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 Like It When It's Stormy
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the rain came down.
That's the way the weather's been,
Since she come around.
No the sun don't shine,
'Round here much anytime.
Old cabin fever,
Make you lose your mind.
Cause she's gone out again,
With her fair weather friends.
This thing is turnin' to pain,
This storm will put out the flame.
I like it when it's stormy,
Cause it reminds me of my life.
When lightning strikes without warning,
Like it has in my world once or twice.
I hear the thunder rolling,
Feel the icy, cold, hail storms.
I like it when it's stormy,
But I don't like bein' alone.
I like it when its stormy,
Blowin' a hard rain.
Lookin' out my window,
Wishin' you was comin' back again.
Oh the things that we do,
On a day like this,
I'm gonna find me somebody new,
That likes to hear the thunder,
Feel the icy, cold, hail storms.
I like it when it's stormy,
But I don't like bein' alone.
Hank Williams Jr.'s song, "I Like It When It's Stormy," tells the story of a person who appreciates stormy weather because it mirrors the turmoil in his life. The song begins with the introduction of a cold-hearted woman who brings rain and gloom wherever she goes. The singer highlights the frustration and cabin fever that arise from this woman's presence. He recognizes that she leaves him alone too often to hang out with her fair weather friends, causing their relationship to become painful and unfulfilling.
Despite the negative events surrounding him, the singer finds solace in stormy weather. He appreciates the cold, hail storms, the icy rain, and the sound of thunder rolling across the sky. The storms in his life remind him that life can be unpredictable, full of unexpected tides and changes. Thus he embraces the storms as a perfect metaphor for his life. However, even when he is comforted by the storms, he struggles to be alone. He wishes to have someone by his side to appreciate the beauty of the storm with him.
The song appeals to the audience that finds solace in nature's beauty, storms, and rough times. The lyrics speak to how deeply nature can connect to emotions and life changes. Despite weather's destructive potential, we can find beauty, hope, and the catalyst of change in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold heart moved in,
Since I met this person with a cold heart, my life has changed.
And the rain came down.
Since then, things have been difficult, and it feels like it's always raining.
That's the way the weather's been,
These tough times have been relentless, suggesting a parallel to a stormy climate.
Since she come around.
All of this started since this person with a cold heart arrived around here.
No the sun don't shine,
It's almost like I'm unable to find joy or positivity amidst this darkness.
'Round here much anytime.
The darkness of this gloomy climate seems to have permeated most aspects of my life.
Old cabin fever,
Being stuck here feels like a type of mental anguish known as 'cabin fever'.
Make you lose your mind.
The mental toll of this persistent gloom has started affecting my sanity.
Cause she's gone out again,
This person with a cold heart has left me alone again.
With her fair weather friends.
She's off hanging out with friends who only stick around for good times and sunshine.
This thing is turnin' to pain,
This relationship is becoming painful.
This storm will put out the flame.
This tumultuous time will likely end in the demise of our relationship.
I like it when it's stormy,
The world feels familiar and easier to understand when it's stormy and tumultuous.
Cause it reminds me of my life.
The chaos of a storm is analogous to the chaos of my life currently.
When lightning strikes without warning,
Bad things can happen suddenly, without warning.
Like it has in my world once or twice.
My life has had some sudden and shocking events spread throughout it.
I hear the thunder rolling,
The sound of thunder is something I find comfort in.
Feel the icy, cold, hail storms.
I find the bitter cold of a storm to be comforting.
But I don't like bein' alone.
Although I find comfort in the storm, I don't like feeling isolated and alone.
Blowin' a hard rain.
There's something about a hard rain that feels right, even when everything else is bad.
Lookin' out my window,
This rainy existence has me feeling trapped, looking out my window at the world, but disconnected from it.
Wishin' you was comin' back again.
I am still holding out hope that the person with a cold heart returns to me.
Oh the things that we do,
These stormy, isolated times lead me to do things I wouldn't normally do.
On a day like this,
During these tough times in particular.
I'm gonna find me somebody new,
I'm ready to move on and find someone new who will weather the storm with me and not leave me alone.
That likes to hear the thunder,
I am looking for someone who shares my appreciation of the storm and its trappings.
Feel the icy, cold, hail storms.
Someone who can appreciate the beauty found in the bitter chill and harsh conditions of a storm.
But I don't like bein' alone.
Ultimately, I don't want to be living this stormy existence alone anymore.
Contributed by Liliana H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.