Arnold was born on May 15, 1918 on a farm near Henderson, Tennessee. His father, a sharecropper, played the fiddle, while his mother played guitar. As a boy Arnold helped on the farm, which later gained him his nickname—the Tennessee Plowboy. Arnold attended Pinson High School in Pinson, Tennessee, where he played guitar for school functions and events. He quit before graduation to help with the farm work, but continued performing, often arriving on a mule with his guitar hung on his back. Arnold also worked part-time as an assistant at a mortuary.
In 1934, at age 16, Arnold debuted musically on WTJS-AM in Jackson, Tennessee and obtained a job there during 1937. He performed at local nightclubs and was a permanent performer for the station. During 1938, he was hired by WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was one of its most popular performers. He soon quit for KWK-AM in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by a brief stint at WHAS-AM in Louisville, Kentucky.
He performed for WSM-AM on the Grand Ole Opry during 1943 as a solo artist. In 1944, Arnold signed a contract with RCA Victor, with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who later managed Elvis Presley. Arnold's first single was little noticed, but the next, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years", scored No. 5 on the country charts during 1945. Its success began a decade of unprecedented chart performance; Arnold's next 57 singles all scored the Top Ten, including 19 number one scoring successes.
In 1946, Arnold scored his first major success with "That's How Much I Love You". In 1948, he had five successful songs on the charts simultaneously. That year he had nine songs score the top 10; five of these scored No. 1 and scored No. 1 for 40 of the year's 52 weeks. With Parker's management, Arnold continued to dominate, with 13 of the 20 best-scoring country music songs of 1947–1948. He became the host of Mutual Radio's Purina-sponsored segment of the Opry and of Mutual’s Checkerboard Jamboree, a midday program shared with Ernest Tubb that was broadcast from a Nashville theater. Recorded radio programs increased Arnold’s popularity, as did the CBS Radio series Hometown Reunion with the Duke of Paducah. Arnold quit the Opry during 1948, and his Hometown Reunion briefly broadcasted in competition with the Opry on Saturday nights. In 1949 and 1950, he performed in the Columbia movies Feudin’ Rhythm and Hoedown.
Arnold began working for television in the early 1950s, hosting The Eddy Arnold Show. The summer program was broadcast successively by all three television networks, replacing the Perry Como and Dinah Shore programs. He also performed as a guest and a guest host on the ABC-TV show Ozark Jubilee from 1955–60. Arnold featured in the syndicated Eddy Arnold Time from 1955 to 1957. From 1960 to 1961, he hosted NBC-TV's Today on the Farm.
With the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, Arnold's record sales declined, though he and fellow RCA Victor recording artist Jim Reeves had a greater audience with popular-sounding string-laced arrangements. Arnold annoyed many people of the country music establishment by recording with the Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra at RCA's studios in New York. The pop-oriented arrangements of "The Cattle Call" and "The Richest Man (in the World)", however, helped to expand his appeal beyond its country music base. This style, pioneered by Reeves and Arnold, became known as the "Nashville Sound". During 1953, Arnold and Tom Parker had a dispute, and Arnold dismissed him. From 1954 to 1963, Arnold's performances were managed by Joe Csida; during 1964 Csida was replaced by Jerry Purcell.
Arnold embarked on a second career that brought his music to a more diverse audience. In the summer of 1965, he had his first Number One country song in ten years, What's He Doing in My World and struck gold again six months later with the song that would become his most well-known Make the World Go Away accompanied by pianist Floyd Cramer on piano and featuring the Anita Kerr Singers. As a result, Arnold's rendition became an international success.
Bill Walker's orchestra arrangements provided the lush background for 16 continuous successes sung by Arnold in the late 1960s. Arnold performed with symphony orchestras in New York City, Las Vegas and Hollywood. He performed in Carnegie Hall for two concerts, and in the Coconut Grove in Las Vegas.[9] During 1966, Arnold was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the youngest performer to receive the honor. The following year Arnold was voted the first-ever awarded Country Music Association's Entertainer Of The Year. Two years later, Arnold released an autobiography named It's A Long Way From Chester County.
Having been with RCA Victor since his debut during 1944, Arnold left the company in 1973 for MGM Records, for which he recorded four albums, which included several top 40 successes. He returned to RCA in 1976.
During the 1980s, Arnold declared himself semi-retired; however, he continued recording. In 1984, the Academy of Country Music awarded Arnold its Pioneer Award. His next album, You Don't Miss A Thing wasn't released until 1991. Arnold performed road tours for several more years. By 1992, he had sold nearly 85 million records, and had a total of 145 weeks of No. 1 songs, more than any other singer.
In 1996, RCA issued an album of Arnold's main successes since 1944 as part of its 'Essential' series. Arnold, then 76 years old, retired from active singing, though he still performed occasionally. On May 16, 1999, the day after his 81st birthday, he announced his final retirement during a concert at the Hotel Orleans in Las Vegas. That same year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences inducted the recording of "Make The World Go Away" into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2005, Arnold received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and later that year, released a final album for RCA entitled After All These Years.
Eddy Arnold died from natural causes at 5:00 a.m. Central Time on May 8, 2008 in a nursing home in Nashville, exactly one week before his 90th birthday. His wife of 66 years, Sally Gayhart Arnold, had preceded him in death by two months. They were survived by two children (Richard E. Arnold, Jr., and JoAnn Arnold Pollard), two grandchildren (K. Michelle Pollard and R. Shannon Pollard, Jr.), and four great-grandchildren (Katie E. Pollard, Sophie Pollard, Rowan Pollard and Ben Johns).
On May 31, 2008, RCA released "To Life", as a single from the album After All These Years. It debuted at No. 49 on the Hot Country Songs charts, Arnold's first entry in 25 years and the recording by the oldest person to chart in Billboard magazine. It set the record for the longest span between a first chart single and a last: 62 years and 11 months ("Each Minute Seems Like a Million Years" debuted on June 30, 1945), and extended Arnold's career chart history to seven decades.
Bad News
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
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They all call me a Wildfire cause everybody knows
That I'm bad news everywhere I go
Always a gettin' in the trouble ha ha ha
And leavin' little girls who hate to see me go
I've picked peaches down in Georgia lumber-jacked up in Maine
Because I'm bad news
From north to south from east to west the story is the same
From one state to the other I have to change my name
Because I'm bad news
Now they tried to hang me down in Oakland and they did in San Frisco
But I wouldn't choke and I broke their rope they had to let me go
Because I'm bad news
In the song "Bad News" by Eddy Arnold, the lyrics depict how information, especially negative news, spreads quickly and easily like wildfire, while good news is often overshadowed and spreads slowly. The singer of the song is referred to as "Wildfire" because of his reputation for trouble and chaos that precedes him wherever he goes. The imagery of wildfire conveys the destructive and fast-spreading nature of bad news, hinting at the singer's turbulent and disruptive presence.
The lyrics continue to paint a picture of the singer as a troublemaker who always seems to find himself in difficult situations, causing chaos and leaving a trail of heartbroken girls in his wake. His nomadic lifestyle is highlighted through mention of his diverse work experiences across different states, from picking peaches in Georgia to being jailed in various places. This showcases his restless and rebellious nature, as well as the consistent pattern of trouble that seems to follow him wherever he goes.
The mention of constantly changing his name and facing legal troubles in different states further emphasizes the singer's reputation as "bad news" that follows him wherever he travels. The constant need to reinvent himself and evade consequences suggests a life on the run and a pattern of reckless behavior that catches up with him no matter where he goes. The repetition of the phrase "Because I'm bad news" reinforces the idea that the singer's actions and reputation inevitably lead to trouble and negative outcomes.
The lyrics also recount specific incidents where the singer faced near-death experiences, such as being almost hanged in Oakland and San Francisco, yet managing to escape and evade consequences. This further emphasizes his resilience and defiance in the face of danger, as well as the notion that his reputation as "bad news" precedes him even in life-threatening situations. Overall, the song portrays a character who is constantly on the edge of trouble and danger, with his reputation as "bad news" shaping his experiences and interactions wherever he goes.
Line by Line Meaning
Bad news travels like wild fire good news travels slow
Negative information spreads quickly, while positive news takes longer to circulate
They all call me a Wildfire cause everybody knows
I have a reputation for causing trouble and chaos wherever I go
That I'm bad news everywhere I go
I am a troublemaker and bring negativity with me wherever I go
Always a gettin' in the trouble ha ha ha
I often find myself in trouble, perhaps even finding it amusing at times
And leavin' little girls who hate to see me go
I tend to break the hearts of young women who become attached to me
I've picked peaches down in Georgia lumber-jacked up in Maine
I have worked various jobs in different states, experiencing different aspects of life
I've been hired and jailed in every state you can name
I have been both employed and incarcerated in numerous states that come to mind
Because I'm bad news
My reputation as a troublemaker precedes me
From north to south from east to west the story is the same
No matter where I go in the country, the narrative about me remains consistent
From one state to the other I have to change my name
In order to evade my negative reputation, I must alter my identity as I move from state to state
Now they tried to hang me down in Oakland and they did in San Frisco
Attempts were made to execute me in Oakland, and they were successful in San Francisco
But I wouldn't choke and I broke their rope they had to let me go
I did not succumb to their attempts to end my life, managing to escape their restraints and evade punishment
Because I'm bad news
My negative influence and reputation continue to define me
Lyrics © HELENE BLUE MUSIQUE LTD, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID C LARUE, EDWARD Z EPSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind