Jennings then worked as a DJ in Coolidge, Arizona, and Phoenix. He formed a rockabilly club band, The Waylors. He recorded for independent label Trend Records and A&M Records before succeeding with RCA Victor after achieving creative control.
During the 1970s, Jennings was instrumental in the inception of Outlaw country movement. He released critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes followed by hit albums Dreaming My Dreams as well as Are You Ready for the Country. In 1976, he released the album Wanted! The Outlaws with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, the first platinum country music album. That success was followed by Ol' Waylon and the hit song "Luckenbach, Texas". Jennings was featured in the 1978 album White Mansions performed by various artists documenting the lives of people in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs on the album were written by Paul Kennerley. By the early 1980s, Jennings was struggling with a cocaine addiction, which he quit in 1984. Later, he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, which released three albums between 1985 and 1995. During that period, Jennings released the successful album Will the Wolf Survive. He toured less after 1997 to spend more time with his family. Between 1999 and 2001, his appearances were limited by health problems. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died from complications of diabetes.
Jennings also appeared in films and television series. He was the balladeer for The Dukes of Hazzard, composing and singing the show's theme song and providing narration for the show. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, which he chose not to attend. In 2007, he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music.
Jennings's music was characterized by his "powerful" singing voice, noted by his "rough-edged quality", as well as his phrasing and texture. He was also recognized for his "spanky-twang" guitar style. To create his sound, he used a pronounced 'phaser' effect' plus a mixture of thumb and fingers during the rhythmic parts, while using picks for the lead runs. He combined hammer-on and pull-off riffs, with eventual upper-fret double stops and modulation effects. Jennings played a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a used guitar that was a gift from The Waylors. Jennings's bandmates adorned his guitar with a distinctive leather cover that featured a black background with a white floral work. Jennings further customized it by filing down the frets to lower the strings on the neck to obtain the slapping sound. Among his other guitars, Jennings used a 1950 Fender Broadcaster from the mid-1970s, until he gave it to guitarist Reggie Young in 1993. The leather covers of his guitars were carved by leather artist Terry Lankford.
His signature image was characterized by his long hair and beard, as well as his black hat and the black leather vest he wore during his appearances.
Jennings's music had a major influence on several neotraditionalist and alternative country artists, including Hank Williams Jr., The Marshall Tucker Band,[124] Travis Tritt, Steve Earle, Jamey Johnson, John Anderson, his son, Shooter Jennings, Sturgill Simpson, and Hank Williams III.
In 2008, his first posthumous album, Waylon Forever, was released. The album consisted of songs recorded with his son Shooter when he was 16. In 2012, Waylon: The Music Inside a three-volume project, consisting of covers of Jennings's songs by different artists, was released. The same year, it was announced for September the release of Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings, a set of 12 songs recorded by Jennings and bassist Robby Turner before his death in 2002. Jennings's family was reluctant to release any new material because they did not feel comfortable at the time. The songs only featured Jennings and Turner on the bass, while further accompaniment would be added later. Ten years after, Turner completed the recordings with the help of former Waylors. The Jennings family approved the release despite the launch of a new business focused on his estate. Shooter Jennings arranged deals for a clothing line, while also launching a renewed website, and started talks with different producers about the making of a biographical film.
It's so Easy
Waylon Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's so easy to fall in love
Look into your heart and see
What your love book has set apart for me
It seems so easy (it seems so easy, it seems so easy,it seems so easy)
Oh, so doggone easy (doggone easy, doggone easy, doggone easy)
Well, where you're concerned my heart has learnt
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
Love, they say is made for fools
Here I go breaking all of the rules
It seems so easy (it seems so easy, it seems so easy,it seems so easy)
Oh, so doggone easy (doggone easy, doggone easy, doggone easy)
It seems so easy (it seems so easy, it seems so easy,it seems so easy)
Oh, well, where you're concerned my heart has learnt
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
The lyrics to Waylon Jennings's song "It's So Easy" are about the ease of falling in love, and how the singer's heart has learned to love someone without much effort. The first verse highlights the simplicity of love by stating, "It's so easy to fall in love, Look into your heart and see, What your love book has set apart for me." The singer goes on to say that it seems effortless to love this person and that their heart has learned to love them.
The chorus repeats the line "It's so easy to fall in love" and emphasizes how easy it is to break the rules of love when in the presence of someone you adore. The song implies that love can make us do irrational things, and it is easy to give in to those feelings without even realizing it.
Overall, the lyrics to "It's So Easy" convey a feeling of optimism and joy about love, highlighting how easy love can be when it's meant to be. The song celebrates falling in love and encourages listeners to follow their hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so easy to fall in love
Love is something that is easy to slip into
It's so easy to fall in love
Love is something that is easy to slip into
Look into your heart and see
Take a deep look inside yourself and understand your deepest emotions
What your love book has set apart for me
What the future holds for love and the extent to which my love will take me
It seems so easy (it seems so easy, it seems so easy,it seems so easy)
Love has a natural, effortless feel to it
Oh, so doggone easy (doggone easy, doggone easy, doggone easy)
It feels like love is too good to be true
It seems so easy
Love has a natural, effortless feel to it
Well, where you're concerned my heart has learnt
In the context of the person he is singing about, love has taught him a valuable lesson
Love, they say is made for fools
Love is something that people view as foolish and irrational
Here I go breaking all of the rules
The singer is ignoring the conventional wisdom surrounding love
It's so easy to fall in love
Love is something that is easy to slip into
It's so easy to fall in love
Love is something that is easy to slip into
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Buddy Holly, Norman Petty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind