Born in Tioga, Texas, Autry was raised in Texas and Oklahoma. Discovered by humorist Will Rogers, in 1929 Autry was billed as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy" at KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He gained a popular following, a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1929, and soon after, performed on the "National Barn Dance" for radio station WLS in Chicago. Autry first appeared on screen in 1934 and up to 1953 popularized the musical Western and starred in 93 feature films. In 1940 theater exhibitors of America voted Autry the fourth biggest box office attraction, behind Mickey Rooney, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy.
While best known today as the singer of such holiday fare as Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane), Frosty The Snowman, Peter Cottontail, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the second all-time best selling Christmas single of all time, Autry made 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by him. His records are reputed to have sold more than 100 million copies. His recording of That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine is reputed to have sold more than 5 million copies. Autry's other significant recordings include:
* You Are My Sunshine (1931)
* A Face I See at Evening (1931)
* The Last Roundup (1933)
* Cowboy's Heaven (1934)
* South of the Border (1934)
* Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935)
* Mexicali Rose (1935)
* Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (1935)
* Gold Mine in the Sky (1937)
* Back in the Saddle Again (1939)
* Blueberry Hill (1941)
* Be Honest With Me (1946)
* Ghost Riders in the Sky (1949)
* Nobody's Darlin' but Mine (1957)
From 1940 to 1956 Autry hosted the weekly Melody Ranch radio show over the CBS Radio Network, featuring Autry's trademark theme song Back In The Saddle Again. In addition, Autry's popularity was apparent during his personal appearance tours. Claimed to have been the first performer to sell out Madison Square Garden, his concert and rodeo appearances throughout the United States and Europe served as a model for other performers. Autry often did two shows a day, seven days a week, for 65 to 85 days at a stretch.
In 1950, Autry became one of the first major movie stars to turn to television. For the next five years he produced and starred in 91 half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry Show for CBS Television. This success lead him to produce such popular TV series as Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr., The Adventures Of Champion as well as the first 39 episodes of Death Valley Days.
He carried his love for entertaining and sharp business sense into broadcasting, where, under the Golden West Broadcasters banner, he owned a chain of radio and television stations throughout the Western United States, including KMPC and KTLA in Los Angeles and KSFO in San Francisco until the late 1980's. His other business interests included the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, and several other properties. He ranked for many years on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 richest Americans, before he fell in 1995 to the magazine's "near miss" category with an estimated net worth of $320 million.
Autry's broadcasting interests that led him in 1960 to acquire the then expansion Los Angeles Angels American League baseball franchise (later the California Angels). After his retirement from performing in the mid-1960's, much of Autry's time was spent unsuccessfully attempting to win a World Series' championship for his Angels. When he became the first country musician to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said that there's "only one day that will be bigger than this one for me, and that's when we win the World Series." Autry was a fixture at Angels' games for the rest of his life.
Autry's long-cherished dream came true with the opening in November 1988 of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, since acclaimed as one of the finest museums on the history and mythology of the West.
Among the many hundreds of honors and awards Autry has received were induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame; the American Academy of Achievement Award, the Los Angeles Area Governor's Emmy from The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and the Board of Directors Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Achievement in Arts Foundation. Autry was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, The National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and he received The Songwriters Guild Life Achievement Award. He was also honored by his songwriting peers with a lifetime achievement award from ASCAP.
Gene Autry died at his home in Studio City, California on October 2, 1998 at the age of 91.
Tears on My Pillow
Gene Autry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Back in our sweet used to be
But now it's all over and you were gone
Leaving a sad memory.
And there's tears on my pillow each morning
I cry when I dream about you
When I should be sleeping I just lay there weeping
I'm trying so hard to forget you
But that's not so easy to do
With these tears on my pillow each morning
Tears that I've shed over you.
Tears on my pillow each morning
I cry when I dream about you
When I should be sleeping I just lay there weeping
Wondering if you're weeping too.
I'm trying so hard to forget you
But that's not so easy to do
With these tears on my pillow each morning
Tears that I've shed over you.
The lyrics of Gene Autry's song "Tears On My Pillow" tell the story of a brokenhearted person who is struggling to move on from a past love. The song begins with a reminiscence of a time when they were once happy and in love, but now that love is gone and all that remains are painful memories. The singer feels a deep sense of sadness and loneliness, and the tears they cry each morning serve as a constant reminder of the love they have lost.
Despite their efforts to forget about their former lover, it seems that this task is proving to be more difficult than they had anticipated. The lyrics paint a picture of a desperate attempt to overcome this heartbreak, but the struggle is ongoing. Even in their dreams, the singer is haunted by the memory of their lost love, causing them to weep all night long. It remains unclear whether the person they once loved still thinks of them or shares in their sorrow.
In essence, the song is a classic tale of heartbreak and unrequited love. The lyrics tap into a universal emotion that everyone can relate to at some point in their lives. The melody adds another layer to the emotional depth of the song, with the hauntingly beautiful tune accentuating the feelings of sadness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
We were so happy when love lingered on
We used to be happy and in love, but that happiness and love didn't last forever.
Back in our sweet used to be
Referring back to a happier time in the past when the two were in love.
But now it's all over and you were gone
The relationship has ended and the person Gene Autry sings about is gone.
Leaving a sad memory.
The departure has left behind a sad memory.
And there's tears on my pillow each morning
Every morning Gene Autry wakes up with tears on his pillow due to his heartbreak.
I cry when I dream about you
Even in his dreams, Gene Autry is unable to escape his sadness and cries when he dreams about the person who left him.
When I should be sleeping I just lay there weeping
Instead of sleeping, Gene Autry spends his nights weeping due to his heartbreak.
Wondering if you're weeping too.
Gene Autry wonders if the person who left him is also feeling the same heartbreak and is weeping over their separation.
I'm trying so hard to forget you
Gene Autry is attempting to forget the person who left him and the pain they caused.
But that's not so easy to do
Moving on from the heartbreak is difficult and easier said than done.
With these tears on my pillow each morning
Gene Autry's tears each morning are a reminder of the pain he is experiencing.
Tears that I've shed over you.
All of Gene Autry's tears are due to the person who left him, and the pain they caused.
Contributed by Nora H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.