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.
What It Boils Down To
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've been around enough to know that we like each others style.
You got looks and smarts and all the right parts, to really turn me on.
We act like a couple of high school kids talkin' hot stuff on the phone.
We don't put no pressure on each other,
Right there is the key, and the fire is hot
'Cause baby we've got up a real good head of steam.
What it boils down to, is honey I love you.
When it's cut and dried, I want you by my side.
What it boils down to, is the feelin' between me and you.
When a man loves a woman, it's gotta be no holes barred,
If she makes him uncomfortable, oh he'll know in his heart.
He wants someone to share his troubles with, and someone to talk to.
Now you either get along or you don't, that's what it all boils down to.
No I don't need a harem or a chambermaid you see
'Cause my girl's nice she's sugar and spice,
But she'll belly dance with me.
What it boils down to, is honey I love you.
When it's said and done, baby you're the one.
When it's cut and dried, I want you by my side.
What it boils down to, is the feelin' between me and you,
That's what it boils down to, baby I got the hots for you.
That's what it boils down to.
In this song, Hank Williams Jr. expresses his love for his partner and points out the key to the success of their relationship. He highlights their common interests such as liking each other's style, having looks, smarts and all the right parts to turn each other on. The couple talks hot stuff on the phone and shares their troubles with each other. Unlike other relationships, they don't feel any pressure from each other, which according to Hank Williams Jr. is the key to their hot and steamy chemistry. He emphasizes the importance of getting along and the pure feeling of love between them.
Throughout the song, Hank Williams Jr. speaks about what truly matters in a relationship and the value of honest and open communication. Despite the societal pressures to have a harem or chambermaid, he finds solace in his partner and their belly dancing antics. He firmly believes that when a man loves a woman, he shouldn't shy away from being vulnerable and communicate his feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby we've been together, now for quite a while.
We've been in a long-term relationship for a significant amount of time.
We've been around enough to know that we like each others style.
We've spent enough time together to appreciate each other's personalities and qualities.
You got looks and smarts and all the right parts, to really turn me on.
Your physical and mental attributes are attractive and desirable to me.
We act like a couple of high school kids talkin' hot stuff on the phone.
We behave playfully and flirtatiously with each other.
We don't put no pressure on each other,
We don't impose any expectations or demands on each other.
Right there is the key, and the fire is hot.
This lack of pressure is crucial to the success of our relationship, which is currently passionate and intense.
'Cause baby we've got up a real good head of steam.
Our emotional momentum and passion have been steadily increasing.
What it boils down to, is honey I love you.
The bottom line is that I love you.
When it's said and done, baby you're the one.
After all is said and done, it's clear that you're the one I want to be with.
When it's cut and dried, I want you by my side.
When everything is clear and straightforward, I still want you to be with me.
What it boils down to, is the feelin' between me and you.
Ultimately, the most significant factor in our relationship is the emotional connection between us.
When a man loves a woman, it's gotta be no holes barred,
When a man truly loves a woman, there can be no limits or boundaries to the intensity of his feelings.
If she makes him uncomfortable, oh he'll know in his heart.
If the woman causes him any discomfort, he will instinctively recognize it.
He wants someone to share his troubles with, and someone to talk to.
The man desires someone with whom he can share his problems and communicate openly.
Now you either get along or you don't, that's what it all boils down to.
Ultimately, compatibility in a relationship comes down to whether or not two people get along with each other.
No I don't need a harem or a chambermaid you see,
I don't require multiple partners or someone to serve me, because...
'Cause my girl's nice she's sugar and spice, but she'll belly dance with me.
My girlfriend is sweet and charming, yet she's also willing to be playful and explore new things with me like belly dancing
What it boils down to, is honey I love you.
In the end, the most important thing is that I love you.
When it's said and done, baby you're the one.
After everything is said and done, you're the person I want to be with.
When it's cut and dried, I want you by my side.
When everything has been analyzed and decided, I still want you to be with me.
What it boils down to, is the feelin' between me and you,
At the end of the day, the most significant factor in our relationship is the emotional attachment between us.
That's what it boils down to, baby I got the hots for you.
In essence, my attraction to you is the most significant aspect of our relationship.
Contributed by Colin N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.