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.
The Wayward Wind
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A restless wind that yearns to wonder
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind.
In a lonely shack by a railroad track
I spent my younger days
And I guess the sound of the outward bound
Made me a slave to my wandering ways.
A restless wind that yearns to wonder
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind.
Oh, I met a girl in a border town
I vowed we'd never part
Though I tried my best to settle down
She's now alone with a broken heart.
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wonder
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind.
The next of kin to the wayward wind
The lyrics of Eddy Arnold's song "Wayward Wind" tell the story of a restless individual who seems unable to stay in one place for long. The song describes the wayward wind as a "restless wind that yearns to wander," and the singer is described as the "next of kin" to this wind. The lyrics suggest that the singer's wandering spirit was ingrained in him from a young age when he lived in a "lonely shack by a railroad track." The sound of the "outward bound" trains passing by seemed to have a profound effect on the singer, making him a "slave to [his] wandering ways."
Despite falling in love with a girl in a border town, the singer is unable to resist the call of the wayward wind. He tries to "settle down," but he is ultimately unsuccessful, leaving the girl alone with a "broken heart." The song suggests that the singer's restlessness is not something that can be easily overcome, and he will always be the "next of kin to the wayward wind."
One interpretation of the song is that it is a metaphor for the human desire for adventure and freedom. The wayward wind represents these desires, and the singer serves as a symbol of those who struggle to reconcile their desire for adventure with the need for stability and security.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the wayward wind is a restless wind
The wind is unpredictable and constantly moving, symbolizing the singer's own wandering nature.
A restless wind that yearns to wonder
The wind desires to explore and roam, much like the singer's own desire for adventure and uncertainty.
And I was born the next of kin
The singer identifies with the wayward wind, as he too feels restless and unable to settle in one place or with one person.
The next of kin to the wayward wind.
The artist is intimately connected to the wind's wandering nature and sees it as a reflection of his own identity and desires.
In a lonely shack by a railroad track
The artist grew up in a desolate and isolated environment, which may have contributed to his desire to roam and explore.
I spent my younger days
The singer is reminiscing about his past and how it has shaped his present identity as a wanderer.
And I guess the sound of the outward bound
The singer suggests that the noise from passing trains instilled in him a desire to travel and see the world.
Made me a slave to my wandering ways.
The artist is acknowledging that his desire to wander has become an obsession or addiction, making it difficult to stay in one place for long.
Oh, I met a girl in a border town
The artist recounts meeting someone special, which provides a glimpse of hope for finding love despite his wandering tendencies.
I vowed we'd never part
The artist makes a promise of commitment and loyalty, which he may struggle to uphold due to his inherent restlessness.
Though I tried my best to settle down
The singer made an effort to suppress his wandering nature and build a stable life with his partner, but ultimately failed.
She's now alone with a broken heart.
The artist's partner was left behind and hurt by his inability to stay in one place, highlighting the negative consequences of the artist's wayward nature.
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
The chorus repeats, emphasizing the connection between the singer and the unpredictable and restless wind.
A restless wind that yearns to wonder
The wind's desire to explore and roam is repeated, highlighting the theme of restlessness and uncertainty in the song.
And I was born the next of kin
The singer's connection to the wayward wind is reinforced, stressing his innate desire to wander and explore the world.
The next of kin to the wayward wind.
The artist's close identification with the wayward wind is reiterated, underscoring the central theme of restlessness and wanderlust in the song.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: Herbert Newman, Stanley R. Lebowsky
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind