Vinyl Hour!

D.E. 7th by Dave Edmunds — Columbia Records, 1982

"Well, she shot him dead
On a sunny Florida road
When they caught her all she said
Was she couldn't stand the way he drove"
—from From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come), lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

D.E. 7th is my favourite Dave Edmunds album—and not only because it features the first released version of Springsteen’s From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come), a favourite of mine. Recorded after the breakup of Rockpile, it’s a spirited mix of rock & roll, country rock, bluegrass, and rockabilly, delivered with tight musicianship, irresistible energy, and Edmunds’ knack for making every song sound like his own.

Buoyed by the success of From Small Things, D.E. 7th became Edmunds’ highest-charting solo album in the U.S. But its appeal runs deeper than one hit. Where some artists use covers as filler, Edmunds used them as raw material, reshaping each song with his own musical vision. Rather than simply reproducing great material, he rebuilt it. The album showcases why he belongs alongside master interpreters like Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, and Joe Cocker. Edmunds had a rare gift for recognizing a song’s hidden potential and bringing it vividly to life.

Every track on this album is a blast. Warmed Over Kisses (Left Over Love) transforms a forgotten early-'60s pop tune into a banjo-fuelled rockabilly-bluegrass rave-up, while Doug Kershaw's Louisiana Man tears along as a spirited Cajun-country workout that showcases Edmunds' deep affection for American roots music. Bail You Out adds a shot of barroom swagger and driving rock-and-roll energy, and Deep in the Heart of Texas turns the beloved American standard—often associated with western swing—into an infectious, toe-tapping celebration.

The pace softens for One More Night, a surprisingly tender and soulful piano ballad that provides the album’s emotional centre. Its warmth and vulnerability make it a perfect counterweight to the album’s high-octane rockers. The performance is all the more remarkable because Edmunds recruited pianist Liam Grundy after hearing him play in a bar, bringing an unexpected touch of grace and poignancy to one of the album’s finest moments.

When I first heard From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come), I took it for a joyous road-trip song. It wasn’t until several listens later that I realized the story ends in tragedy, with the woman eventually shooting the real estate man she leaves her husband and children for. Not long ago, my son confessed that he’d made the same discovery.

But only today did I grasp another layer of the song. It’s not simply an ironic reminder that great things don’t always come from small beginnings. It’s a meditation on how small choices can lead to vastly different outcomes—some wonderful, some disastrous. From small things come big dreams, big successes, and sometimes big mistakes. Even for someone who pays close attention to lyrics, it’s a reminder that great songs can keep revealing themselves for years.

D.E. 7th is widely regarded as one of the strongest albums of Edmunds' post-Rockpile era, a spirited showcase for his mastery of rock & roll, rockabilly, country, and other American roots styles. Critics and fans generally rank it just below his celebrated late-'70s run, praising its expert musicianship, sharp production, and inspired song interpretations. More than four decades later, it remains one of the most enjoyable records in his catalogue—and my personal favourite.

Have you ever discovered, years later, that a song you thought you understood was actually about something entirely different?

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Click the link to read my previous essay on Repeat When Necessary.