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
Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
Faron Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you're putting on the style,
And you never once looked back,
To your home across the track,
You're the gossip of the town,
But my heart can still be found,
Where you tossed it on the ground,
Pick me up on your way down,
Pick me up on your way down,
When you're blue and all alone,
When their glamour starts to bore you,
Come on back where you belong,
When you learn these things are true,
I'll be waitin here for you,
When you tumble to the ground,
Pick me up on your way down,
They have changed your attitude,
Made you honey, oh so rude,
Your new friends can take the blame,
Underneath you're still the same,
You may be their pride and joy,
But they'll find another toy,
When your new love can't be found
Pick me up on your way down,
Pick me up on your way down,
When you're blue and all alone,
When their glamour starts to bore you,
Come on back where you belong,
When you learn these things are true,
I'll be waitin here for you,
When you tumble to the ground,
Pick me up on your way down,
These lyrics tell the story of a person who was once in a relationship with someone who has now moved on to a more glamorous lifestyle. The singer is left behind while the other person traverses across the proverbial train tracks to the other side of town, where their fancy new friends live. The other person has changed their attitude and become more arrogant, but the singer suggests that underneath it all, they are still the same person. The singer is not bitter, but instead offers a lifeline for the person to come back when their new life inevitably starts to crumble.
The chorus suggests that the singer is willing to forgive and take back the other person, even after they have let them down. The song suggests that the singer had loved the other person enough to not be vindictive or resentful, and is ready to welcome them back with open arms. In essence, the song is about the power of forgiveness and the strength of true love.
Line by Line Meaning
You were mine for just awhile,
We used to be together for a short period of time,
Now you're putting on the style,
Now you're acting fancy and putting on airs,
And you never once looked back,
You never cared to look back at the place where you came from,
To your home across the track,
To the other side of the tracks where you grew up,
You're the gossip of the town,
People in town are talking about you and your new behavior,
But my heart can still be found,
Although you broke my heart, my love for you is still strong,
Where you tossed it on the ground,
You broke my heart and left it on the ground,
Pick me up on your way down,
When your new life falls apart, come back to me,
When you're blue and all alone,
When you're sad and lonely,
When their glamour starts to bore you,
When you realize that their fancy lifestyle is not as great as it seems,
Come on back where you belong,
Come back to where you used to belong with me,
When you learn these things are true,
When you realize that our love was true all along,
I'll be waitin' here for you,
I'll be patiently waiting for you to come back to me,
When you tumble to the ground,
When everything falls apart for you and you hit rock bottom,
Pick me up on your way down,
Pick me up again and come back to where you belong,
They have changed your attitude,
Your new friends have influenced and changed the way you think and act,
Made you honey, oh so rude,
They've made you arrogant and condescending,
Your new friends can take the blame,
Your new friends can be held responsible for your change in behavior,
Underneath you're still the same,
Despite your new behavior, you're still the same person deep down,
You may be their pride and joy,
Your new friends may be proud to have you as part of their group,
But they'll find another toy,
They will eventually move on to someone else,
When your new love can't be found
When your new life falls apart and the love you thought you had disappears,
Pick me up on your way down,
Come back to me and where you truly belong.
Contributed by Kylie P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jim Hilliker
Interesting to see you're posting some country music hits. I love this song. Buck Owens had an album of Harlan Howard songs on Capitol that featured all Harlan Howard music. A video of Wanda Jackson singing this song in 1959 on a TV show is on YouTube. Great song, yes, too bad more people don't know about it today. This one was the big hit.
Frank LoPresti
A freight train moving through downtown Dallas, on a hot sunny day, doing about 30mph! What is it about trains, and Country Music?
Curtis Smith
Wrote by Harlan Howard
Lois Ray McInnis
9:15 PM SUN 22-Jan-2023.
Richard Ortiz
2021
Jerry Priessen
Ja, en?