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
I Fall to Pieces
Faron Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fall to pieces how can I be just your friend
You want me to act like we've never met
You want me to forget pretend we've never met
And I tried and I tried but I haven't yet you walk by and I fall to pieces
[ guitar ]
I fall to pieces each time someone speaks your name
I fall to pieces time only adds to the flameYou want me to find someone else to love
Someone who'll love me too the way you used to do
But each time I go out with someone new you walk by and I fall to pieces
You walk by and I fall to pieces
Faron Young's "I Fall to Pieces" is a heart-wrenching song about a person who can't seem to move on from a past love. The singer is still deeply in love with an ex-lover who wants to remain just friends. Each time they see each other, the singer falls apart, feeling the pain and sadness of the love that was lost.
The chorus, "I fall to pieces each time I see you again, I fall to pieces how can I be just your friend?" highlights the internal struggle the singer faces as they try to transition their relationship from lovers to friends. Although the ex-lover wants them to act like they've never met and forget their past, the singer can't seem to move on, and each encounter with the ex-lover just brings back the emotions they've been trying to push away.
The second verse, "I fall to pieces each time someone speaks your name, I fall to pieces time only adds to the flame", shows that the singer can't escape thoughts of their ex-lover even when they're not around. The memories of their past love are a constant reminder that they can't seem to shake off. The ex-lover encourages the singer to find someone else to love, but every time they try, they realize that they're still not over the person who walked away.
Overall, "I Fall to Pieces" is a poignant expression of unrequited love, and the intense pain that comes with holding onto a love that is no longer there.
Line by Line Meaning
I fall to pieces each time I see you again
Every time I see you again, I become emotionally unstable and can't function properly.
I fall to pieces how can I be just your friend
I can't be just your friend because I have strong feelings for you that I can't ignore.
You want me to act like we've never met
You want me to behave as if we have never had any past relationship or history.
You want me to forget pretend we've never met
You want me to erase all the memories and feelings we have for each other and act as if we didn't have any past relationship.
And I tried and I tried but I haven't yet you walk by and I fall to pieces
Despite my attempts to move on from you, seeing you again still breaks me emotionally.
[ guitar ]
No meaningful lyrics here, just an instrumental break.
I fall to pieces each time someone speaks your name
The thought of you creates emotional distress within me, even just by hearing your name from someone else.
I fall to pieces time only adds to the flame
As time goes by, my feelings for you grow stronger instead of fading away.
You want me to find someone else to love
You advise me to find someone else to love so that I can move on from you.
Someone who'll love me too the way you used to do
I should find someone who can love me like you did before so that I won't feel the emotional pain anymore.
But each time I go out with someone new you walk by and I fall to pieces
Even when I try to find someone new to love, seeing you makes me emotionally unstable and breaks me down.
You walk by and I fall to pieces
Your mere presence causes me emotional turmoil and makes me feel broken inside.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, LEGACY OF HARLAN PERRY HOWARD, LLC
Written by: Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind