Daniels began writing and performing in the 1950s. In 1964, Daniels wrote a song called "It Hurts Me" which Elvis Presley recorded. He worked as a session musician, including playing on three Bob Dylan albums during 1969 and 1970. Daniels recorded his first solo album, Charlie Daniels, in 1970. His first hit, the novelty song "Uneasy Rider", came off his 1972 second album, Honey in the Rock, and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1974, Daniels organized the first in a series of Volunteer Jam concerts based in or around Nashville, Tennessee. Except for a three-year gap in the late 1980s, these have continued ever since.
In 1975, he had a top 30 hit as leader of the Charlie Daniels Band (CDB) with the Southern rock self-identification anthem "The South's Gonna Do It Again". "Long Haired Country Boy" was also a minor hit in that year.
Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1979 for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", which reached #3 on the charts.
Subsequent Daniels pop hits included "In America" (#11 in 1980), "The Legend of Wooley Swamp" (#31 in 1980), and "Still in Saigon" (#22 in 1982).
In the late 1980s and 1990s several of Daniels' albums and singles were hits on the country charts. Daniels also released several gospel and Christian records.
Charlie Daniels has never shied away from politics. "The South's Gonna Do It" had a mild message of Southern cultural identity within the Southern rock movement. Daniels was an early supporter of Jimmy Carter's presidential bid and performed at his January 1977 inauguration.
"In America" was a reaction to the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis; it described a patriotic, united America where "we'll all stick together and you can take that to the bank / That's the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks." In contrast, "Still in Saigon" (written by Dan Daley) was an effective portrayal of the plight of the American Vietnam veteran ten years after the war; it was part of an early 1980s wave of attention to the subject, in contrast to treatments such as Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." and "Shut Out the Light", Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon", and somewhat later Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road".
In 1990, Daniels' country hit "Simple Man" seemingly advocated a pseudo-Biblical form of vigilantism; lines such as "Just take them [rapists, killers, child abusers] out in the swamp / Put 'em on their knees and tie 'em to a stump / Let the rattlers and the bugs and the alligators do the rest," got Daniels considerable media attention and talk show visits.
In 2003, Daniels published an Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch in defence of George W. Bush's Iraq policy. His 2003 book Ain't No Rag: Freedom, Family, and the Flag contains this letter as well as many other personal statements. During the 2004 presidential campaign, Daniels acknowledged that having never served in the military himself, he did not have the right to criticize John Kerry's service record.
In 2005, he has made a cameo appearance along with Larry the Cable Guy, Kid Rock, and Hank Williams, Jr. in Gretchen Wilson's music video for the song "All Jacked Up", whose album has been released.
In November 2007, Daniels was invited by Martina McBride to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
In October 2016, Daniels officially became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
On October 26, 2018, Daniels released a new side album project that was not solo or CDB, but a new band called Beau Weevils, along with CDB bass player, Charlie Hayward, producer James Stroud on drums and Billy Crain on guitar.
Blue Christmas
Charlie Daniels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ill be so blue just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green christmas tree
Wont be the same dear, if youre not here with me
And when those blue snowflakes start falling
Thats when those blue memories start calling
Youll be doin all right, with your christmas of white
(instrumental break)
Youll be doin all right, with your christmas of white,
But Ill have a blue, blue christmas
Charlie Daniels's song "Blue Christmas" is a melancholic holiday tune that laments the absence of a loved one during the festive season. The song is delivered from the perspective of someone who's experiencing a blue Christmas, a time when the world is supposed to be merry and bright, but is instead dull and colorless. The opening lines, "I'll have a blue Christmas without you, I'll be so blue just thinking about you," perfectly capture this sentiment. The singer acknowledges that the holiday won't be the same without their significant other, and his absence will be keenly felt.
The song's melody and lyrics are carefully crafted to evoke a sense of loneliness and sadness, despite the cheerful holiday backdrop. The decorations on the evergreen tree, usually meant to signify love, warmth, and joy, only serve to remind the singer of what they've lost. In the refrain, the singer describes how the sight of blue snowflakes falling makes him remember all the happy times he had with his partner, who is no longer there.
In conclusion, "Blue Christmas" is a soul-stirring anthem that poignantly articulates the heartbreak that comes with lost love during the holiday season. Charlie Daniels's emotically charged vocal delivery and impeccable musicianship make it an enduring classic that continues to resonate with audiences even decades after its release.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll have a blue Christmas without you
I will not enjoy Christmas without you, and I will feel sad and lonely.
I'll be so blue just thinking about you
Just the thought of you not being here with me during Christmas will make me feel sad.
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Though the decorations on the Christmas tree will be beautiful, they will not be able to cheer me up as you won't be here with me to share the happiness.
Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me
Christmas won't be the same as I will be missing your company and your absence will leave a void in my heart.
And when those blue snowflakes start falling
As snowflakes start falling, sensing the coming of the holiday season, my heart will become melancholic because of you not being present.
That's when those blue memories start calling
Those memories of the time we've spent together in the past during Christmas season make their way back to remind me of your absence.
You'll be doin all right, with your Christmas of white
You may be enjoying the snowy Christmas without me, but I will still have a blue Christmas without you.
But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas
The absence of your presence in this beautiful season will make it dull and lifeless for me.
Lyrics © DEMI MUSIC CORP. D/B/A LICHELLE MUSIC COMPANY, EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HUGH MARTIN, RALPH BLANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind