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.
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have I told you lately that I love you
Could I tell you once again somehow
Have I said with all my heart and soul
How I adore you
Well darling I'm telling you now
My world would end without a memory of you
I'm no good without you anyhow
Oh have I told you lately that I love you
Well darling I'm telling you now
Have I told you lately how I miss you
When the stars are shining in the sky
Have I told you why the nights are long
When you're not with me
Well darling I'm telling you now
Have I told you lately when I'm sleeping
E
very dream I dream is you somehow
Have I told you that I'd like to share
Your love forever
Well darling I'm telling you now
[Chorus]
The song "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" by Eddy Arnold is a quintessential love song that speaks about the feelings of deep love and affection towards someone special. The lyrics convey the idea of wanting to express affection and make the other person feel loved and cherished.
The song begins by asking if the singer has expressed his love for the person enough and if he could tell them once more. It speaks of the depth of the singer's love, and how he adores the person with all his heart and soul. The chorus talks about how the singer's world would end without the memory of the person, and how he is no good without them. It expresses the idea that the person is the singer's everything, and his love for them is all-encompassing.
The second verse talks about how the singer misses the person when they are not together. He wonders why the nights are so long without them, and then proclaims his love once again. The final verse speaks about how the person is always on the singer's mind, even in his dreams. He expresses his desire to share their love forever, cementing the idea of his love as eternal and timeless.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt expression of love and affection towards someone special, and the singer emphasizes the importance of making sure to express this love and not taking it for granted.
Line by Line Meaning
Have I told you lately that I love you
I wonder if I have expressed to you recently the strong affection and fondness that I possess for you
Could I tell you once again somehow
Is it possible for me to convey my feelings to you once more in some way
Have I said with all my heart and soul
Have I articulated with complete sincerity and honesty the depth of emotion that I feel for you
How I adore you
The extent of my admiration and respect for you is immeasurable
Well darling I'm telling you now
My dear, at this moment, I am expressing my feelings to you
My world would end without a memory of you
You are such an important part of my life that if I were to lose all recollection of you, it would be the end of the world for me
I'm no good without you anyhow
Without you, I am not capable of functioning at my best or being truly happy
Oh have I told you lately that I love you
Oh, have I really expressed my love and affection for you recently
Have I told you lately how I miss you
Have I communicated to you recently just how much I long to be with you
When the stars are shining in the sky
At the time when the celestial objects are glowing brilliantly in the night sky
Have I told you why the nights are long
Have I explained to you the reason why the duration of the night seems to stretch on endlessly when you are not present
When you're not with me
In those moments when I do not have the pleasure of your company
Every dream I dream is you somehow
All of my dreams feature you in some way, whether it be as the main focus or in a supporting role
Have I told you that I'd like to share
Have I expressed to you my desire to share something very special with you
Your love forever
That special thing that I want to share with you is a lifelong commitment to love, cherish and care for each other
Well darling I'm telling you now
My dear, at this moment, I am once again sharing with you my deepest and most sincere feelings
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Van Morrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind