Melissa Etheridge wanted to play with the matches. But there’s no need to call the fire department.

Instead, it was Johnny Cash who lit the initial match, figuratively speaking, that provided the spark which led Etheridge, still a kid, to tell her mother that she wanted to play with the matches. It was her way of saying she wanted to do what she saw Johnny doing and play music.

It’s an experience that she’s now immortalized in song with “Matches,” one of the many potent tracks fans will hear on Rise, the singer-songwriter’s newest album (coproduced by Shooter Jennings), which landed in stores this week.

Her dreams certainly worked out. She played her first full set at Radio City Music Hall in 2025 during a gig where she shared the stage with the Indigo Girls, another bucket list venue and moment checked off in a career that has had many of them.

In today’s conversation, we discuss some of those highlights. She’s been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 class, but she also was part of a star-studded bill at the Rock Hall’s grand opening concert more than 30 years ago.

Bruce Springsteen joined her on stage for her MTV Unplugged that same year, sharing the microphone for a powerful version of his “Thunder Road.” The more you talk with Etheridge, the more these anecdotes come to the surface.

They’ve all helped to form the fabric of Rise, a great driving record that as she told us, was informed by the feeling of albums she loved in a similarly road-ready way as she was coming up. It’s a lengthy list which includes artists like Tom Petty, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and many others.

Hearing “Don’t You Want a Woman” during the Radio City performance and other standouts on Rise like “The Other Side of Blue,” a collaboration with Chris Stapleton, it’s clear that Etheridge has a lot of miles left on her own journey. 

You’re nominated for the Rock Hall and I want to start there, because you were part of one of my favorite shows, when you played the grand opening concert for the Hall in 1995. What are your favorite memories of that day?
I was overwhelmed by how many of my heroes were there. It was…overwhelming, is a very, very good word. There were moments that are just seared into my head. I remember [one moment with] myself, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, Chrissie Hynde…it was just all us girls and we were just dancing.

We got ourselves caught up in this backstage dance and man, that was fun. [But] my favorite memory is when James Brown was on stage, and they had a bleacher side stage that you could come out and watch [the show]. It was packed with John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, myself and on and on and on. We’re all watching James Brown and I still get goosebumps when I think about it now.

The hardest part was…I have a Chuck Berry story now, like many others. Bruce Springsteen comes to me and says, “Hey, I’m going to do ‘Rock and Roll Music’ with Chuck Berry. Do you want to do it with me?”

I was like, ‘Duh, yeah!’

So, right before we go on, Chuck Berry tells us it’s in G and we walk on stage, and the band that’s playing [included] Duck Dunn and it was this great band [Booker T. and the M.G.’s], and they’ve been playing all day, and they’re wasted, okay? They’re out of their minds. We started the song and it sounds so bad. I’m looking at Bruce and I’m looking around and I’m like, ‘We’re not playing in the same key and it’s a simple rock and roll song. It’s ‘Rock and Roll Music.'”

But Chuck Berry has done what he does, and he told the band one key and he told us one key. I tried to get over to the band, I’m like, “Oh my god, what key are you in?” And I’m trying to look at [Chuck’s] fretboard and he just keeps looking at me, going, “You’re really pretty.” I’m like, This is a nightmare!” So my great Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen moment, it’s not even on the internet. It was so bad.

READ MORE: 8 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’

Watch Melissa Etheridge and Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘Thunder Road’

Since you mentioned Bruce, it was such an iconic moment when he came out to do “Thunder Road” with you on MTV Unplugged. As you’re getting ready to play the song with him, you told the audience the story of what it meant to you. But can you take us a little bit behind the scenes that day as far as getting ready for that with Bruce?
I just recently was working with a couple of young women who were like babies when I did that and I said, “Oh, you got to see this.” And I pulled up the YouTube of me introducing Bruce and then singing with him. As I listened to myself talk to the audience. I got nervous all over again. I was like, “Oh my God, I’m feeling it again.” [It’s that] feeling [that] you’re in a dream come true moment. Remember this for the rest of your life. Take it in. Breathe. This is worlds coming together — and it was so special.

The whole experience with him, from rehearsing the song up in the dressing room at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, I’m just sitting there with him and we’re practicing “Thunder Road.” We’re saying, “Okay, you do this, you do that,” and we’re singing it. He looks at me and he goes, “You know, this song doesn’t have any chorus,” like it’s the first time he ever thought that “Thunder Road” didn’t have any chorus. I was like, “Yeah, ‘Thunder Road’ doesn’t have a chorus, but it’s one of the greatest songs ever written, so I think you did okay.”

We walked on stage for the soundcheck and he looked around and goes, “Where’s your band?” I said, “Dude, this is Unplugged. It’s just me and my guitar.” And he goes, “You don’t have a band?” And this is actually right before he did [his album] The Ghost of Tom Joad. He actually watched and he did it with me, just him and I and he had never broken it down so much. And after that, he went out with Tom Joad. And I was like, “Yeah, you go be a solo guy!”

READ MORE: When Bruce Springsteen Unplugged Again With ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’

I like that you used the term “I want to play with the matches” when telling your mother that you wanted to play music, to do what Johnny Cash was doing.
When that came to me, I was sort of swimming in the memory of when Johnny Cash came to my hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas. Which we didn’t even have a venue for people to play; so anybody coming to Leavenworth was huge news. But he was playing at the prison. I was eight years old and it made such an impression because it was in the local paper. I knew I could see the prison from my backyard; it was like three blocks away.

The last project I did was with the Topeka Correctional Facility for Women which is the women’s prison in Kansas. People had been asking me about it; I remember just thinking how special it felt that Johnny Cash could come to my town means there’s somehow a possibility that I could go out into the world.

Somehow it made sense in my eight-year-old brain: music and singing music for people lit me up; it’s what I wanted to do. I thought about [how], you know no one in 1969 is going to look at a little girl and go “Oh you want to be a rock star? Okay?” You know that wasn’t something people thought about back then; so it felt forbidden but exciting too — “Matches” tells that story: “Oh mama let me play with matches.”

By 13 years old I was playing in bars with cover bands made up of older guys; my mother hated it because she didn’t want her 13-year-old going into bars! So now I understand why she felt that way but back then all I could think about was “No please let me do this! Let me play with matches!” Actually “Matches” is one of my favorite songs on this album.

Listen to Melissa Etheridge’s ‘Matches’

I love how gently you bring listeners into your song through its sound and tone as it unfolds.
“Matches,” I call my “scratch pad song.” When I go into write there’s always this big notebook where on pages one or two I’ve got lyrics jotted down — probably “Mama let me play with matches” written down because that’s how I felt — it’s my scratch pad.

I had no expectations for this song; just throwing things out there — lines together — even how I transitioned from minor to major wasn’t something I’d planned out ahead! If I’d been constructing it methodically like “Okay this is song number three,” I’d have done things differently but being free-form allowed creativity to flow.

When I realized “Oh! This is how I’ll get into verse,” it felt natural — not carelessly but easily — which gives “Matches” its easy feel! Initially I wasn’t going to include it on album until my wife heard me play it; she insisted “Oh no! You have to put this on album!” [Etheridge laughs]

Listen to Melissa Etheridge on the ‘UCR Podcast’

“Matches” along with “The Other Side of Blue” feel like musical versions of fever dreams taking listeners somewhere special.
“The Other Side of Blue” is an entirely different creation, but regarding intention behind this album: sonically attracting listeners mattered most! It’s designed for those 45-minute drives where starting from first track makes you turn volume up gradually because everything sounds so good!

The intros were crafted intentionally; driving from Kansas towards California listening tapes from Eagles or Fleetwood Mac — classic California rock vibe! Working alongside Shooter Jennings [on the] production team helped shape sound; aiming for rich layered songs where guitar sounds resonate throughout!

Watch Melissa Etheridge’s ‘The Other Side of Blue’ Video Featuring Chris Stapleton

“The Other Side of Blue,” after recording album without Chris Stapleton initially — reached out asking if he’d collaborate — thankfully he agreed! He’s who I’d hoped would join me down Nashville!

This studio RCA B where Chet Atkins recorded his famous Countrypolitan albums felt massive! We started chatting casually; asking about kids—he has five—and then when asked about mine shared story about losing one five years ago—he replied “I’m sorry.” But then added “No no—he taught me everything!” That struck Chris deeply; next lyric rolled out effortlessly!

You’re gearing up for an exciting tour ahead—itching play new songs live? “Don’t You Want A Woman” sounded amazing during Radio City show last year!
I realized long ago: while cleverness matters studio-wise—these songs will stay with me long-term—I want every song ready hit stage sounding exactly as they do recorded! Intentionality drove creation process; hence why collaborated closely with band doing necessary overdubs ensuring essence remains intact while live performance resonates!