Your Cheatin' Heart

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For other uses, see Your Cheatin' Heart (disambiguation).
"Your Cheatin' Heart"
Single by Hank Williams
A-side "Kaw-Liga"
Released January 1953 (January 1953)
Recorded September 23, 1952
Genre Country
Length 2:38
Label MGM Records
Writer(s) Hank Williams
Producer(s) Fred Rose
Hank Williams singles chronology

"You Win Again" (1952) "Your Cheatin' Heart" (1953) "Kaw-Liga" (1953)

Music sample
"Hank Williams -Your Cheatin' Heart"

"Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952, regarded as one of country's most important standards. He was inspired to write the song while driving with his fianceé from Nashville, Tennessee to Shreveport, Louisiana. After describing his first wife Audrey Sheppard as a "Cheatin' Heart", he dictated in minutes the lyrics to Billie Jean Jones. Produced by Fred Rose, Williams recorded the song on his last session at Castle Records in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 23.

"Your Cheatin' Heart" was released in January 1953. Propelled by Williams' recent death during a trip to a New Year's concert in Canton, Ohio, the song became an instant success. It topped Billboard's Country & Western chart for six weeks, while over a million units were sold. The success of the song continued. Joni James' version reached number two on Billboard's Most Played in Jukeboxes the same year, while Ray Charles' 1962 version reached number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 13 on the UK Singles Chart. The song ranked at 217 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and was ranked number 5 on Country Music Television's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.

Background

By 1952 Williams was enjoying a successful streak, releasing multiple hits, including "Honky Tonk Blues", "Half as Much", "Setting the Woods on Fire", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" and "You Win Again".[1] While his career was soaring, his marriage to Audrey Sheppard became turbulent. He developed serious problems with alcohol, morphine and painkillers prescribed to ease his severe back pain caused by spina bifida.[2] The couple divorced on May 29,[3] and Williams moved in with his mother.[4]

Soon after, Williams met Billie Jean Jones backstage at the Ryman Auditorium, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, "who was, at the time, dating Faron Young. Williams started dating Jones, upon the end of her relationship with Young and soon began to plan their marriage.[5] While driving from Nashville, Tennessee to Shrevenport to announce the wedding to her parents,[6] Williams talked to her about his previous marriage. He described Audrey Sheppard as a "cheatin' heart", [7] adding that one day she would "have to pay".[8] Inspired by his line, he instructed Jones to take his notebook and write down the lyrics of the song that he quickly dictated to her.[7] The finished composition included the line "You'll walk the floor, the way I do", which evoked Ernest Tubb's hit "Walking the Floor Over You".[9][10]

Recording

Hank and Audrey Williams, 1952

Williams recorded the song on September 23 at the Castle Studios in Nashville. The recording of the song featured a steel guitar, played by Don Helms,[11] backed by fiddles.[12] The session, which became Williams' last, also produced the A-side "Kaw-Liga", as well as the songs "I Could Never Be Ashamed of You" and "Take These Chains from My Heart".[13] It was produced by Williams' publisher Fred Rose,[14] who made minor arrangements of the lyrics of "Your Cheatin' Heart".[15][16] Williams described the song to his friend, Braxton Schuffert, as he was about to play it as "the best heart song (he) ever wrote".[17]

Release

While traveling to a scheduled New Year's show in Canton, Ohio, the driver found Williams dead on the backseat of the car during a stop in Oak Hill, West Virginia.[18] "Your Cheatin' Heart" was released at the end of January 1953.[19] Propelled by Williams' death, the song and the A-side "Kaw-Liga" became a hit,[20] selling over a million records.[21]

Billboard initially described the songs as "superlative tunes and performances", emphasizing the sales potential.[22] Within a short time from its release, the song reached number one on Billboard's Top C&W Records, where it remained for six weeks.[23]

Legacy

A version of the song by Joni James, released in 1953, reached number 2 on Billboard's Most Played in Jukeboxes.[24] James later declared that she did not hear Williams' original version of the song, but decided to record it after reading the lyrics.[25] Another cover by Frankie Laine, released at the same time, reached number 18 on the Most Played in Jukeboxes chart.[26] In 1962, a version by Ray Charles reached number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 23 on the R&B chart,[27] while it also charted at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.[28] The song was covered by many other artists, including James Brown,[29] Nat King Cole, Van Morrison, Patsy Cline, Del Shannon, Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Jon Foreman, Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Glen Campbell, Jerry Lee Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and The The.[1][30]

The name of the song was used as the title of Hank Williams' 1964 biopic. "Your Cheatin' Heart", as well as other songs by Williams were performed on the movie, with George Hamilton dubbing the soundtrack album recorded by Williams' son, Hank Williams, Jr.[31]

AllMusic described the track as the "signature song" of Hank Williams, and an "unofficial anthem" of country music.[32] Rolling Stone called it "one of the greatest country standards of all time",[33] ranking it at number 217 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[34] The song ranked at number 5 in Country Music Television's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music in 2003,[35]

Two Pepsi Super Bowl commercials featured the song, one aired during Super Bowl XXX, featured Williams' recording while a Coca-Cola deliveryman grabbed a Pepsi.[36] The second one, aired during Super Bowl XLVI, featured the same situation, but with the song covered by Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland.[37] The song forms the title of the 1990 TV drama 'Your Cheatin' Heart' by John Byrne.[38]

Chart performance

Hank Williams

Chart (1953) Peak
position
Top C&W Records 1[23]

Cover versions

Year Artist Chart Peak position
1953 Joni James Billboard Most Played in Jukeboxes 2[39]
Frankie Laine Billboard Most Played in Jukeboxes 18[40]
1962 Ray Charles Billboard Billboard Hot 100 29[41]
Billboard To R&B Singles 23[42]
UK Singles Chart 13[43]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Helander 1998, p. 188.
  2. ↑ Koon 2002, p. 10.
  3. ↑ Williams 1981, p. 96.
  4. ↑ Koon 2002, p. XII.
  5. ↑ Koon 2002, p. 200, 201.
  6. ↑ Tyler 2008, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 176, at Google Books.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tichi 1998, p. 212.
  8. ↑ Tyler 2008, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 176, at Google Books.
  9. ↑ Pugh 1998, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 154, at Google Books.
  10. ↑ Fox 2009, p. 87.
  11. ↑ Jennings 2008, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 86, at Google Books.
  12. ↑ Campbell 2008, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 53, at Google Books.
  13. ↑ Koon 2002, p. 67, 120.
  14. ↑ Kingsbury 2006, p. 161.
  15. ↑ Joyner 2008, p. 149.
  16. ↑ Koon 2002, p. 95.
  17. ↑ Flippo 1985, p. 204.
  18. ↑ Browne & Browne 2001, p. 914.
  19. ↑ Billboard Staff 1953, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 28, at Google Books.
  20. ↑ Carlin 2005, p. 217 Your Cheatin' Heart at Google Books.
  21. ↑ Williams 1981, p. 157.
  22. ↑ Billboard Staff 1953, p. Your Cheatin' Heart at Google Books.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Houghtaling 2012, p. 98.
  24. ↑ Billboard Staff 2 1953, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 30, at Google Books.
  25. ↑ Rotella 2010, p. 19.
  26. ↑ [[#CITEREFBillboard Staff 21953Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 30, at Google Books|Billboard Staff 2 & 1953 Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 30, at Google Books]].
  27. ↑ Aswell 2009, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 15, at Google Books.
  28. ↑ Billboard staff 3 1963, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 20, at Google Books.
  29. ↑ Rhodes, Don 2008, p. 101.
  30. ↑ Hischak 2002, p. 422.
  31. ↑ Hischak 2002, p. 66, 192.
  32. ↑ Koda 2012.
  33. ↑ Rolling Stone staff 2011.
  34. ↑ Rolling Stone staff 2004.
  35. ↑ Associated Press 2003.
  36. ↑ Riggs 2006, p. 1298.
  37. ↑ Geller 2012.
  38. ↑ Devine & Wormald 2012, p. 201.
  39. ↑ Billboard Staff 2 1953, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 30, at Google Books.
  40. ↑ Billboard Staff 2 1953, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 30, at Google Books.
  41. ↑ Aswell 2009, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 15, at Google Books.
  42. ↑ Aswell 2009, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 15, at Google Books.
  43. ↑ Billboard staff 3 1963, p. Your Cheatin' Heart, p. 20, at Google Books.

References

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  • Billboard Staff (1953). "This Week's Best Buys". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). ISSN 0006-2510. 
  • Billboard Staff 2 (1953). "Top Popular Records". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 45 (30). ISSN 0006-2510. 
  • Billboard staff 3 (1963). "Hits of the World". Billboard 75 (3) (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). ISSN 0006-2510. 
  • Browne, Ray; Browne, Pat (2001). The guide to United States popular culture. Popular Press. ISBN 978-0-879-72821-2. 
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