(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 โthe Gentle Giantโ 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 alikeโcutting across national and genre boundaries. If those personal and musical qualities stood out strongly across the 1970s, โ80s and โ90s, they are all the more distinctive in 2012, when so many country and pop records seem to work as check off lists of somebodyโs 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 heโd traded songsโโTulsa Time,โ โLay Down Sallyโ) 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 heโs done to maintain that strength over the hiatus.
โWell, there are things that I donโt do,โ Don laughs. โI donโt do a whole lot of sitting around chit-chatting, laughing, and carrying onโespecially when Iโm 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.โ
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.
โThe weird thing about that isโno; I donโt 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 youโre talking about different cultures, sometimes different languages, and the whole nine yards.โ
The hundreds of memorable songs in that repertoireโover fifty of them major hitsโwhether 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 skillsโskills well put to shared use again when Nashvilleโs finest writers submitted hundreds of songs for consideration for Donโs return to recording. They both knew what they were looking for in selections that would appear on And So It Goes:
โTheyโre very well written, theyโre interesting, and the melody and the lyric are saying the same thing,โ Don says. โEven when weโre 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 othersโ in the process. For many years, though, Garth has fussed at me about one thingโ 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 Iโve just heard than I do my own material!โ (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 smashโa development that was initially a surprise even to him.
โWhen I was just a wee lad,โ he recalls, โI 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 โin popโ 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 heartโs at, whether your head agrees with it or not!โ
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-โ67, then was signed as a songwriter by Nashvilleโs Cowboy Jack Clement in 1971โthe 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 โ Good Ole Boys Like Me,โ โTill the Rivers All Run Dry,โ โIt Must Be Love,โ โIโm Just a Country Boy,โ โAmandaโ and โI Believe in You.โ He also had a hit duet with Emmylou Harris on Townes Van Zandtโs โIf I Needed You.โ Don was the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1978; his โTulsa Timeโ was the ACM Record of the Year for 1979.
In 2010, Don received country musicโs 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.
Years From Now
Don Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll hold you years from now as I hold you tonight
You are my one true friend always my one true friend
And I'll love you till life's end, as I love you tonight
I know this world that we live in can be hard now and then
And it will be again, many times we've been down
Still love has kept us together for the flame never dies
Holding you years from now
Wanting you years from now
Loving you years from now
As I love you tonight
In Don Williams's song, "Years From Now," he portrays a message of unending love and loyalty. The lyrics describe a deep emotional bond between two people who are true friends and lovers. The singer declares that he will always want and fiercely love his significant other, even years from now. Don establishes that the world is not an easy place to live in, and it is not uncommon to encounter difficult moments. However, the foundation of their relationship is built on genuine love, which has always held them together. The track describes a picture of a partnership that can withstand the test of time, and the singer is confident that their bond will never fade.
Furthermore, the lyrics talk about the hope and possibilities that the future holds, emphasizing that the future is bright for these two soulmates. Looking into the eyes of his lover, the singer finds the optimism, the ever-brightening prospect that they will always be together, wanting, holding, and loving each other. In summary, "Years From Now" is an ode to unwavering love and an unwavering relationship, promising to hold onto that love until the end of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Years from now, I'll want you years from now
In the future, I will still feel a strong desire for you and our love will still be present.
I'll hold you years from now as I hold you tonight
I will continue to cherish your presence and hold you close to me in the future, just as I do now.
You are my one true friend always my one true friend
You are the only one I consider my genuine friend, and I will always be there for you.
And I'll love you till life's end, as I love you tonight
My love for you will endure through every challenge and obstacle, continuing to burn as strong as it does tonight.
I know this world that we live in can be hard now and then
We both know how difficult life can be at times.
And it will be again, many times we've been down
We have faced adversity together many times, and there are undoubtedly more difficult moments to come in the future.
Still love has kept us together for the flame never dies
Our love has been the key to our enduring relationship, as it never fades or loses its intensity.
When I look in your eyes the future I see
I find certainty and assurance about the future of our relationship when I gaze into your eyes.
Holding you years from now
In the future, I will still be holding you lovingly in my arms.
Wanting you years from now
I will continue to passionately desire you even in the years to come.
Loving you years from now
My love for you will continue to thrive and flourish in the future, just as it does now.
As I love you tonight
My love for you is unchanging, and I will always cherish and adore you as I do tonight.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHARLES COCHRAN, ROGER F. COOK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pondy Hsu
Years from now,
I'll want you years from now
I'll hold you years from now
As I hold you tonight
You are my one true friend
Always my one true friend
And I'll love you till life's end,
As I love you tonight.
I know this world that we live in
Can be hard now and then
And it will be again,
Many times we've been down
Still love has kept us together
For the flame never dies
When I look in your eyes
All the future I see.
Holding you years, from now
Wanting you years, from now
Loving you years, from now
As I love you tonight...
Michael J. Savage
My favorite song of his. Saw him when he was winding down but he still had a voice like pure mountain spring water. Truly unique.
Coleman Dylan
@Grey Salvador definitely, been watching on InstaFlixxer for since november myself :D
tmjmccormack
I consider this the epitome of beautiful songs. Probably the most romantic song I can think of. Also on a great album, Especially For You.
Dixie Blackwell
I love to listen to Don Williams. He is my favorite artist and song writer. He is an amazing singer.
James Curtis
THE natural successor to Jim Reeves. Have all his albums, seen him live twice(sorry, I live in England) and he is sheer, total, absolute Class! Rip Gentle Giant, and thank you
Calie K
Love Love Love Don Williams!! I saw him in concert a few years ago. Was one of the best nights of my life. His music is amazing!
Jacqueline Ganem
Show de bola ๐๐ผ๐ทโค๏ธ๐
honeybeeisme
Just saw that the great Don Williams passed away. Heart broken. I danced to this song with my husband as our first dance as a married couple. Perfect song. Thank you, Mr. Williams
Pondy Hsu
Years from now,
I'll want you years from now
I'll hold you years from now
As I hold you tonight
You are my one true friend
Always my one true friend
And I'll love you till life's end,
As I love you tonight.
I know this world that we live in
Can be hard now and then
And it will be again,
Many times we've been down
Still love has kept us together
For the flame never dies
When I look in your eyes
All the future I see.
Holding you years, from now
Wanting you years, from now
Loving you years, from now
As I love you tonight...
Cog nac
Our wedding song 32 years ago. RIP the great Don Williams