Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949, playing himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1952, he appeared in his first feature film, Here Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded his first single ("I'm Walkin' b/w "A Teenager's Romance", Verve 10047X4S), debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and released the No. 1 album titled Ricky. In 1958, Nelson released his first #1 single, "Poor Little Fool", and in 1959 received a Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" after starring in Rio Bravo. A few films followed, and when the television series was cancelled in 1966, Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star on various television programs. In his twenties, he moved away from the pop music of his youth, and began to perform in a more country rock style. After recording several albums with mostly session musicians, most of which flopped, he formed the Stone Canyon Band in 1969 and experienced a career resurgence, buoyed by the live album In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969 and had a surprise hit with 1972's "Garden Party", which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. His comeback was short-lived, however, as his record label was bought out and folded, and his followup albums were not well promoted by his new label. He continued to perform live and take small television roles through the 1970s, though his label dropped him by the end of the decade. He released two more albums, with unimpressive results, before his death in a plane crash on New Year's Eve, 1985.
Nelson was married once, to Sharon Kristin Harmon, from 1963 until their divorce in 1982. They had four children: actress Tracy Nelson, twin sons and musicians Gunnar and Matthew, and actor Sam.
Nelson was born on May 8, 1940, in Teaneck, New Jersey. He was the second son of entertainment couple Harriet Hilliard Nelson (born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) and Ozzie Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975). His father Ozzie was of half Swedish descent. The Nelsons' older son was actor David Nelson (October 24, 1936 – January 11, 2011).
On May 8, 1961 (his 21st birthday), he officially modified his recording name from "Ricky Nelson" to "Rick Nelson". His childhood nickname proved hard to shake, especially among the generation who had watched him grow up on "Ozzie and Harriet". Even in the 1980s, when Nelson realized his dream of meeting Carl Perkins, Perkins noted that he and "Ricky" were the last of the "rockabilly breed".
In 1963, Nelson signed a 20-year contract with Decca Records. After some early successes with the label, most notably 1964's "For You" (#6), Nelson's chart career came to a dramatic halt in the wake of Beatlemania, The British Invasion, and later the Counterculture era. However, instead of dropping him, Decca kept him on board.
In the mid-1960s, Nelson began to move towards country music, becoming a pioneer in the country-rock genre. He was one of the early influences of the so-called "California Sound" (which would include singers like Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt and bands such as Eagles). Yet Nelson himself did not reach the Top 40 again until 1970, when he recorded Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" with the Stone Canyon Band, featuring Randy Meisner, who in 1971 became a founding member of the Eagles, and former Buckaroo steel guitarist Tom Brumley.
Nelson died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1985, flying from Guntersville, Alabama, to Dallas, Texas, for a concert. The plane he was on, a Douglas DC-3, had a history of mechanical problems. All seven passengers, including Blair, died. Only the two pilots survived.
Nelson's funeral took place at the Church of the Hills, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery, on January 6, 1986, and he was privately buried in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery, in Los Angeles. His estate was bequeathed to his children.
Honky Tonk Women
Rick Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She tried to take me upstairs for a ride
She had to put me right across her shoulder
Now I can't seem to drink you off my mind
She's a honky tonk woman
Give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
And on the street the summer sun did shine
There's many a bar-room queen I've had in Jackson
Now I can't seem to drink you off my mind
She's a honky tonk woman
Give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
I played a divorcee in New York City
I had to put up some kind of a fight
The lady then all dressed me up in roses
She blew my nose and then she blew my mind
She's a honky tonk woman
Give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
She's a honky tonk woman
Give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
Give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
Said give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
The lyrics to Rick Nelson's "Honky Tonk Women" paint a picture of a wandering musician who has had many experiences with women in various places. He starts off in Memphis, where he meets a gypsy bar-room queen who tries to take him upstairs for a ride. Despite her advances, he can't stop thinking about her and can't drink her off his mind. He then moves on to Jackson, where he sits in a bar and reflects on all the bar-room queens he's had there. Again, he can't shake the memory of a specific woman off his mind. Finally, he ends up in New York City where he has to play a divorcee and put up a fight. The woman there all dressed him up in roses and blew his mind.
The lyrics of this song are quite simple and straightforward, but they tell a story of a man who has been around and experienced a lot in his life. He has encountered women of all kinds, but there is one special woman who sticks in his mind. Through his encounters with these women, he longs for the excitement and thrill of the honky tonk scene, the place where he feels most alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a gypsy bar-room queen in Memphis
I encountered a woman who is often found in bars, with a free spirit and wandering nature in Memphis.
She tried to take me upstairs for a ride
She attempted to take me to her room.
She had to put me right across her shoulder
She had to carry me on her back up the stairs due to my drunken state.
Now I can't seem to drink you off my mind
I can’t forget about her even when I am drinking.
She's a honky tonk woman
She is a woman who frequents honky-tonk bars, with a carefree attitude.
Give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
I need the feeling of being in a honky-tonk bar again.
Sittin' in a bar, tippin' a jar in Jackson
I am sitting in a bar, drinking in Jackson.
And on the street the summer sun did shine
It is summertime, and the sun is shining brightly outside.
There's many a bar-room queen I've had in Jackson
I have been with many similar women in Jackson before.
I played a divorcee in New York City
I acted as the ex-husband in a play in New York City.
I had to put up some kind of a fight
There was some dispute or conflict in the play that I had to resolve.
The lady then all dressed me up in roses
After the play, a woman dressed me up in a rose suit.
She blew my nose and then she blew my mind
She amazed me and caught me off guard with her actions.
Said give me, give me, give me the honky tonk blues
Reiterating the need for the feeling of being in a honky-tonk bar again.
Contributed by Makayla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@roo1314
Whether you like it or not, Nelson had the guts to step out of the envelope. He was really good. Period.
@redhotnblue9954
WOW! NEVER KNEW HE SANG THIS... GREAT JOB!
@user-yl1gk2hw1b
This is the song in his hit " Garden Party " where he said, " I sang a song about a Honky Tonk and it was time to go ".
@ianking-jv4hg
@@user-yl1gk2hw1b
apparently this is the song he thought he got booed at,
15 oct '71 Madison Square Garden
that prompted Ricky to write the excellent lyrics of "Garden Party".
@loishopton3635
Reason,contemporary ‘ s not like at get together. Rick paid back with Garden Party. RIP,loved your voice,Rick.
@dbwindhorst1
Any song with "honky tonk" in the title definitely needs steel guitar.
@MDOurMD
Everybody gets funky when they cover the Stones. It's in the their DNA.
@meganc.3452
I love it
@9thfloorchaos
It's 'gin-soaked barroom queen in Memphis', right?
@tonycee8332
Not the Stones, BUT not that bad either... Not bad enough to boo him !