(1) A country singer an… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists by this name:
(1) A country singer and songwriter from Texas.
(2) An alias of techno producer Thomas Wendel.
(1) Don Williams (Born May 27, 1939, in Floydada, Texas - Died September 8, 2017) spent much of his childhood in Corpus Christi, Texas. His father was a mechanic whose job took him to other regions, his mother played guitar and he grew up listening to country music. He and Lofton Kline formed a semi-professional folk group called the Strangers Two, and then, with the addition of Susan Taylor, they became the Pozo-Seco Singers, the phrase being a geological term to denote a dry well. Handled by Bob Dylan's manager Albert Grossman, they had major pop hits in the U.S. with "Time," "I Can Make It With You" and "Look What You've Done." Following Kline's departure, they employed several replacements, resulting in a lack of musical direction. After Williams had failed to turn the trio towards country music, they disbanded in 1971.
He then worked for his father-in-law but also wrote for Susan Taylor's solo album via Jack Clement's music publishing company. Clement asked Williams to record albums of his company's best songs, mainly with a view to attracting other performers. In 1973, Don Williams, Volume 1 was released on the fledgling JMI label and included such memorable songs as Bob McDill's apologia for growing old, "Amanda," and Williams' own "The Shelter of Your Eye." Williams' work was reissued by Dot Records, and Don Williams, Volume 2 included "Atta Way to Go" and "We Should Be Together." Williams then had a country No. 1 with Wayland Holyfield's "You're My Best Friend," which has become a standard and is the perennial sing-along anthem at his concerts. By now, the Williams' style had developed: gently paced love songs with straightforward arrangements, lyrics and sentiments. Williams was mining the same vein as Jim Reeves, but he eschewed Reeves' smartness by dressing like a ranch-hand. Besides having a huge contingent of female fans, Williams counted Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend among his admirers. Clapton recorded his country hit "Tulsa Time," written by Danny Flowers, a member of Williams' band.
Williams played a band member himself in the Burt Reynolds film W.W. & the Dixie Dance Kings and also appeared in Smokey and the Bandit 2. Williams' other successes include "Till the Rivers All Run Dry," "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend," "Lay Down Beside Me" and his only U.S. solo pop hit, "I Believe in You." Unlike most established country artists, he has not sought duet partners, although he and Emmylou Harris found success in 1981 with their version of Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You." Among the highlights of Williams' recording career is his interpretation of "Good Ol' Boys Like Me," McDill's homage to his southern roots. Moving to Capitol Records in the mid-'80s, Williams released such singles as "Heartbeat in the Darkness" and "Senorita," but the material was not as impressive. He took a sabbatical in 1988, but subsequent RCA Records recordings showed that nothing had changed.
In 1998, Williams released I Turn the Page on Giant Records, but the label soon closed its country music division. Following a live album in 2001, Williams retuned in 2004 with My Heart to You.
Maintaining his stress-free style, Williams continues to be a major concert attraction, especially in the U.K. and South Africa.
Williams initially started out as a songwriter for Jack Music Inc., since he lacked belief about going solo but then signed with JMI as a solo artist. His 1974 song "We Should Be Together" reached number five and he was signed on with ABC/Dot. His first single with ABC/Dot, "I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me," became a number one hit, and was the first of a string of top ten hits he had between 1974 and 1991. In fact, only four of his 46 singles didn't make it to the Top Ten. Recently (as of 2012), he released the album And So It Goes.
From His Own Website.
They came to call Don Williams “the Gentle Giant” in the decades he was a dominating country hit maker because of his unique blend of commanding presence and that laid-back, easy style that has appealed to adult men and women alike—cutting across national and genre boundaries. If those personal and musical qualities stood out strongly across the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, they are all the more distinctive in 2012, when so many country and pop records seem to work as check off lists of somebody’s idea of how to be a man, or hard-sell attempts to indicate affection for a woman. Don Williams has never sounded like he felt the need to sell somebody something, or to prove anything.
On And So It Goes, available from Sugar Hill on June 19th, that winning, self-assured ease is again front and center, and the musical style that has made Don a ballad vocal model for performers ranging from Eric Clapton (with whom he’d traded songs—“Tulsa Time,” “Lay Down Sally”) to Keith Urban (who guests on this release). One listen to the characteristically right-on-target vocals on this first Don Williams recording in eight years and his admirers will be wondering what he’s done to maintain that strength over the hiatus.
“Well, there are things that I don’t do,” Don laughs. “I don’t do a whole lot of sitting around chit-chatting, laughing, and carrying on—especially when I’m on the road, where that just makes you tired, anyway. Even at home on the farm there are literally days on end that I may not say anything but for an hour or two a day.”
This man who so clearly loves the quiet home life can still fill an auditorium or stadium across the U.S., the U.K., Europe and Africa; his special role as an international ambassador for American country and pop music is ongoing and his musical appeal, he has long since been astonished to find, is about the same from the Central Time Zone to central Africa.
“The weird thing about that is—no; I don’t change my show to go play England or Nairobi. I can pretty much choose anything from my repertoire and it works wherever I am, and that still amazes me, because you’re talking about different cultures, sometimes different languages, and the whole nine yards.”
The hundreds of memorable songs in that repertoire—over fifty of them major hits—whether contemplative ballads, affecting love songs or change-up rhythm numbers, have always been a core Don Williams strength and focus. Don and long-time producer Garth Fundis, who returns in that role on this new album, each credit the other with having contributed to their own song-picking and sequencing skills—skills well put to shared use again when Nashville’s finest writers submitted hundreds of songs for consideration for Don’s return to recording. They both knew what they were looking for in selections that would appear on And So It Goes:
“They’re very well written, they’re interesting, and the melody and the lyric are saying the same thing,” Don says. “Even when we’re starting looking for the songs, just experimenting, Garth and I are just in agreement; we just want to make good music that touches our hearts and, hopefully, touches others’ in the process. For many years, though, Garth has fussed at me about one thing— that we need to be sure and do whatever song that I wrote, because I would just pass over it. I get more excited about a new song that I’ve just heard than I do my own material!” (There are, in fact, two Don Williams co-writes among the ten outstanding songs on this new release.)
Riding and crossing the line between country and pop, and all the more distinctive for doing it, Don brought a sound and sensibility to the country charts that proved a smash—a development that was initially a surprise even to him.
“When I was just a wee lad,” he recalls, “I really appreciated people like Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash and Jim Reeves; all of those guys back then meant a lot to me, but at the same time, I really loved Brook Benton, and the Platters and all of those people. But even when I was ‘in pop’ myself, with everything that I wrote, the only people who really seemed to appreciate it were country fans. That has to tell you a little bit about where your heart’s at, whether your head agrees with it or not!”
Born in Floydada, Florida in 1939 and growing up near Corpus Christi, Texas, Don was playing guitar by age twelve, taught by his mother, and performed in folk, country and rock bands as a teenager. He first gained musical attention as a member of the pop folk trio The Pozo Seco Singers, which had six pop chart hits in 1966-’67, then was signed as a songwriter by Nashville’s Cowboy Jack Clement in 1971—the sort of songwriter whose demos demanded attention. Between 1974 and 1991, Don had at least one major hit every year, including such country standards to be as “ Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Till the Rivers All Run Dry,” “It Must Be Love,” “I’m Just a Country Boy,” “Amanda” and “I Believe in You.” He also had a hit duet with Emmylou Harris on Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” Don was the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1978; his “Tulsa Time” was the ACM Record of the Year for 1979.
In 2010, Don received country music’s highest honor, with his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Don Williams died on 8 september 2017 after a short illness. He was 78 years old.
(2) Founder and owner of Mojuba & A.R.T.less Records and one half of the Tokomak Records company. He is the creative force behind these imprints and Tokomak's main founding member. His musical influences ranges from Classic, Funk and Jazz via Drum & Bass and Trip Hop to his beloved Detroit Techno and US House, which can be still enjoyed throughout his DJ-Sets. After a few releases on the legendary Pure Plastic imprint, he delivers tracks of his own brand of funk on labels like Rewired, Styrax Leaves and 100% Pure.
She
Don Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Loving her is like being on a merry-go-round
Sometimes she's sad, sometimes she's funny
Sometimes I wonder if I'm going or coming
I know she's not easy to understand
But lovin' her makes me do the best that I can
She's a heartful, unpredictable
She's a heartful, she's worth the trouble
'Cause she's got a heartful of love
First the sunshines, then the rain falls
Sometimes she cries for no reason at all
Then she's a child, restless and moody
Sometimes she looks at me, sometimes she looks through me
There's things about her I've never understood
But I wouldn't change her even if I could
She's a heartful, unpredictable
Can't explain the things she does
She's a heartful, she's worth the trouble
'Cause she's got a heartful of love
She's got a heartful of love
The lyrics to Don Williams's song "She" depict the roller coaster of emotions that come with loving someone with an unpredictable personality. The singer describes his lover as constantly changing, from happy to sad, childlike to moody. He struggles to understand her at times, but ultimately loves her for who she is, flaws and all. Despite the difficulties that come with loving this woman, the singer perseveres because she has a "heartful of love" that makes it all worthwhile.
The lyrics of "She" reveal the complicated and multifaceted nature of love. The song suggests that the road to true love is often rocky and unpredictable, full of highs and lows. Despite the challenges, the singer is willing to weather the storm because he sees the goodness in his lover's heart. By portraying love as something that requires work and persistence, the song offers a realistic and poignant portrayal of relationships.
Overall, "She" is a touching and introspective song that shows how unexplainable love can be. Through its raw and honest lyrics, the song reminds us that love can be difficult, but that it is ultimately worth the effort.
Line by Line Meaning
One minute she's up, one minute she's down
Her emotions change frequently and rapidly
Loving her is like being on a merry-go-round
Being in a relationship with her is like a ride with constant ups and downs
Sometimes she's sad, sometimes she's funny
Her moods vary widely from being serious to being humorous
Sometimes I wonder if I'm going or coming
Her unpredictable nature makes it difficult for him to know where he stands in their relationship
I know she's not easy to understand
He acknowledges that he struggles to comprehend her behavior and emotions
But lovin' her makes me do the best that I can
Despite this struggle, his love for her motivates him to keep trying
She's a heartful, unpredictable
She is full of emotion and difficult to predict
Can't explain the things she does
Her actions are often illogical and difficult to justify
She's a heartful, she's worth the trouble
Despite the difficulties, he believes she is worth the effort
'Cause she's got a heartful of love
She has a lot of love and compassion to give, and that is why he loves her
First the sunshine, then the rain falls
Her emotions or demeanor can go from being bright and happy to dark and sad very quickly
Sometimes she cries for no reason at all
She may cry even if there is no apparent reason to do so
Then she's a child, restless and moody
Her behavior can be immature and she can switch moods frequently
Sometimes she looks at me, sometimes she looks through me
Her attention and focus can be inconsistent, making it difficult for him to gauge where he stands with her
There's things about her I've never understood
There are still parts of her personality that he doesn't grasp
But I wouldn't change her even if I could
Despite these quirks, he wouldn't want her to be any different because he loves her as she is
She's got a heartful of love
Reiterating that despite her unpredictability, she has abundant love within her
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1976 {December 5th} Don Williams' "She Never Knew Me"* peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, and for the two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous" by Johnny Duncan...
And "She Never Knew Me" also reached #2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart...
Between 1973 and 1992 the Floydada, Texas native had fifty-four records on the Hot Country Singles chart, forty-three made the Top 10 with seventeen reaching #1...
One of his fifty-four charted records was a duet with Emmylou Harris, "If I Needed You", it peaked at #3 in 1981...
Donald Ray Williams, aka the Gentle Giant, passed away at the age of 78 on September 8th, 2017...
May he R.I.P.
* "She Never Knew Me" was the first of five of his records to peak at #2 on the Hot Country Singles chart...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the Hot Country Singles' Top 10 on December 5th, 1976:
At #3. "Good Woman Blues" by Mel Tillis
#4. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" by Mickey Gilley
#5. "Hillbilly Heart" by Johnny Rodriguez
#6. "Sweet Dreams" by Emmylou Harris
#7. "Take My Breath Away" by Margo Smith
#8. "Baby Boy" by Mary Kay Place as Loretta Haggers
#9. "Fox On The Run" by Tom T. Hall
#10. "Broken Down In Tiny Pieces" by Billy 'Crash' Craddock
@MsMutiti
Another beautiful song by Don
This great man had a special gift in music.
SHE NEVER KNEW ME
She packed up her suitcase and walked to the door
She said she won't come back like she's done before
I bet she's in Dallas before it gets dark
I know she's thinking she's breaking my heart
She knows I love her so she thinks I'll crawl
But she never knew me she never knew me she never knew me at all
She know I love her I know I need her
God knows to please her I've tried and I've tried
By now if I know her she's changed her mind
She'll pull off the highway and have a good cry
And then like a lost child she'll want to come home
She thinks I'm waitin' there by the phone
She'll stop in some cafe and give me a call
But she never knew me she never knew me she never knew me at all
@thestyleguystv7718
She packed up her suitcase
And walked to the door
She said she won't come back
Like she's done before
I'll bet she's in Dallas before it gets dark
I know she's thinking she's breaking my heart
She knows I love her
So she'll think I'll crawl
But she never knew me
She never knew me
She never knew me at all
She know I love her
I know I need her
God knows, to please her, I've tried
And I've tried
By now if I know her
She's changed her mind
She'll pull off the highway and have a good cry
And then like a lost child, she'll wanna come home
She thinks I'm waiting
There by the phone
She'll stop in some cafe
And give me a call
But she never knew me
She never knew me
She never knew me at all
@javadghashami3483
My father used to translate his song for me while he spoke in the car .I learned English this way.23 years passed so soon
@jarrettreece3345
You know that feeling when you need to cry and and only one song will open those floodgates. Tonight this is that song. Thank you Don.
@rashmigama2417
Exactly.
He never knew me at all.❤
@marianielsnancyvillapandoh1413
I miss him so much🥀❤️
@cliffordbryant9658
I love this song .I love all Don Williams songs
@marianielsnancyvillapandoh1413
old but is gold I love music very much especially song Don Williams❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@katecohu3107
Don is magic 🪄 wish I’d seen him in concert ❤️
@odiswhite8429
Kate, I was able to see him at the Tobin Center in San Antonio several years back and had great seats. It was completely awesome!
@katecohu3107
@@odiswhite8429 good morning I’ve never been that lucky 🍀 I would love to have been able to go to one of his concerts
@johnhaddenham3189
I saw him in Salt Lake City in the mid 90s. One of the best shows I’ve been to.