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.
I Hope It Rains Today
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard you call my name saw you standing at the door
I reached out to hold you but you faded away
And the mood I'm in I hope it rains today
I tried to run to them but I had shackles on my feet
I heard you laughing at me in that old familiar way
And the mood I'm in I hope it rains today
I hope the clouds will cover up the sky
I don't want somebody's happy sunshine shining in my eyes
Our love was just a dream I couldn't make it stay
And the mood I'm in I hope it rains today and the mood
I'm in I hope it rains today
The lyrics of Hank Williams Jr.'s song "I Hope It Rains Today" depict a recurring dream that the singer experiences. In this dream, the singer hears someone calling their name and sees them standing at the door, possibly representing a longing for a lost love or a yearning for a connection that has been lost. However, as the singer reaches out to hold this person, they fade away, symbolizing the elusive nature of this desired connection. The singer mentions feeling shackled in their attempt to reach the person, suggesting a sense of being held back or restrained in their pursuit of love or emotional fulfillment.
The mention of the laughing in an "old familiar way" hints at a past relationship that may not have been entirely healthy or positive. The lyrics express a desire for rain, a natural element that often symbolizes sadness or melancholy. The singer hopes for clouds to cover the sky, not wanting to be exposed to someone else's happiness or light when they are in a somber state of mind. The dream and the overall mood suggest a longing for closure or resolution to a past relationship, a desire to let go of the pain and find solace in the rain.
Overall, "I Hope It Rains Today" delves into themes of lost love, longing, and emotional struggle. The dream serves as a metaphor for the singer's emotional state, and the lyrics reflect a yearning for healing and closure.
Line by Line Meaning
I had that dream again the same one I've had before
I had a recurring dream, the exact same one I've experienced in the past.
I heard you call my name saw you standing at the door
I perceived the sound of your voice, and I saw you standing by the entrance.
I reached out to hold you but you faded away
I attempted to embrace you, but you disappeared gradually.
And the mood I'm in I hope it rains today
Considering my current emotional state, I desire for rain to fall today.
Your lips were there in the shadows warm and sweet
I noticed the presence of your lips concealed in the darkness, radiating a comforting and pleasant feeling.
I tried to run to them but I had shackles on my feet
I made an effort to approach them, but I felt constrained and restricted by shackles on my feet.
I heard you laughing at me in that old familiar way
I perceived the sound of your laughter directed towards me, reminiscent of the way you used to laugh.
And the mood I'm in I hope it rains today
Given my current emotional state, I wish for rainfall today.
I hope the clouds will cover up the sky
I desire for clouds to fill the sky and conceal its brightness.
I don't want somebody's happy sunshine shining in my eyes
I prefer not to have someone's cheerful sunlight directly shining into my eyes.
Our love was just a dream I couldn't make it stay
Our love existed merely as a dream, and I was unable to prolong its presence.
And the mood I'm in I hope it rains today
Considering my current emotional state, I hope for precipitation today.
and the mood
I'm in I hope it rains today
Furthermore, given my current emotional state, I desire for rainfall today.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeffrey Reedy
I feel like I've lived this one by Ole Hank too many times before. I feel a lot of his older songs are about my life sometimes. Great songs, I love them all.
LT1HILLINGHOE
Great song by Ol' Bocephus.
Debbie Williams
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Johnnie Clay
It took me many trays to find the right person n now Peggy McClellan is the perfect woman n I will work hard everyday for rest of my short left life on making her the happiest n most loved woman in this world. Thank U Peggy cause I saved my life I no u did cause when I didn't no u I was lost n living life without purpose and on a fast track 2 sure death n then I entered n saved me n I just want say THANK U N I LOVE U