Elliott Murphy er en af de mange talentfulde amerikanske sangskrivere, hvis lod det har været at træde i Bob Dylans nedtrådte fodspor. Musikalsk inspireret ameriansk New-York-Metropolrock – ikke mindst Velvet Underground – lavede Murphy en række fremragende, roste albums op gennem halvfjerdserne, begyndende med debuten “Aquashow! i 1973 og efterfulgt af “Lost Generation” (75), “Night Lights” (76) og “Just a Story from America” (1977). Trods pæn succes valgte Murphy i firserne at slå sig ned i Paris, efter at han i en længere periode havde turneret det europæiske kontinent tyndt – og blandt andet gav en mindeværdig koncert i Østergades Hotel i århus…
Ved siden af sit musikalske virke som sangskriver og guitarist har Murphy ernæret sig som efterspurgt skribent for fx Rolling Stone, Spin og en række europæiske magasiner. Derud over har han udgivet en roman og et par novellesamlinger. Han har fortsat gennem årene med at udsende plader og har fået meget ros for blandt andet dobbeltalbummet Strings of the Storm fra 2003. Seneste har han udsendt Notes from the Underground (også 2008).
Som teksten nedenfor – Just a Story from America, fra albummet af samme navn – vidner om, så er Murphy en sangskriver i traditionen fra Dylan, Lou Reed og Bruce Springsteen.

Just a story from America
He left his job and he looked at her
I’ve had enough he put down his cup
And every time she would fill it up

When she’d say
Get up when they put you down
But like a boxer
You just spin around
Your kind of guy is so very few
Don’t ever let them get the best of you

And so he’s working like a dog each day
And every week there’d be more overtime pay
And pretty soon he’s got a Cadillac car
And on the weekends he would drive so far

And they don’t slow down
America’s such a speedy town
Hot clothes high society
He said it never get the best of me

And then he met a girl with hair like the sun
With social status she was number one
He left it all and he left downtown
A little voice follows him around

And it say
Get up they put you down
And like a boxer
You just spin around
Your kind of guy was so very few
I thought they’d never get the best of you

Just a story of America
Just a story fro in America
Just a story of America
Just a story from America