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.
I Miss My Friend
Darryl Worley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way your soft brown hair would fall
I miss the power of your kiss when we made love
Oh but baby most of all
I miss my friend
The one my heart and soul confided in
The one I felt the safest with
And let the light back in
I miss my friend
I miss the colors that you brought into my life
Your golden smile, those blue-green eyes
I miss your gentle voice in lonely times like now
Saying it'll be alright
I miss my friend
The one my heart and soul confided in
The one I felt the safest with
The one who knew just what to say to make me laugh again
And let the light back in
I miss my friend
I miss those times
I miss those nights
I even miss our silly fights
The making up
The morning talks
And those late afternoon walks
I miss my friend
The one my heart and soul confided in
The one I felt the safest with
The one who knew just what to say to make me laugh again
And let the light back in
I miss my friend
I miss my friend
I miss my friend
I miss my friend
"I Miss My Friend" by Darryl Worley tells the story of a man who has lost his partner and is mourning the loss of not only his lover but his closest friend. The song reminisces about the little things that the singer misses the most about his friend, such as the way her hair fell, the power of her kiss, and the colors she brought into his life. The singer's loss is heart-wrenching, because his friend was the one person he could confide in, the one with whom he felt the safest with, and the one who knew exactly how to make him laugh again. The singer recounts that he even misses the silly fights they had because he always knew that they would make up and be close again.
The lyrics are poetic and filled with emotion, which turns a simple love song into a beautiful tribute to friendship. It is a reminder of the importance of valuing and appreciating the people who bring color to our lives, as they make our existence beautiful and worthwhile. The lyrics are a beautiful testimony to the importance of appreciating friends while we can, and the regret that often comes when we do not.
Line by Line Meaning
I miss the look of surrender in your eyes
I long for the vulnerability I saw in your eyes, the trust that you placed in me.
The way your soft brown hair would fall
Your appearance may be a small detail, but I remember and value it nonetheless.
I miss the power of your kiss when we made love
The passion we shared was so intense and meaningful to me, and I feel its absence now.
Oh but baby most of all
Out of all the things I miss about you, this is the most significant and painful.
I miss the colors that you brought into my life
You had a way of brightening my life, bringing joy and beauty into my world.
Your golden smile, those blue-green eyes
Your physical attributes were one part of what made you special to me, but what I truly miss is the way you made me feel when you smiled and looked at me.
I miss your gentle voice in lonely times like now
During times of sadness or loneliness, I would turn to you for comfort and reassurance.
Saying it'll be alright
Your words had a way of putting me at ease, making everything seem better.
I miss those times
I long for the memories of us together, the experiences we shared.
I miss those nights
The intimacy we shared in the quiet of the night, when everything else faded away, is something I yearn for now.
I even miss our silly fights
Even our arguments seem fond in retrospect, a reminder of how much we cared about each other that we could have strong emotions together.
The making up
We always found a way to reconcile, to put our differences aside and focus on what truly mattered.
The morning talks
We had a way of starting each day together, discussing our plans and hopes for the future.
And those late afternoon walks
The simple act of walking together, enjoying each other's company, was one of life's greatest pleasures for us.
I miss my friend
At the end of the day, I realize that what I truly miss is the person who was my companion, my confidant, my partner in life.
The one my heart and soul confided in
You were the one person in whom I could trust my most intimate thoughts and feelings, without fear of judgment or rejection.
The one I felt the safest with
You made me feel safe and secure, in a way that no one else ever has or could.
The one who knew just what to say to make me laugh again
You had a knack for bringing joy and humor into my life, making me smile even during the toughest of times.
And let the light back in
Your presence and love brought light into my life, illuminating the darkness that sometimes threatened to overwhelm me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARK EUGENE NESLER, ANTHONY MARTIN, TOM SHAPIRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vegasjw
Just lost my wife to cancer. This hit home. 4 weeks and she's on my mind constantly
@kennjd
And she all ways will be thats how it is for me 45 years together I miss her every day God Blesd🌹💔
@billnye3954
i lost my wife to cancer 3 years ago. worst day of my life changed me forever which im sure it did for you. i hope you are doing much better man. its a tall task to lose the ones we love and we hope no one ever has to feel the pain. i hope you are doing much better.
@user-vx2md4mw2z
Lost my husband may 1st, 2023. Never felt pain like this before, this song really touches home😢.
@angelaschaefer5883
🙏💔😢
@mattanderson861
So very sorry for your loss 🙏
@Dailyzed_13
This song is so emotional because I always remember my wife when ever I listen to this music, I lost her to plain crash in 2020 and since then life has turned to something else but this song get me going
@westernairephoenix1282
I listened to this song over and over again after my wife died from cancer 20 years ago.
It's still a love for her and this song for all these years.
I miss my friend.
@HK-qj4im
You will see her again. I wish you could know what I know.
@RomanticMelodies2904
I would give all this world could afford to hug my best friend one more time; look into his eyes and know that he knew the depth of my love for him.