He has topped the charts with singles including "I Miss My Friend," "Awful, Beautiful Life" and "Have You Forgotten?" which accomplished the feat for one, two and an incredible seven weeks respectively. He hit the Top 20 with the first three singles from his impressive major-label debut, Hard Rain Don't Last - "When You Need My Love," "A Good Day to Run" and "Second Wind" and followed with smashes like "If Something Should Happen," "I Just Came Back From A War" and the iconic "Tennessee River Run."
Along the way, he has sold nearly two million albums, earned nominations for five major ACM and CMA awards, including "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year," and has written songs for other major artists, including George Jones.
Now, with the release of his sixth album, Sounds Like Life, Worley reasserts himself as one of country’s true creative forces. Sounds like Life showcases Worley as a songwriter of depth and passion and a singer whose versatility and believability have grown stronger through the years. The project is a microcosm of his life and career, with the sometimes rocky, sometimes triumphant road he’s traveled infusing every track, and it bears both the sense of detail and the universality we’ve come to expect from the 6’6“ hit-maker.
The album is at once a reinvention and a return to the people and approach that marked Worley's dramatic entry into the national spotlight a decade ago. Sounds Like Life is a master storyteller’s take on modern life, a project that runs the gamut from show business itself ("Honkytonk Life") to hard-won wisdom ("You Never Know," "Nothing But Money"). It is a journey through love ("Best Of Both Worlds," "Everyday Love," "Tequila On Ice") and loss ("Slow Dancin’ With A Memory"), and from sensuality ("Messed Up In Memphis") to philosophy ("Doin’ What’s Right").
Worley jumped quickly back into the Top 20 with the single "Sounds Like Life To Me," a song as accessible as it is profound. Another of the album’s real high points is "Don't Show Up (If You Can't Get Down)," a groove song that attracted an all-star cast of participants including Jamey Johnson, Bill Anderson, Mel Tillis, John Anderson, Steve Harwell of Smashmouth, John Cowan of the New Grass Revival and Ira Dean.
The album is at once a reinvention and a return to the people and approach that marked Worley’s dramatic entry into the national spotlight a decade ago.
"I consciously made a decision I wanted this record to have the same kind of substance as my very first record," he says. "That album was pretty straightforward country and it had some really great songwriters’ songs on there well crafted, clever, but with substance. I also wanted something uplifting and fun, something that sounded different and had great grooves."
Having left behind two record deals after a corporate restructuring and a label demise, he was free to, as he says, "wipe the slate completely clean." He told his new management team he wanted to use his own money to record a project with his road band and with two long-time friends Jim "Moose" Brown and Kevin "Swine" Grantt producing.
"The guys play these songs every night," he says, "so it only made sense to go in the studio and cut the record just like we play on stage. And it worked. This is a group of people who have hung together for 15 years and there are no duds in there. They’re all very real people with one thing in mind make the best possible music, whether it’s songwriting, producing, or recording as an artist. I felt like we’d capture some cool stuff and that’s what happened. It meant a lot to us as friends to be able to do this, too."
Outside the industry’s parameters or politics, he and that close cohort of musicians put together an album that reflects everything Worley does well.
"We didn’t set out to make the record that would define me as an artist," he adds. "I said, ’Let’s just be more concerned about the music. We don't have anybody breathing down our neck. Let’s go in there and do what we always said we wanted do and just have fun, get all the guys together and when the moment’s right, let’s cut one and keep it.’"
Photo of Darryl Worley Once the album was cut, Worley began meeting with labels and was about to sign a deal when James Stroud, who had signed him to his first deal a decade earlier, called and said he was launching a new label, Stroudavarious Records, with businessman/entrepreneur Ronnie Gilley.
"Ronnie and James and I had been doing business together for eight or nine years," says Worley. "James taught me a lot of what I know about the music business. He and I had a lot of success together and a lot of fun together, and we had gotten to know each other inside and out.
"I wanted a real partnership," he says. "That’s what we’ve got, and that’s why it’s working."
Sounds Like Life launches the latest chapter in one of modern country music’s most amazing odysseys. It began in Hardin County, Tennessee, part of a three-state region where the elements of life included hard work, economic hardship, deep religious conviction and bootleg liquor. It paid to be tough and smart, and Worley was both.
He was also musical his grandfather played old country and bluegrass on the banjo and his mother sang in church. Worley was drawn in both directions, balancing the hellion and the seeker as he grew up. Tall and athletic, Worley might have earned an athletic scholarship to college, but he broke his back playing basketball and lost that opportunity. Still, he earned a degree in biology with a minor in organic chemistry, playing music in honky-tonks and raising hell all the while.
He continued playing as he worked in the chemical business and taught school for a year, torn between the pressure he felt to establish a secure career and his deep-seated need to pursue music. Finally, his preacher father helped him sort it out.
"One day he said, ’If you’re still thinking about that music thing you better do it now’," says Worley, "’because if you don’t, you’ll be trapped by the obligation of the debt and the responsibilities that come with life.’ That was all I needed to hear."
A gifted and hard-working songwriter, he signed a deal with Fame Publishing in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to write songs for $150 a week. Years of playing bars and hard living made their way into his music, and artists like George Jones cut his early work. He was signed to Nashville’s EMI Publishing and in 1994 he made his way to Nashville. After half a decade of sometimes frustrating development deals, in 1999 he earned the label deal that moved his career into high gear.
Worley has not wavered in his support for those who put their lives on the line for democracy It is telling that Worley was quick to turn his celebrity to good purpose. In 2002, he traveled to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan to entertain troops, and the experience was transforming. He wrote "Have You Forgotten?" and began a series of visits here and overseas, including to Iraq, to support those who wear their country’s uniform.
He calls those trips "the best work I’ve done since I’ve been in this business. I’ve never done it for accolades or for publicity. I do it because I want to do it."
Still, accolades have come. He has received the VFW’s Americanism Award and the USO’s Merit Award, and the Tennessee House of Representatives cited him for his contributions to country music.
His experiences overseas helped spur him to launch major charitable efforts back home.
"Coming off some of those trips really made me want to dig in and do more for my home area Savannah, Hardin County, that whole Tri-state area," he says. "My parents said, ’You need to remember where you come from,’ and the Darryl Worley Foundation became the way to do that."
What began as a way to provide assistance to people who might not be able to afford insurance who faced catastrophic losses has expanded over time. His Tennessee River Run, a weeklong festival capped by several major concerts, has raised money for all kinds of projects, including medical facilities.
"I’ve seen friends and family affected by cancer, and at one point I said, ’Can we do something here in the county to help some of them?’ We built this small outpatient chemotherapy wing on the Hardin County Medical Center and we were immediately overwhelmed by the people who just poured in there. They were literally in the hallways getting chemotherapy. Now we’re in the process of planning a cancer treatment center."
Photo of Darryl Worley on a motorcycle For a man whose career single-mindedness and whose wild and restless streak once wrought havoc in his personal life, he has found more peace than ever since his marriage to his wife Kimberly and the birth of his daughter Savannah.
"My wife and my child have put everything in perspective," he says. "I didn’t think it would ever happen to me. For once in my life I feel like I've got my priorities in order."
That sense of perspective has only strengthened his music. His happiness has found its way onto Sounds Like Life, an album whose title is a summation of the reason for his popularity.
"The songs I’d had really big success with are songs that are just a big chunk of reality or a day in the life of somebody," he says. "That's what people expect from Darryl Worley. ’Have You Forgotten?’ ’Awful, Beautiful Life,’ ’If Something Should Happen’ those songs are something somebody went through. It’s real. It’s not contrived, not made up, and there’s a difference. You hear songs every day where you say, ’I love that, but it's a little bit out there. It’s probably not a real thing.’ But this album is about reality. There’s some stuff about the family. There’s some stuff about the new baby. It’s got both really cool grooves and real life."
Such songs have made Darryl Worley a vital part of the fabric of the modern musical landscape for a decade, and Sounds Like Life is convincing proof he will carry that position forward.
A Good Day To Run
Darryl Worley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About to choke on my own blue collar
This ain't gonna last
Misled by the grand illusion
I've come to this conclusion
I can't make a move too fast
It was written in the sky today
By the morning sun it sure looks like a good day to run
[Chorus]
Wide open down a two-lane highway
It's about time that some things went my way
Throwing troubles out to the wind and
I'm praying that they never catch up again
I'm gonna say my worrying days are done
And this looks like a good day to run
My baby's been working as a cashier
She didn't get a vacation this past year
Now it won't be long
We don't need no destination
Just a tank of gas and a good clear station
Playing our favorite song
There're some places that we ain't been
Some things we ain't done
And it sure looks like a good day to run
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Darryl Worley's "A Good Day To Run" speak to the universal desire to break free from the monotony of everyday life and escape to something new and exciting. The singer of the song is exhausted from working every day for little pay and feels trapped by his blue-collar job. He comes to the realization that he can't continue at this pace and needs a change. The lyrics suggest that he has been misled by the "grand illusion," possibly alluding to the American Dream and the idea that hard work will lead to success. The singer sees a sign in the sky that today is a good day to run, and he knows he needs to take a chance and escape.
The chorus of the song alludes to the freedom and excitement of hitting the open road and leaving your troubles behind. The singer dreams of cruising down a two-lane highway with his partner by his side, carefree and happy. He believes that this is the day that his luck will finally turn around and that he can leave his worrying behind. He is looking for adventure, and he feels that today is the perfect day to pursue it.
In summary, "A Good Day To Run" is a song about the desire to escape the drudgery of everyday life and seek out adventure. It speaks to the universal human desire to take chances and pursue our dreams, even if it means leaving behind the safety and security of the known.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm tired of working every day for a dollar
I am fatigued from working each day for so little pay.
About to choke on my own blue collar
I feel suffocated by the constraints of my job.
This ain't gonna last
I am confident that this current situation won't continue indefinitely.
Misled by the grand illusion
My expectations have been misguided.
I've come to this conclusion
I have realized something important.
I can't make a move too fast
I need to act with caution.
It was written in the sky today
The stars have aligned for me to take action today.
By the morning sun it sure looks like a good day to run
The timing feels right for me to make some changes.
[Chorus] Wide open down a two-lane highway
I feel free and unencumbered, driving down this road.
It's about time that some things went my way
I'm overdue for good luck.
Throwing troubles out to the wind and
I'm releasing my worries.
I'm praying that they never catch up again
I hope to leave my problems behind.
I'm gonna say my worrying days are done
I've decided to stop fretting about the future.
And this looks like a good day to run
Today feels like the right day for me to embark on a new journey.
My baby's been working as a cashier
My partner has been laboring in a low-paying job.
She didn't get a vacation this past year
She wasn't able to take time off from work recently.
Now it won't be long
Soon, we'll have the chance to get away.
We don't need no destination
We aren't bound by any specific plans.
Just a tank of gas and a good clear station
We only require some fuel and a spot to fill up the gas tank.
Playing our favorite song
We'll listen to music that we love during our journey.
There're some places that we ain't been
There are destinations that we have yet to experience.
Some things we ain't done
There are experiences that we haven't had yet.
And it sure looks like a good day to run
Today seems like a perfect day for us to take off and explore.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the artist's desire for a carefree road trip.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY TOMBERLIN, DARRYL WORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nice Raptor
I'm tired of working every day for a dollar
About to choke on my own blue collar
This ain't gonna last
Misled by the grand illusion
I've come to this conclusion
I can't make a move too fast
It was written in the sky today
By the morning sun it sure looks like a good day to run
Wide open down a two-lane highway
It's about time that some things went my way
Throwing troubles out to the wind and
I'm praying that they never catch up again
I'm gonna say my worrying days are done
And this looks like a good day to run
My baby's been working as a cashier
She didn't get a vacation this past year
Now it won't be long
We don't need no destination
Just a tank of gas and a good clear station
Playing our favorite song
There're some places that we ain't been
Some things we ain't done
And it sure looks like a good day to run
Wide open down a two-lane highway
It's about time that some things went my way
Throwing troubles out to the wind and
I'm praying that they never catch up again
I'm gonna say my worrying days are done
And this looks like a good day to run
Brent Gatlin
They need to put this on the radio today and bring back country music
sam leb
They sure do
Jarn Warker
I am a fan of many genres, and I am just going to go ahead and agree that this is REAL country.
George Ballard
Darryl Worley is a very underrated singer. This is just one example of his great abilities!
Danielle Putnam
This song is still my favorite by him!!! I love all of his music but this song puts you in a good mood! I miss this style of country!
Q Q
Same here brother. This was the TRUE country. I miss is dearly. And all the singers from prime country!
Cp the doc is daddy
That's my uncle
Michael Burgoyne
Underrated artist. This song on the radio and driving on a sunny day in the country. The memories....
JohnnyCBCS
I got another word that starts with "under" - understatement. Calling Darryl Worley an underrated artist is an understatement.
Campbell73
I sure miss these ☝️great true days of REAL country classic music!!! Do Y’all????😢