Haley was blinded in his left eye as a child due to a botched operation. According to biographer John Swenson, Haley later adopted his distinctive spit-curl hairstyle to distract attention from his blind eye. The spit-curl caught on as a 50's style signature, although Haley and others had worn the hairstyle much earlier.
In 1946, Haley joined his first professional group, a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called The Down Homers run by Kenny Roberts. It has often been reported in musical reference works that Haley's first professional recordings were made with the Down Homers on a pair of singles released in 1946 by Vogue Records. This was later debunked by Roberts and others, stating Haley had already left the group by the time the singles were made. In the early 2000s, however, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is definitely present as he is identified by name and sings a solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel"; these recordings were commercially released for the first time in 2006.
After gaining experience with the Down Homers, Haley set out on his own, forming several groups such as the Range Drifters and the Four Aces of Western Swing. With the Four Aces, he made a number of regionally successful country music singles in the late 1940s for Cowboy Records while working as a touring musician and later a radio DJ at WPWA. (Many of Haley's early recordings from this period would not be released until after his death.) After disbanding the Four Aces and briefly trying a solo career using the names Jack Haley and Johnny Clifton (as chronicled in the biography Sound and Glory), Haley formed a new group called The Saddlemen in either 1949 or 1950 (sources vary as to the exact year); this new group recorded for several labels, including one single for Atlantic Records, Haley's first exposure to a major national record company. In 1951, Haley was signed to Dave Miller's Philadelphia-based Holiday Records and began to change musical styles, recording cover versions of "Rocket "88"" (previously recorded by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), and in, 1952, "Rock the Joint", previously recorded by several bands including Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians. (By the time of "Rock the Joint", Haley had graduated from Holiday Records to Miller's larger Essex label.) The relative success of these recordings (both sold in the 75,000-100,000 copy range in the Pennsylvania-New England region) convinced Haley that his new and as-yet officially unnamed hybrid of country and rhythm and blues could be a commercial success.and some of his family lives in oklahoma and there is a road named after his family.
Cold Cold Heart
Bill Haley Lyrics
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That you're my every dream
Yet you're afraid each thing I do
Is just some evil scheme
A memory from your lonesome past
Keeps us so far apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
Another love before my time
Made your heart sad and blue
And so my heart is paying now
For things I didnt do
In anger unkind words are said
That make the teardrops start
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
You'll never know how much it hurts
To see you sit and cry
You know you need and want my love
Yet you're afraid to try
Why do you run and hide from lies
To try, it just ain't smart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
There was a time when I believed
That you belonged to me
But now I know your heart
Is shackled to a memory
The more I learn to care for you
The more we drift apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
The lyrics of Bill Haley's song, Cold Cold Heart, are written in the following form: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus. The verses express the deep feelings and emotions of the singer towards his/her beloved. The song talks about how the singer tries to convince their partner that they are everything to him/her, but the past experiences of his/her partner's love-life has made them hesitant and doubtful about their current relationship. The memories of his/her partner's previous relationships and the fear of getting hurt again is keeping them apart. The sorrowful chorus captures the despair and anguish of the singer's efforts to break this ice: "Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart."
The song resonates with many people who have experienced heartbreak and emotional vulnerability in love. Cold Cold Heart is about trying to bridge the emotional gap and heal the mistrust between two lovers. The song also highlights the importance of communication and honesty in relationships. The singer's persistent efforts to make his/her partner understand the depth of their love and the desperation to get his/her partner to respond are the essence of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I tried so hard, my dear, to show
I made a considerable effort, my love, to demonstrate
That you're my every dream
That you mean everything to me, and that you are the embodiment of all my aspirations
Yet you're afraid each thing I do
Nonetheless, you're anxious that my every action is motivated by some ill intention
Is just some evil scheme
And that everything I do is an insidious plot
A memory from your lonesome past
A recollection of your sorrowful past
Keeps us so far apart
That keeps us so distanced from each other
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
Why am I incapable of liberating you from your skeptical mindset
And melt your cold, cold heart
And thaw your emotionally distant heart
Another love before my time
A previous romantic relationship predating me
Made your heart sad and blue
Left you feeling despondent and melancholic
And so my heart is paying now
And as a result, now my heart too bears the brunt of it
For things I didn't do
For mistakes for which I am not responsible
In anger unkind words are said
When anger takes over, one tends to utter unkind and regretful words
That make the teardrops start
That make one start crying
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
Why can I not alleviate your doubts and suspicions
And melt your cold, cold heart
And make your uninviting heart warm again
You'll never know how much it hurts
You won't ever know how much it pains me
To see you sit and cry
To witness you crying, helplessly sitting there
You know you need and want my love
You are aware that you need and desire my love
Yet you're afraid to try
However, you are too apprehensive to give it a chance
Why do you run and hide from lies
Why do you evade falsehoods
To try, it just ain't smart
It just isn't wise to attempt to avoid them
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
Why can I not release you from your uncertain thoughts
And melt your cold, cold heart
And dissolve your frigid heart
There was a time when I believed
A time existed during which I had conviction in
That you belonged to me
The notion that you were mine
But now I know your heart
Yet at present, I understand your heart
Is shackled to a memory
Is constrained to a memory
The more I learn to care for you
The more I grow to love you
The more we drift apart
The more we pull away from each other
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
Why am I powerless to emancipate you from your indecision
And melt your cold, cold heart
And soften your unresponsive heart
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind