Born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky-tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. He also worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in Vancouver and nearby Portland, Oregon. In 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas, after signing a contract with D Records. He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, ...And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
In 1990, Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed that he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double albumādestined to the IRSāand the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk.
Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.
Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar" and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the 1980s and 1990s".
In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and guitar with their "Prismatone" pickup. During a show in Helotes, Texas, Nelson left the guitar on the floor of the stage, and it was later stepped on by a drunk man. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 Classical guitar, and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.
Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound holeāthe N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. The first signature on the guitar was Leon Russell's, who asked Nelson initially to sign his guitar. When Nelson was about to sign it with a marker, Russell requested him to scratch it instead, explaining that the guitar would be more valuable in the future. Interested in the concept, Nelson requested Russell to also sign his guitar. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent arrived there, and then deliver it to him in Maui. Nelson then concealed the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid off in 1993.
Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund raisers to benefit farmers. In 2015 Nelson won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. In 2018 The Texas Institute of Letters inducted him among its members for his songwriting. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.
Valentine
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And introduce your heart to mine
And be my Valentine?
Summertime, we could run and play like summertime
With storybooks and nursury rhymes
So be my Valentine
Candy heart
If anyone could, you could have a candy heart
Won't you give your heart to me?
Can't you see?
I love you, valentine
Won't you be my Valentine?
And won't you share your space with mine
And be my Valentine?
Candy heart
If anyone could, you could have a candy heart
You're the sweetest of all sweethearts
Won't you give your heart to me?
Can't you see?
I love you, valentine
Won't you be my Valentine?
And introduce your heart to mine
And be my Valentine?
Willie Nelson's song "Valentine" is a straightforward and heartfelt love letter to someone he desires. The lyrics indicate that he wants this person to be his Valentine, introducing their hearts to each other, and spending time together during the summer. Throughout the song, he compares his love interest to a candy heart, emphasizing their sweetness and desirability.
The first verse begins with Willie asking, "Valentine, won't you be my Valentine?" This line acts as a direct plea to have his feelings reciprocated. He then follows it up by asking to introduce their hearts to each other, which indicates a strong desire for emotional intimacy. In the second verse, he mentions that the pair could run and play in the summertime, which feels like a reference to the carefree nature of childhood, implying a sense of playfulness and joy in their relationship. Willie then ends each verse with the refrain of "Be my Valentine," further emphasizing his strong desire for the object of his affection to be his.
Throughout the song, Willie compares his love interest to a candy heart, a popular Valentine's Day candy that often features messages of love and affection. He tells them that they are the sweetest of all sweethearts, indicating that he has a high level of admiration for them. He then asks if they will give their heart to him, as he clearly has already given his to them.
Overall, "Valentine" is a sweet and simple love song that focuses on the desire for emotional connection and intimacy. It shows Willie Nelson's talent for creating songs that are both straightforward and emotionally resonant.
Line by Line Meaning
Valentine, won't you be my Valentine?
I am asking you to be my Valentine.
And introduce your heart to mine
Let our hearts connect and beat as one.
And be my Valentine?
Will you please accept me as your Valentine?
Summertime, we could run and play like summertime
Let's have the carefree and fun-filled moments of summertime together.
With storybooks and nursery rhymes
We will make memories and share stories and experiences together.
So be my Valentine
I hope you accept my request to be my Valentine.
Candy heart
Your heart is as sweet as candy.
If anyone could, you could have a candy heart
You are the sweetest person I know and your heart is especially sweet.
You're the sweetest of all sweethearts
You are the sweetest person to me, above all others.
Won't you give your heart to me?
Please give me the honor of sharing your love and affection.
Can't you see?
I hope you realize how much I care for you.
I love you, valentine
I have deep feelings of love for you and want to express them on Valentine's Day.
And won't you share your space with mine
I hope we can be together and share our future moments and experiences.
And introduce your heart to mine
Let us connect emotionally and build a strong bond.
And be my Valentine?
Will you spend Valentine's Day with me as my significant other?
Lyrics Ā© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeff Cutchall
Just saw him 2 weeks ago...fantastic for 88...shorter set but still the best š
Willie Nelsonšµ
Thanks for supporting my music š¶ Iām so grateful š and I hope you never stop being a fan, I would like to honor you by giving you my personal information if thatās ok by you.
Jessie White
The first time I ever heard this song. Mr. Nelson you have done it again. Beautiful song, by a beautiful man.
Willie Nelsonšµ
Thanks for supporting my music š¶ Iām so grateful š and I hope you never stop being a fan, I would like to honor you by giving you my personal information if thatās ok by you.
Jessie White
@Morrison James doing good. Thanks for asking. And how are you?
Morrison James
Hello Jessie how're you doing?
Tom Caldwell
Thank you, Willie. Love this beautiful song.
Willie Nelsonšµ
Thanks for supporting my music š¶ Iām so grateful š and I hope you never stop being a fan, I would like to honor you by giving you my personal information if thatās ok by you.
Fernanda De jesus
amazing how each song is just perfect ššš»
William Nordeste
We love you willie.....Granpa Willy