Turtles All the Way Down (song)
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Turtles All the Way Down
| cover = TurtlesAlltheWayDown.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Sturgill Simpson
| album = Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
| released = {{Start date|2014|04|08}}{{cite web|url=https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Sturgill_Simpson_Turtles_All_the_Way_Down?id=Bj7mxolf275b25b42n2ja4xii6m|title=Sturgill Simpson: Turtles All the Way Down - Music on Google Play|work=Google Play|access-date=September 29, 2015}}
| recorded = 2014
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Country, psychedelia
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=08}}
| label = * High Top Mountain
| writer = Sturgill Simpson
| producer = Dave Cobb
| prev_title = Living the Dream
| prev_year = 2014
| next_title = The Promise
| next_year = 2015
}}
"Turtles All the Way Down" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Sturgill Simpson. It was released in April 2014 as the second single from his album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music.
Content
The song title, also in the lyrics, is a reference to "turtles all the way down", a lighthearted term for the concept of Anavastha from Indian philosophy, which states that there is no underlying basis, or ground, for existence. The song lyrics are about, in part, the psychedelic experience as brought on by drugs including marijuana, LSD, psilocybin and DMT. References are made to encounters with Jesus, the Devil, Buddha, and reptile aliens. The songwriter's mortality, and the life saving effect of love, are also referenced.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2014/04/17/304075384/god-drugs-and-lizard-aliens-yep-its-country-music|title=God, Drugs And Lizard Aliens: Yep, It's Country Music|website=NPR.org|date=April 17, 2014 |access-date=June 19, 2019|last1=Powers |first1=Ann }} The musical form is that of a country music ballad.
Critical reception
In his review of the album at AllMusic, Thom Jurek gave the song a positive review, praising both the production as well as Simpson's vocals and saying that "The track features Cobb's nylon-string guitar, the wafting tapes of a Mellotron, electric bass, acoustic and electric guitars, and sharp drums framing Simpson's lyrics that refer to Jesus, the Old Testament, Buddha, mythology, cosmology, drugs, and physics, before concluding that "love's the only thing that ever saved my life," making it a glorious cosmic cowboy song.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/metamodern-sounds-in-country-music-mw0002639263|title=Metamodern Sounds in Country Music|publisher=Allmusic.com|last=Jurek|first=Thom|access-date=September 29, 2015}}
Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 4 in its article "25 Best Country Songs of 2014." It praised the lyrics, saying that ""Turtles All the Way Down" is many things. Part twisted travelogue ("Met the devil in Seattle and spent nine months inside the lion's den"), part half-baked philosophy seminar ("Our souls must roam to and through that myth we call space and time"), "Turtles" serves as Simpson's grand mission statement for the rich storytelling and sentimentality that define this promising new artist."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/25-best-country-singles-of-2014-20141217/sturgill-simpson-turtles-all-the-way-down-20141217|title=Sturgill Simpson, "Turtles All the Way Down" - 25 Best Country Songs of 2014 |date=December 17, 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=September 29, 2015}} The same outlet also ranked the song at #142 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking in May 2024.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-country-songs-1234986540/sturgill-simpson-turtles-all-the-way-down-3-1235014867/|title =The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time|magazine = Rolling Stone|date =May 24, 2014}}
Music video
The music video was directed by Graham Uhelski and premiered in April 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashvillecream/archives/2014/04/17/sturgill-simpsons-interdimensional-turtles-all-the-way-down-is-psychedelic-as-hell-fresh-vid|title=Sturgill Simpson's Interdimensional 'Turtles All the Way Down' Is Psychedelic as Hell [Fresh Vid] |date=April 17, 2014|work=Nashville Scene|access-date=September 29, 2015}}
In Television & Film
The song was featured on FX's The Bridge.{{cite web|url=http://radiotexaslive.com/sturgill-simpsons-turtles-all-the-way-down-to-be-featured-on-fx-the-bridg/|title=Sturgill Simpson Music to be Featured on FX's 'The Bridge'|publisher=Radio Texas Live|last=Logan|first=Buddy|date=August 26, 2014|access-date=September 29, 2015}}
The song was featured on HBO’s Watchmen in the season 1 episode “Little Fear of Lightning”.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Watchmen Soundtrack|url=https://www.tunefind.com/show/watchmen/season-1/93019|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Tunefind}}
The song was used in season 2 episode 8 of the TV series Reservation Dogs.
The song was featured in the 2022 film “Dog” starring Channing Tatum.