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.
Last Pork Chop
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makin' love six times a day better than pork chop
'Cause ones' good as the other and you know what I mean
Some of them like a little bit of fat
Some of them like that meat just a little bit lean
I like gravy on the side with hot and juicy lovin'
Brown sugar on top, sausage warm out of the oven
Make me wonder to myself
Why oh why, why did I leave that last pork chop
Well met this fine gal in the choir, she sure could sing
She said come down to my house
I'm gonna give you ham hocks and beans
We devoured each other Lord, her kitchen was smokin' hot
I had to jump up and open a window and I thought to myself
Why did I leave that last pork chop
I have been on a very strict diet of beer and scotch and love
I was offered lunch break specials, but now I'm a fool for her
She'd been serving that pie while I was gone punchin' the clock
I thought about that waitress down at Maxine's and I said to myself
Why did I leave that last pork chop
Hank Williams Jr.'s Last Pork Chop is a song that uses food as a metaphor for sex. The song talks about how once you find someone you like, you can't get enough of them. In fact, the singer says that making love six times a day is better than eating a pork chop. He goes on to explain that just like some people like their pork chops with a little bit of fat, and some like them lean, everyone has their own preferences when it comes to sex. The singer also talks about how he met a woman in the choir who offered him ham hocks and beans, and how they ended up devouring each other. He admits that sometimes he just can't stop eating, or having sex, and wonders why he left that last pork chop.
One interpretation of the lyrics is that they highlight the similarities between food and sex. Both are essential human desires, and both involve pleasure and satisfaction. The use of food imagery also adds a lighthearted tone to the song, making it more playful and humorous. Additionally, the song speaks to the idea of indulgence and excess, and how sometimes we can't help ourselves when we find something we really enjoy.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you know you get the hots for some gal, you just can't stop
When you find a girl you're attracted to, it's hard to resist her
Makin' love six times a day better than pork chop
Having sex multiple times a day is more satisfying than eating pork chop
'Cause ones' good as the other and you know what I mean
Both sex and food are enjoyable, and have their own unique pleasures
Some of them like a little bit of fat
Some people prefer their food, or their sexual partners, to have a little bit of extra weight
Some of them like that meat just a little bit lean
Others prefer their food or sexual partners to be leaner and more toned
I like gravy on the side with hot and juicy lovin'
The singer enjoys having sex that is both hot and passionate, and well lubricated like gravy
Brown sugar on top, sausage warm out of the oven
The singer enjoys sexual experiences that are sweet and satisfying, like brown sugar, and warm and satisfying, like a sausage freshly cooked in the oven
Sometimes you get to eatin' Lord and you just can't stop
The singer recognizes that sometimes, whether it's food or sex, you can become so caught up in the experience that you have difficulty stopping
Make me wonder to myself
The singer is questioning himself and his choices
Why oh why, why did I leave that last pork chop
The singer is reflecting on a missed opportunity, and wondering why he didn't take advantage of it
Well met this fine gal in the choir, she sure could sing
The singer met an attractive woman in his church choir who had a beautiful voice
She said come down to my house
The woman invited the singer to her home
I'm gonna give you ham hocks and beans
The woman promised to feed the singer ham hocks and beans, a classic Southern dish
We devoured each other Lord, her kitchen was smokin' hot
The sexual encounter between the singer and the woman was intense and passionate, and the physical heat was so great that it made the kitchen feel like it was on fire
I had to jump up and open a window and I thought to myself
The heat was so intense that the singer had to open a window to cool off, and he began to question his decisions
Why did I leave that last pork chop
Once again, the singer is reflecting on a missed opportunity and wondering why he didn't make the most of it
I have been on a very strict diet of beer and scotch and love
The singer has been living a lifestyle that revolves around drinking and partying, and he has also been pursuing relationships or sexual encounters
I was offered lunch break specials, but now I'm a fool for her
The singer was previously only interested in casual sexual encounters, but meeting this woman has changed his mind and made him want to pursue something more serious with her
She'd been serving that pie while I was gone punchin' the clock
While the singer was busy working during the day, the woman was at home making pie or engaging in other domestic activities
I thought about that waitress down at Maxine's and I said to myself
The singer is reminiscing about another woman he was previously interested in
Why did I leave that last pork chop
Once again, the singer is reflecting on missed opportunities and wondering why he didn't pursue them more actively
Contributed by Colin L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.