For some artists, their music is full of so much personality that it overflows in the best possible way. Singer-songwriter-fiddle player Emerald Butler is one such artist, and her new single, “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me” oozes personality and charm. Its throwback (and slapback) Americana-rockabilly sound is electrifying and welcoming. With some sass and edge, she takes on the angst of teenage years with honesty and heart. It’s a fun ride, start to finish, and we sat down with Butler recently to get the details on this fantastic song.
Hi, Emerald! You have an amazing new single that just came out in April called “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me.” Please tell us about the song in a big picture sort of way. What can you tell us about that song? What inspired you to write it?
I wrote “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me” when I was a teenager dealing with rejection from my peers. It’s a pretty straightforward song about telling all the “cool kids” that they aren’t cooler than me just because they are trendy or more popular. I have always been a history and music nerd. I have always loved traditional country and rock ’n’ roll and the history behind the music, but I’ve not met many people who share the same passion that I have for it. At least, as a teenager, I didn’t know anyone my age who liked the same kind of music that I did. I knew several senior citizens who did, and I think it was encouraging for them to see a young person dig the music from their generation. However, it was lonely for me, so getting those feelings out artistically was really a gift.
What was it like recording this single? Any great studio stories? Who played on it with you?
Oh, it was so much fun recording this single! I recorded it at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. This is the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll and the place where artists like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins were discovered. I recorded with a group of friends and musicians who had never played together before. Some of them had never met each other before that night. The session musicians included my ole road buddy, Rodney Polk, on drums, his friend, Chad “C.W.” Hasty, on the doghouse bass, the son of a rockabilly hall of famer, Joel Beaver,on electric guitar and keys, and accomplished musician and educator, Jade Watts, on vocals. I recorded with these musicians in this way because I wanted to do something very raw, as Sun founder Sam Phillips did. I was looking for what Sam Phillips called “perfect imperfection.”
I do have a really cool studio story that I’d love to share. At the end of the session, the production team was resetting the studio, and the band and I were hanging out in the Sun Studio gift shop next door to the studio. During the session, the studio manager told us that she had a friend stopping by real quick and just wanted to give us a heads-up. I figured it was just a college buddy or somebody like that stopping by, so I didn’t think much about it. Well, I’m just looking around the gift shop, and in walks Chris Scruggs and his son. Chris Scruggs is the grandson of pioneering banjo player, Earl Scruggs, and he is also the bass player in Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives. Marty Stuart is one of my heroes. Chris is an amazing musician who has his own incredible band and knows so much about the history of 20th-century music. Chris and his son stopped by the studio so Chris’s son could purchase an original released Sun vinyl record. He’s an incredible young musician who also just recorded at Sun. Long story short, we all ended up having a little jam session afterwards, kind of like the Million Dollar Quartet. I could have never imagined that would happen.
What do you hope this song’s message is to those who listen to it? What does it mean to you? Have you played this song live? If so, what has the reception been like to it?
You know, someone once called “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me” my “antisocial song” after one of the first times I played it live. I’ll be honest and say that the statement didn’t help me with a bit of shame I have carried in the past for being a little different than my peers. I don’t believe that boundaries make you antisocial. While I admit that I’m a little introverted, I’ve never tried to be antisocial. I very much want to be social. Yes, the lyrics are pretty direct, and they came from a teenager who was hurting and just wanted to be accepted, but I think vulnerability researcher Brené Brown said something along the lines of, “Clear is kind.” Now, I’m not telling people to go out and say whatever without putting any respect or thought into it, but I think that it’s important for young people to feel safe to say things like “stop.” I think for people like me who grew up in a region where we sugarcoat things, we feel the need to get creative in how we say that, and sometimes we just need to state it clearly. I’m still learning how to do that. It’s definitely a process.
I can’t control what other people think or how they receive this song, but I hope that when someone hears “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me,” they hear it with a combination of humor and relatability. I hope they find humor in the lyrics like my southern satirical line, “’Cause you know you’re barking up the wrong tree.” Apparently, I find humor in it. Still, I just hope that this song might help another young person feel like someone else understands what they may be going through. Gosh, it doesn’t even have to be a young person. I think we all go through that, even as adults. If I could ever send any message to anybody through just about any song, it would probably be, “You’re not alone.” I think that’s part of the power of music and why we write songs. It’s to say you’re not alone. For “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me,” I think the message is, “You’re not alone in wanting to stand up for yourself.”
How do you feel you’ve changed or grown as an artist/writer/creative person since you started making music?
I feel like I’ve changed a decent amount, but then I feel like things come back around again. “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me” is actually a great example of this. I feel like over the years, my writing, playing, and showmanship have gotten better. I’ve got a little more experience under my belt. I’ve been trying to work on a little more “show, don’t tell” in my songwriting, and I’ve been creating my own sound that isn’t just traditional country or rockabilly. I guess I would call it more Americana, even though that can be such a broad term. I’m making my own sound and persona instead of just trying to imitate Elvis or Johnny Cash. I do have the whole girl fiddle player thing that helps. However, with “You’ve Got Nothing Over Me,” I really have gone back to my musical beginning by recording music that sounds like a Sun Records recording at the Sun Studio. Also, I recorded a song that I wrote as a teenager, so it’s all come back around, but hopefully with a little more skill, knowledge, and experience. I’d also like to think that I’m a little wiser. I have a few strands of gray hair, so that’s a sign, ha ha.
Are there any artists who inspired what you did on this song, be it lyrically, musically, or both?
I definitely think that Johnny Cash’s lyrics and the Sun Studio/Sam Phillips’ “slapback” sound are a big inspiration for what we did. Before the session, Joel Beaver and I got together to run over the song, and he came up with this Sonny Burgess-style lead guitar intro to it, then he kind of goes into the Scotty Moore guitar style that was played on Elvis’s first recordings. Both Sonny and Scotty were some of Sun’s greatest guitar players. I’m pretty proud of my acoustic rhythm guitar playing. I think that a lot of people don’t know how good of a rhythm guitar player Elvis was, and that is a fundamental part of a recording. There are a lot of Sun recordings that have some ad-lib and improvised vocals in them, and the way that Jade Watts added her vocals really brought a new characteristic to the song. I think it made the song more than just me. It’s like, “Oh, there are more people here,” and I think that sometimes just straight-up background or harmony vocals don’t quite add that extra character as Jade did.
How does it feel to be releasing this single into the world for all to hear?
Honestly, it feels a little scary. It’s not a super-produced or polished song. It’s very raw and has some unique edges to it. I wanted it to sound a little rough or raw, but now I have to live with the consequence of that. Good or bad. Whatever that might be. We will see.
What has been the most exciting thing to happen for you in the past year? What are you most looking forward to in the coming months in 2026?
Outside of recording at Sun Studio, the most exciting thing that happened for me last year was getting my dream guitar for my 30th birthday. It’s a reissue of a 1957 Gibson SJ-200. Jade Watts actually started a GoFundMe for it and got my sister to help spread the word and surprise me. Several of my family members and friends pitched in to help me buy it. My parents taught me how to work hard, and I learned to make things happen for myself instead of waiting on other people to do things for me. So having a group of people come together to help me was a very humbling and moving experience.
I’m looking forward to releasing two more singles from my Sun Studio Session in the next few months. Each song dives a little deeper into my story and stories about my family that I’m excited to share, so folks oughta buckle up!
Got any tour plans? Where can fans see you on the road?
Folks can see me along with Jade Watts performing as “Emerald & Jade” at the South Side Porchfest in Chattanooga, TN, on June 6th and at Puckett’s in Murfreesboro, TN, on June 20th. I’m still locking down some dates, but folks can find more info on where I’ll be playing on my website, www.emeraldbutler.com. Thanks for having me! I hope y’all enjoy the song, and I’ll see you soon!
Website & social media links:
Website: https://www.emeraldbutler.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emeraldfiddler/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emeraldfiddler/
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emeraldfiddler
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQ8lljLMKp5iVHhykUXdjA
