About The Song
“Mississippi Moon” is a song written by Tony Joe White and Carson Whitsett. It was recorded by American country music artist John Anderson and released on April 10, 1995, as the third and final single from his fifteenth studio album, Country ‘Til I Die. The album was issued by BNA Records on October 11, 1994. John Anderson and James Stroud co-produced the recording. The track runs 4 minutes and 15 seconds.
The single was issued under BNA catalog number 64274, with “It Ain’t Pneumonia, It’s the Blues” as the B-side. On the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, “Mississippi Moon” debuted at number 65 for the week of April 22, 1995, and reached a peak of number 15. It also peaked at number 11 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The parent album Country ‘Til I Die produced two other singles: the title track (peak number 35) and “Bend It Until It Breaks” (peak number 3).
Country ‘Til I Die was recorded primarily at Loud Recording Studio, The Music Mill, and Sound Stage in Nashville. Session credits associated with the album and track include Eddie Bayers on drums, Glenn Worf on bass, Larry Byrom on acoustic guitar, Dann Huff on electric guitar, Paul Franklin on steel guitar, Joe Spivey on fiddle, Terry McMillan on harmonica, and background vocals by Curtis Young and Dennis Wilson. Engineering and mixing credits include Lynn Peterzell and Julian King, with mastering by Glenn Meadows.
The songwriting partnership of Tony Joe White and Carson Whitsett produced the composition. White, known for earlier works such as “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia,” contributed to the material. Anderson’s version is the primary commercial recording that charted. The track later appeared on compilation releases including Greatest Hits (1996), The Essential John Anderson (1998), and Country Legends: John Anderson (2002). A re-recorded version was included on the 2019 collection 40 Years & Still Swingin’.
In 2022, Eric Church recorded a cover of “Mississippi Moon” for the tribute album Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute to John Anderson, released on Easy Eye Sound. The original music video for Anderson’s version was directed by Jim Shea and premiered in April 1995.
Anderson’s mid-1990s period on BNA followed the commercial success of Seminole Wind (1992) and Solid Ground (1993). Country ‘Til I Die continued the association with producers Anderson and Stroud and included a new recording of Anderson’s earlier hit “Swingin’” as well as a cover of the Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.” The album’s singles sequence placed “Mississippi Moon” as the closing release from the project.
Primary sources document consistent songwriting credits to White and Whitsett, production by Anderson and Stroud, the April 1995 single release date, and the Billboard and RPM chart peaks. Official audio and the music video remain available through the John Anderson YouTube channel and catalog reissues under Sony/BNA.
The combination of songwriting credits, production details, chart performance as a mid-chart single from the 1994 album, and subsequent reissue and cover history places the recording within Anderson’s BNA-era catalog of the mid-1990s.
Video
Lyric
It’s a late night show on the radio
Going down the road with the Wolfman
Lightning bugs all around, moonlight shining down
On little sleepy towns down in the flatlandsI can still hear mama calling
“Son, it’s time to come on in”
When the darkness started falling
Everybody gathered ’round the table, amenMississippi moon hangin’ in the haze
Wish I’d never left you
Spent enough time in that old rat race
Goin’ on back to the deltaBarbecues, back porch stews, and the guitar blues just about sundown
Mockingbird melodies, watermelon memories
Cruisin’ the streets downtownHot summer night down on the levy
She spread the blanket on the ground
There ain’t no feeling like the first time
When the innocence is lost and love is foundMississippi moon hangin’ in the haze
Almost reach and touch you
Been a long time and I missed your face
Goin’ on back to the deltaI’m tired of searching for the answers
Always out there on the run
I’m goin’ back to where my heart is
Down on Highway 61Mississippi moon hangin’ in the haze
Almost reach and touch you
Been a long time and I missed your face
Goin’ on back to the deltaMississippi moon hangin’ in the haze
Wish I’d never left you
Had enough time in that old rat race
Goin’ on back to the delta