Song of the Day: Cold, Cold Heart

Today’s featured song is an all-timer from the great Hank Williams. The song was released in 1951 and was a big hit for Hank Sr. It sure is a sad song if you listen to the lyrics. Also, I dont want to dive too deeply into the inspiration of the song, but it is real heavy. Hank Williams only lived 29 years, but I can’t think of one person who had a bigger influence on Country Music. It is crazy to think that he accomplished so much in such a short span. It is like he had a lifetime of legendary accolades before he turned 30, but it wasn’t without significant repercussions. He didn’t have an easy life, a lot of it was self-inflicted, but nevertheless. Hard living still ain’t easy. There is a little controversy as to who wrote the song. Hank Williams is the credited song writer, but other music historians suggest that the song was actually written by Paul Gilley. Gilley passed away at 27 in a drowning accident, but like Hank Williams was a highly regarded songwriter who passed away before he turned 30. I’ll lean towards Hank Williams being the writer of this one, because it seems like his song. You can tell writing styles and this one fit right in with other Hank Williams penned tunes. Tony Bennett had a cover of this song along with many other great artists, but I am not going to include his version. I am, however, going to include a version in the stylings of Norah Jones. I discovered that she recorded the song just the other day and I really like her sound. She adds a jazzy style to this heartbreaker. I hope you enjoy both versions.

Yacs