Maybe Hank Williams’ most lined track, “Cold, Cold Heart” additionally introduced the singer/songwriter big success quickly after it was launched in early 1951. The plaintive ballad didn’t take lengthy to turn into a cross-genre hit, despite its unabashedly folksy fashion: a younger Tony Bennett launched an opulent, orchestral tackle the tune the identical yr that just about matched the unique in attain and acclaim, prompting everybody from Louis Armstrong to (a lot later) Norah Jones to comply with swimsuit. Williams’ ode to his spouse Audrey and her icy angle in direction of him didn’t simply turn into considered one of his most beloved releases – it secured his place within the American songbook.
Hearken to “Cold, Cold Heart” on Hank Williams’ 40 Best Hits.
The tune was a spin on a 1945 launch by T. Texas Tyler referred to as “You’ll Still Be In My Heart,” written by Ted West and Buddy Starcher (their writer sued Acuff-Rose, the outcomes have been by no means made public, however they have been awarded $2,500 in damages). Williams was, based on legend, impressed to riff on the tune after getting back from a tour and discovering his spouse Audrey within the hospital on account of problems from an at-home abortion – and bored with his get-well presents. Although the track was really written about two months after Audrey’s abortion, based on Williams biographer Colin Escott, the incident is usually credited with inspiring the lament, so relatable to those that may really feel like they will’t get something proper.
The recording
“Cold, Cold Heart” was recorded on December 20, 1950, and was – although it may be arduous to consider now – initially launched as a B-side as a result of that’s the place ballads have been sometimes relegated at that time within the nation music business. The deceptively easy blues was stone-cold nation, with its crossover potential well-shrouded in Williams’ mournful, wealthy singing. His energy and charisma was at its peak at this level; he may have sung something, and it most likely would have hit – maybe, although, not in the way in which that “Cold, Cold Heart” did.
The reception
It took “Cold, Cold Heart” just a few weeks to overhaul its A-side, “Dear John,” on the nation charts, the place it will stay for the remainder of 1951 – thanks largely to the monitor’s success as a pop hit for Bennett (who needed to be satisfied to file it within the first place). It turned the newest in a string of nation hits co-opted by silky easy pop singers, a lot to Williams’ chagrin. “These pop bands will play our hillbilly songs when they cain’t eat no other way,” he informed an interviewer on the time. Nonetheless, the monitor and its crossover introduced him to an entire new degree of fame and affect – and has endured within the many years since as a favourite for artists of all stripes.
Hearken to “Cold, Cold Heart” on Hank Williams’ 40 Best Hits.
