Starting off singing at the local Optimist Club, Young was discovered by Webb Pierce, who brought him to star on the Louisiana Hayride radio program on KWKH in 1951.
He was drafted into the Army in late 1952, just after he was signed to Capitol Records. Nicknamed "The Hillbilly Heartthrob" and "The Singing Sheriff," he had many hits including:
"Young Love"
"If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')"
"Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young"
"Sweet Dreams"
"Alone With You"
"Hello Walls" (written by Willie Nelson)
"It's Four in the Morning" (written by Jerry Chesnut).
"Here I Am In Dallas"
"I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night"
Young made several appearances during the late 1950s on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee.
His #1 country hit "It's Four in the Morning" was written at his request as he was recuperating from a serious automobile accident in which he suffered head injuries. His tongue had been partly severed in the accident, and it took him several months before he could regain normal speaking ability. He had particular trouble with the "s" sound in most words, so he asked for a song which largely avoided that sound as his comeback effort.
Faron Young's band, the Country Deputies, was one of country music's top bands, and toured with him for many years.
Young co-founded, with Preston Temple, the Nashville trade newspaper, The Music City News.
Young died at the age of sixty-four of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been in failing health when he took his own life.
Legacy and influence
A performance video clip of "It's Four In The Morning" was the first video to air on CMT when it first launched on March 5, 1983.
In 1985, the country singer inspired homage from British rock group, Prefab Sprout, whose multimillion-selling album, "Steve McQueen" contains the song "Faron Young." The song has the refrain: You give me Faron Young four in the morning / Forgive me Faron Young four in the morning..."
In 2000, he was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame
In the comic strip Peanuts, Frieda's cat was named "Faron" after Faron Young, of whom Charles Schulz was a fan.
Worked with Webb Pierce on the Louisana Hayride in 1951. First recorded with Tillman Franks & his Rainbow boys in 1951. Went solo in 1952. Appeared in the 1956 movie "Hidden Guns" and got his nickame "The Young Sheriff", and his band name, "Country Deputies" from that movie. Also appeared in the movies, Stampede, Daniel Boone, Raiders Of Old California, and That's Country. Founder and one-time publisher of the Music City News in Nashville. First charted song "Going Steady went to #2 on the Country Charts in 1953. Put 79 songs into the top 40 of the country charts from 1953-1978. Had 5 #1s. Last # 1 was It's Four In the Morning in 1971. During the '90s, Young was stricken with a debilitating emphysema. Depressed by his poor health, he shot himself on December 9, 1996, and passed away the next day Source Joel Whitburn's Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country
Chapel In the Moonlight
Faron Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the chapel, in the moonlight
While we're strolling down the aisle
Where roses entwine
How I'd love to hear you whisper
In the chapel, in the moonlight
That the love light in your eyes
Forever will shine
Till the organ turns to rust
If you never come I'll still be there
Till the moonlight turns to dust
How I'd love to hear the choir
In the chapel, in the moonlight
As they sing, oh promise me
Forever be mine
Till the roses turn to ashes
Till the organ turns to rust
If you never come I'll still be there
Till the moonlight turns to dust
How I'd love to hear the choir
In the chapel, in the moonlight
As they sing, oh promise me
Forever be mine, forever be mine
The song "Chapel in the Moonlight" by Faron Young is a romantic ballad about a couple in love. The first two verses express the desire of the singer to be in a chapel at night and to hear the organ play while walking down the aisle among roses. He longs to hear his lover whisper that the love in their eyes will shine forever. The third verse describes the choir singing "Oh promise me" as a plea to the lover to agree to a lifelong commitment to each other. The repeated refrain of "till the roses turn to ashes" and "till the organ turns to rust" symbolizes the enduring nature of their love, even in the face of physical decay and destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
How I'd love to hear the organ
The singer desires to hear the sound of the organ in the chapel.
In the chapel, in the moonlight
The singer wants to experience being inside a church at night.
While we're strolling down the aisle
The singer wants to walk down the aisle with their loved one.
Where roses entwine
The artist envisions the chapel's roses wrapping around the aisle.
How I'd love to hear you whisper
The artist desires to hear their loved one softly speaking to them.
That the love light in your eyes
The singer longs to hear their loved one affirming their love for them.
Forever will shine
The singer wants their love to remain forever strong.
Till the roses turn to ashes
The artist's love will endure even if everything else around them deteriorates.
Till the organ turns to rust
Even if the chapel falls into disrepair, the artist's love will remain.
If you never come I'll still be there
The artist's love is unconditional.
Till the moonlight turns to dust
The singer's love will last until the end of time.
As they sing, oh promise me
The artist wants to hear a song that conveys a promise of eternal love.
Forever be mine
The singer wants their love to last forever.
Writer(s): BILLY HILL
Contributed by Sophie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.