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.
Have You Forgotten?
Darryl Worley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start your preaching
Let me ask you this my friend
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten
They took all the footage off my TV
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it everyday
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten
I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember
Just what they're fighting for
Have you forgotten all the people killed
Some went down like heros in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry about Bin Laden
Have you forgotten
Have you forgotten
Have you forgotten
Darryl Worley's song "Have You Forgotten?" is an emotional and patriotic tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to the soldiers who fight to defend freedom and protect their homeland. The lyrics confront those who question the need for war and who downplay the significance of the attacks. Worley asks whether they have forgotten the shock, horror, and pain of watching the towers fall, the heroism of the victims, and the bravery of the soldiers who put their lives on the line to keep the nation safe.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear people saying we don't need this war
I'm hearing folks say that waging this war is unnecessary
I say there's some things worth fighting for
I'm of the opinion that some matters are worthy of struggling for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground
How about our independence, and this land that is ours?
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
If we don't stand our ground, we're going to lose them
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
There are voices claiming that we're blind to the chaos we're getting ourselves into
Before you start your preaching
I'd like you to pause and hear my opinion
Let me ask you this my friend
May I ask you something, my acquaintance?
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
Do you remember how it was like on that particular day?
To see your homeland under fire
To watch as foreign soldiers ravaged your country
And her people blown away
And your fellow countrymen perishing in the onslaught
Have you forgotten when those towers fell
Do you still acknowledge the moment when the skyscrapers collapsed?
We had neighbors still inside
Some of our neighbors were still within the buildings when they fell
Going through a living hell
Enduring an unspeakable ordeal
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
But you believe that we shouldn't fear or focus on Bin Laden
They took all the footage off my TV
The media has removed all the videos from my TV screen
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
Allegedly, it's too disturbing for the general audience to see
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
They claim that it'll just spawn more anger, according to the pundits
If it was up to me I'd show it everyday
If I had a say in things, I'd televise it every day
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
According to others, this country is only interested in waging war
After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right
Because of what happened on 9/11, I'm inclined to have to concur
I've been there with the soldiers
I've been with the troops in the warzone
Who've gone away to war
The soldiers that have been deployed to war and are not home presently
And you can bet that they remember
And you can rest assured that they recall
Just what they're fighting for
What precisely they are risking their lives for
Have you forgotten all the people killed
Have you disregarded all the individuals that perished?
Some went down like heros in that Pennsylvania field
Some of them went down valiantly in that Pennsylvania open space
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon
Have you put aside the memory of or disregarded the damage in the Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
Every single one of the people that we loved that we've lost
And those left to carry on
And those they've left behind to soldier on
Don't you tell me not to worry about Bin Laden
I don't want to hear that I shouldn't be concerned about Bin Laden
Have you forgotten
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten
Have you forgotten?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WYNN VARBLE, DARRYL WORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ProjectCreativityGuy96
As someone whose Scottish, I have come here to pay My respects to the victims and the people who were a part of this tragedy... I can only imagine being in such an unreal scary situation like this... It actually makes Me tear up!
If You have had lost a loved one on this day, just You know that their sacrifice hasn't gone in vein, and will always be remembered as a brave hero!
22 years today,
reporting from
September 11th,
2023!
May the victims rest in eternal peace!
I send all of My respects, peace and love to You, America! ❤
🏴🇺🇸
@Ryan-xe8ud
I can't forgive men in a cave who got through our defense , or our foolish defense , the best defensive system in the world , being wide open for 1.5 hours against men who lived in caves .
There were signs we either didn't pay much attention or we didn't share our information .
This attack shook our days , our families , our American pride .
As Americans I know we excel from crisis , we are a people of tough times . We were really United that day , now when people are forgetting we are getting divided once more.
I hope u understand my anger.
@stricknine8623
@@PimpyGDawg
I think considering people as "warmongers" in regard to a retaliation or a war that was in response to such an enormous attack on our soil is a very foolish misnomer.
It is very reasonable to expect that there would have been another attack of similar magnitude very soon had our leaders done NOTHING to take the fight to terrorism.
Not to mention that well over 80% of the country WANTED us to strike back.
And of course, over time, the critics camp soon began to grow.
The duration and the manner in which we fought the war is the only issue and fault. It was NOT that we engaged.
@berylsmealwatson3099
This song should be played every year loudly and proudly.
@masterofmundus1304
+Beryl smeal watson Right after "Where Were You"
@scarboroughjames7
+Master of Mundus and Gold Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood
@masterofmundus1304
James Scarborough Yeah, he get's hounded in the streets for that one. It's kind of impressive he hasn't lost his temper with someone who wants to hear it.
@masterofmundus1304
Beryl smeal watson Care to deal with the troll or should I?
@annemcnamara1624
+duxdawg Dear duxdawg. The only Trouble with your Idea is THAT,THAT WOULD BRING YOUR COUNTRY ,MINE(AUSTRALIA) DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL! Idont know what other people Think but to me personally it would MAKE A MOCKERY OF THAT DAY (OR ANY WAR)& ALL THE HEROES, THE PEOPLE WHO DIED,THEIR FAMILIES &ALL OUR MEN & WOMEN IN OUR ARMED FORCES WHO ARE SO DESPARETLY TRYING TO FIGHT EVIL & BRING PEACE TO OUR WORLD! DONT DISHONOR THEIR MEMORY OR SO MANY SACRIFICES. PLEASE.. LEST WE FORGET!
@michaelmcclintock8418
I am an Australian who was in NY on 9/11. I’ll never forget that day and will always be shoulder to shoulder with the US forever. To those who suffered losses my heart goes out to you all
@bugger1649
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 I'm a Army veteran of 10yrs it pissed me off seeing this terrism on my tv
@jasonwebb1882
Thank you!!!! I was sent home with 2 bullet holes and shrapnel in my left hip and left part of my stomach. I got a Purple Heart for this and that's not even close to what I wanted. I wanted to get the crap out of me that day and stitch my ass up so I could be with all my brothers.
I remember 9/11 and I will always have nightmares no matter what. When Preston Obama announced to the world that we found and killed Bin Landen, I slept like crap. I wanted to be the one who put a bullet through him for what hee did to all those innocent people that day. I have 3 kids and a beautiful wife.
I know I'm not the same person that I was before I left to go to Iraq and I know I'll never be. But at least I left my blood on the battlefield and that it wasn't one of my brothers. I would have went crazy just like they did. They guy that shot me, he's dead as a door nail. I'm the one that has to live through life now.
God Bless you and you family sir.
@jasonwebb1882
@bugger1 64
Thank you for your service. I'm a retired Navy Vet. War is nothing nice and hear I am getting all worked up over a song. It brings me back to September 11, 2001.
I was headed back to Mississippi when the 2nd plane hit. I told my wife that we are at war. I thought someone messed up when I heard the 1st plane hit. I said damn, how do you hit a huge building sitting right there??? Then the 2nd one hit and I jumped up to get dressed right then. I was supposed to go back on the 14th but from what I just saw, I was needed right then.
Something that a lot of people don't know. We had troops in Iraq 12hrs after on the 23rd.
God Bless you and your family.. I hope you made it out of there better than I did.