I am not, generally speaking, a big fan of country music. For some reason when I think of country music today I think of songs with names like “Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goal Posts of Life)” — I know that song was recorded in 1976 but it seems to be a sign of what was to come. When it comes to the music of Hank Williams, on the other hand, I make an exception. He wrote masterful lyrics and sang beautifully. I don’t properly own any classic Hank Williams albums but I have enjoyed listening to recordings of him on Spotify and watching videos of him online.

I was therefore happy to find out that there would be a new Hank Williams album — well, in a way. Titled The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, the album is a collection of songs that were recorded by various artists from Norah Jones to Merle Haggard and others. The lyrics were written by Hank Williams but for various reasons were never recorded by him. This brings up an entire question about the intent of an artist and when artists intentionally do not publish their art in their lifetime — and whether it is okay to publish it after they pass away. (Emily Dickinson comes to mind, naturally.)

The lyrics of course are exceptional — nothing less can be expected from Hank Williams. Take, for example, the sad song “Oh, Mama, Come Home” —

Your daddy is getting worried so blue I can’t see
Cooking for these youngins is slowly killing me
Oh mama, come home, oh mama, come home
Oh mama, come home, your daddy is all alone

It is nice to see the different artists recording these powerful words. Here is a video of Norah Jones with Elvis Costello performing “How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart?”

There are some who would say that nobody captures the beautiful lyrics of Hank Williams better than Hank Williams. I would agree with this completely but having established this as an idea, hearing his words sung by other masterful musicians is quite enjoyable as well.

4 Comments

  1. It’s a wonderful album, Gordon, and I’m delighted you decided to review it for us.

    The interesting thing is that Bob Dylan’s son Jakob sings on the album — but Hank Williams’ son, Hank Williams Jr., is nowhere to be found! How odd and strange and curious is that?

    I think the women kill on the album. Nora and Lucinda and Patty are so far above the men that they dance in the sky with Hank and they all look down on the rest of us.

    I’m a big Hank Williams, Sr. fan. His music and lyrics are timeless. He also wrote a lot of spirituals that were pretty hardcore and grounded in the faith.

    For real Hank Williams fans, you can now buy the 365-cut “Hank Williams and the Mother’s Complete” set of his radio broadcasts. You’ll get hours and hours of high quality “live listening” from the 1950s that show the real and genuine nature of the original Hank. You just love him and you love his talent and sense of humor even more!

    1. Also curious — no Hank III! On the other hand there is a track with Holly on it — there’s some family for you 🙂

      That complete set is intense — a bit pricey for me but so it goes. Looks excellent!

      1. I think Holly’s song is the least successful of the bunch — it does sound like her father is singing backup for her, though.

        Yes, the Mother’s set is expensive — but for hardcore fans who have waited over 50 years for the shows to be released — it’s a bargain!

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