's mostly writing about other people, though his own life keeps sneaking into the frame.

"Rollerskate Skinny" is about actress Winona Ryder, whom Miller briefly dated, and borrows its title from The Catcher in the Rye. "Buick City Complex" turns to the workers left behind when General Motors shut its giant plant in Flint, Michigan, and "Am I Too Late" was written for Miller's grandmother. Bassist Murry Hammond takes the lead on two tunes, and "Question" often turns up in concert with a verse sung in French. The title itself never shows up in the lyrics; it resurfaced on the next record, Drag It Up.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.