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 album—destined to the IRS—and 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 hole—the 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.
What a Difference a Day Makes
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twenty four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain
My yesterday was blue, dear
Today I'm a part of you, dear
My lonely nights are through, dear
And what a difference a day makes
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can't be stormy
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss
And it's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day makes
And the difference is you
What a difference a day makes
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can't be stormy
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss
And it's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day makes
And the difference is you
The song What A Difference A Day Makes was written by Maria Grever and initially recorded in Spanish with the title “Cuando vuelva a tu lado” (When I Return to Your Side) in 1934. The song became popular in the United States in 1959 when Dinah Washington recorded an English version of it that reached #4 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. Willie Nelson also recorded the song for his album “Stardust” in 1978.
The lyrics of the song describe the transformative effect of love on a person’s life. The first verse speaks of how a day can change everything from rain to sunshine and flowers, setting the stage for the metaphorical transformation that is to follow. The second verse tells us how the singer’s life was sad and lonely before falling in love, but now it is full of joy and hope. The chorus emphasizes the suddenness of this change, reminding us that it can happen in an instant, just like the switch from rain to sunshine.
The lyrics of this song paint a vivid picture of the transformative power of love. With each verse, we see the singer’s life change from one of sadness and darkness to one of joy and hope. The imagery used is simple but effective, creating a sense of optimism that is infectious. The chorus perfectly captures the sentiment of the song, emphasizing the suddenness of the change that love can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
What a difference a day makes
It's amazing how much things can change in just one day
Twenty four little hours
In just a short period of time
Brought the sun and the flowers
Things that were once gloomy and dull have now become bright and beautiful
Where there used to be rain
The sadness and tears have gone and have been replaced with happiness
My yesterday was blue, dear
Yesterday was a sad and lonely day
Today I'm a part of you, dear
Today we are together, and it makes me happy and complete
My lonely nights are through, dear
I no longer have to spend my nights alone
Since you said you were mine
Ever since you committed yourself to me
And what a difference a day makes
It's amazing how much things can change in just one day
There's a rainbow before me
I see so much beauty and positivity in front of me
Skies above can't be stormy
The future looks bright and hopeful
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss
Since the moment we shared our love for each other with a passionate kiss
And it's heaven when you find romance on your menu
It's an incredible feeling to have love in your life
What a difference a day makes
It's amazing how much things can change in just one day
And the difference is you
You are the reason for all the happiness and love in my life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARIA GREVER, STANLEY ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
twinPaula12
I have loved this beautiful song for so long. What great songwriting and Willie sings this so well. This is wonderful to dance to and is so romantic. It's so hard to find truly great music these days and what a treat this one is. Thanks a million for posting this treasure. - Paula
Wagstaff8
Loved the song by Dinah Washington and thought no one else should even bother to sing it. I was floored by Willie's version the first time I heard it. I agree the guitar solo is terrific, but I also love the little fills all the way through the song.
Tina Robinson
Aww ~~~Willie sings this so heavenly~~ 💘 LOVE him and his Gibson "Thunder"~~~Can't get any better than this 💘
Julie Hattory
well done willie!!!
MARCOS VILLARIM
Beautiful song
Nora Enciso
love the guitar sounds...
suminexsan
Another beautiful video ! Thanks 65 S :)
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"What a Difference a Day Makes" ♫ Willie Nelson
I'm A.S. Is
Beautiful. For a beautiful cause <3
Julie Hattory
nice guitar pick'in willie!!