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.
The "F" Word
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't really like this stuff they call Hip Hop
But he's sure been good to me
And I'm still tryin' to make him see
In country music, you just can't say the F word
My son Shelton say he's been havin' a hard time
Yea he does great shows but he's just gotta speak his own mind
I guess he's a real son-of-gun.
Take the old man's advice, be nice, and lose the F word
No, no in country music you just can't say the F word
Oh we've come a long way but it's best if that one's not heard
Oh we've had some hells and damns
But we don't say "bitch" we say, "why yes ma'am."
Cause in country music you just don't use the F word
Today's hot new country, it sounds pretty good to me
But it's time for basics, our roots and some reality
You gotta scrape me off the ceiling
Mrs. Hawkins says it with feeling
But in country music you just can't say the F word
No, no in country music you just can't say the F word
Oh we've come a long way but it's best if that one's not heard
Oh we've had some hells and damns
But we don't say "bitch" we say, "why yes ma'am."
Cause in country music you just don't use the F word
Some of these guys say it 500 times
But in country music you don't use it one damn line
Oh in country music we don't say the F word
"The F Word" is a song by Hank Williams Jr. that talks about how you just can't use the word "f***" in country music as it's not what country music is all about. Williams acknowledges that he's been hanging out with his "rebel son" Kid Rock, who is into hip hop music, but in country music, he can't use profanity like he does in hip hop. Williams also shares some advice he gave his son Shelton, who apparently has his own penchant for speaking his mind. Williams believes that while country music has progressed a lot, it's still best to stay true to its roots as it's the basics, the reality, that matter most. The refrain of the song is "Oh we've come a long way but it's best if that one's not heard / Oh we've had some hells and damns / But we don't say 'bitch' we say, 'why yes, ma'am'".
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've been hangin' out with my Rebel son Kid Rock
I have spent time with Kid Rock, who is a rebellious musician.
And I don't really like this stuff they call Hip Hop
I am not a big fan of Hip Hop music.
But he's sure been good to me
Kid Rock has been kind and helpful to me.
And I'm still tryin' to make him see
I am attempting to convey a message to Kid Rock.
In country music, you just can't say the F word
One should not use the word 'fuck' in country music.
My son Shelton say he's been havin' a hard time
My son Shelton claims to have been struggling recently.
Yea he does great shows but he's just gotta speak his own mind
Although he performs well, Shelton insists on expressing himself freely.
Well I wonder where that came from?
I am curious as to the origin of his behavior.
I guess he's a real son-of-gun.
He must be quite a character.
Take the old man's advice, be nice, and lose the F word
I suggest he takes my advice and eliminates the usage of the F word.
No, no in country music you just can't say the F word
The word 'fuck' is not an acceptable term to use in country music.
Oh we've come a long way but it's best if that one's not heard
Although the genre has evolved, the word 'fuck' should still be avoided.
Oh we've had some hells and damns
Country music has used mildly offensive language such as 'hell' and 'damn'.
But we don't say "bitch" we say, "why yes ma'am."
Although we may use language deemed inappropriate elsewhere, we address women respectfully.
Cause in country music you just don't use the F word
Using the word 'fuck' does not align well with country music's image.
Today's hot new country, it sounds pretty good to me
I find the current popular country music appealing.
But it's time for basics, our roots and some reality
Nonetheless, we should return to our roots and incorporate more realism.
You gotta scrape me off the ceiling
I am extremely excited about this concept.
Mrs. Hawkins says it with feeling
Mrs. Hawkins, a woman known to be passionate, agrees with me.
But in country music you just can't say the F word
Again, it is inappropriate to use the word 'fuck' in country music.
Some of these guys say it 500 times
Several musicians use the word 'fuck' excessively.
But in country music you don't use it one damn line
However, in country music, even using the word 'fuck' once is unacceptable.
Oh in country music we don't say the F word
The word 'fuck' has no place in country music.
Contributed by Reagan R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Amanda Henson
Love hearing kid rock and hank singing ❤
Chan shea
Love it! ❤ ✌ Tell em Kid Rock!
TheRonnie63
They having a good time doing this. I love it. Hank was laughing
Lori Rayoum
I LOVE this video!!! Ive shared this several times on my fb page. I love all the music Hank and Kid do together! They r AWESOME!!! Would love to see them come to St.Louis together!! I AM THE BIGGEST KID FAN EVER!!! LOVE HIM!!!! ;-)
Dewayne Leafty
Lori Ram ,
Ricky Perez
yesssssssssssss... my non country kistening friends get a kick out of this song!! Its a good one and especially with Kid Rock on it!!
Kim Ford
Love this!!♥️♥️
Roberta Mcnichols
@kidrockmusic3210:45
Donna Coffer
I love this song ❤🎵😭💕
John Land
Nothing but good music they sing good together