Williams began his career following in his famed father's footsteps, covering his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams' first television appearance was in a 1964 episode of ABC's The Jimmy Dean Show, in which at age fourteen he sang several songs associated with his father. Later that year, he was a guest star on Shindig!.
Williams' style evolved slowly as he struggled to find his own voice and place within country music. This was interrupted by a near-fatal fall off the side of Ajax Peak in Montana on August 8, 1975. After an extended recovery, he challenged the country music establishment with a blend of country, rock, and blues. As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.
From 1989 through October 2011, his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight", refashioned as "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night", had been used to open broadcasts of Monday Night Football until it was pulled after Williams made controversial comments comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. The song returned to open the show in 2017.
On August 12, 2020, Williams was selected to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Williams' early career was guided, some say outright dominated, by his mother Audrey Williams, who many claim was the driving force that led his father to musical superstardom during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Audrey, in many ways, wished for young Hank to be nothing more than a "Hank Williams, Sr. impersonator", sometimes going as far as to have clothes designed for him that were identical to his father's stage clothes and vocal stylings very similar to those of his father.
Although Williams' recordings earned him numerous country hits throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, he became disillusioned with his role as a 'Hank Williams clone' and severed ties with his mother in order to pursue his own musical direction and tastes. After recording the soundtrack to Your Cheatin' Heart, a biography of his father, Williams, Jr. hit the charts with one of his own compositions, "Standing in the Shadows". The song signalled a move to rock and roll and other influences as he stepped from the shadow of his father.
Also during this time, Williams had his first two No. 1 songs: "All For the Love of Sunshine" (1970, featured on the soundtrack to Kelly's Heroes) and "Eleven Roses" (1972).
By the mid-1970s, Williams had finally found the musical direction that would, eventually, make him a superstar. Williams' unique blend of traditional country with southern rock and blues earned him a devoted following, although some mainstream country radio stations wouldn't touch his new songs in this blatantly untraditional sound.
While recording a series of hit songs, Williams began abusing drugs, including alcohol and eventually tried to commit suicide in 1974. Moving to Alabama, Williams began playing music with Southern rock musicians Toy Caldwell, Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels, and others.
His last major success was "There's a Tear in My Beer", a duet with his father created using electronic dubbing techniques. The song itself was written by his father, presumably, sometime between 1950 and 1953 and was recorded with Hank Williams playing just his guitar. The music video for the song combined existing television footage of Hank Williams performing and the dubbing techniques transferred the image of Hank Jr. onto the screen, so it appeared as if he were actually playing with his father. The video was an overwhelming success, both critically and commercially. It was named Video Of The Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country music. Hank Williams, Jr. would go on to win a Grammy award in 1990 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
Despite his slumping album sales, Hank Williams Jr. continued to be a popular concert draw during the early 1990s and continued to record, with several of his recordings during this time still managing to achieve gold status, selling 500,000 copies.
He is probably best known today as the performer of the theme song for Monday Night Football, based on "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight". The opening theme became a classic, as much a part of the show as the football itself. In 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Williams' opening themes for Monday Night Football would earn him four Emmy awards.
Williams opened for Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, on ABC and was in the stands as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
On April 10, 2006, CMT honored Williams with the Johnny Cash Visionary Award, presenting it to him at the 2006 CMT Music Awards.
On November 11, 2008, Williams was honored as a BMI Icon at the 56th annual BMI Country Awards. The artists and songwriters named BMI Icons have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers".
In 2011, Williams was named one of "Seven Living Legends" of his native Shreveport, Louisiana, by Danny Fox (1954–2014) of KWKH radio. Others named were Bob Griffin of KSLA and KTBS-TV and James Burton. Two others cited, Claude King and Frank Page, both died in 2013.
In 2015, Hank Williams Jr. was Inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
Cold Cold Heart
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme
A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart
Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue
And so my heart is paying now for things I didn't do
In anger unkind words are said that make the teardrops start
You'll never know how much it hurts to see you sit and cry
You know you need and want my love yet you're afraid to try
Why do you run and hide from life,to try it just ain't smart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart
There was a time when I believed that you belonged to me
But now I know your heart is shackled to a memory
The more I learn to care for you,the more we drift apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart
In the song Cold Cold Heart, Hank Williams Jr. is expressing his frustration and sadness towards his partner who is distant and untrusting towards him. His partner's previous experience with love has left her scarred and unwilling to open herself up to the possibility of love once again. Williams Jr. is trying to show his partner that he is not like her past lover, but his attempts are failing as she still views his actions with doubt and suspicion. He pleads for her to let go of her past and trust him with her heart. He expresses his anguish at seeing her in pain but being unable to do anything about it as she pushes him away.
The lyrics of the song are filled with emotional depth and highlight the complexities of relationships. Williams Jr. is aware of his partner's emotional baggage and tries to be patient and understanding towards her. He continues to love and care for her despite her reluctance. The song is a poignant reminder that sometimes, despite our best efforts, we cannot always heal the wounds of our loved ones and must respect their boundaries and past experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I tried so hard my dear to show that you're my every dream.
I put forth significant effort to demonstrate that you are what I want most in life.
Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme
You are apprehensive that all of my actions are intended to harm you.
A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart
Our separation is due to a recollection of your previous loneliness.
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart
I cannot seem to alleviate your skepticism and soften your uncaring demeanor.
Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue
I am paying the price for the pain created by someone else who loved you first.
And so my heart is paying now for things I didn't do
I am now dealing with the consequences of someone else's mistakes and not my own.
In anger unkind words are said that make the teardrops start
We say things to each other when we are upset that cause us both to cry.
Why can't I free your doubtful mind,and melt your cold cold heart
I cannot seem to help you overcome your mistrustful thoughts and your apathetic nature.
You'll never know how much it hurts to see you sit and cry
It pains me greatly to see you sitting there crying.
You know you need and want my love yet you're afraid to try
You are cognizant of your desire and necessity for my affection, but you are wary of giving it a chance.
Why do you run and hide from life,to try it just ain't smart
Why do you choose to flee from reality when giving it a shot is the more prudent choice?
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart
I cannot seem to assist you in discarding your doubtful mindset and your unresponsive demeanor.
There was a time when I believed that you belonged to me
There was a point where I was convinced that you were mine and nobody else's.
But now I know your heart is shackled to a memory
Now, I am conscious of the fact that your heart is bound to the recollection of someone else.
The more I learn to care for you,the more we drift apart
As I continue to develop deeper feelings for you, we seem to grow further apart.
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart
I cannot seem to help you cast off your uncertainty and thaw your indifferent heart.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeffrey Lipinski
Jr missed one more verse
His father sang and wrote one more verse.
Why did he not sing it on his record
like his father did..
This here is not the complete song.
I hate when they do that.
Listen to SR's version on you tube
and you will know what I am talking about..
Kathie Kuchta
What a handsome young man Hank Jt was. His voice was exceptional as well for one so young. Gifted with the purest of talent!!
Jerry Glenn
To think how much country music would have forever been altered had the public not accepted Hank Jr wanting to do his own stuff. His Dads music still holds a place in his heart as it should. But Hank Jr was ready to do his own thing
Ricbarwill
Thank you very much for posting this great version of this classic tune.
Heavenly brothers
He sung beautifully
Dorothy Aragon
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS!! 😍
M C
love this song
Sam Jones
Hank Williams Jr is the best country and western singers of all time
mark petrey
Nah his dad is tho
Toad !
Senior is better in my opinion
jackstar4444
This song is sooooo good (: Thank you Google!