Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
| "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of A-side labels of the U.S. vinyl single | ||||
| Single by Waylon Jennings | ||||
| from the album Dreaming My Dreams | ||||
| B-side | "Bob Wills Is Still the King" | |||
| Released | August 1975 | |||
| Genre | Outlaw country[1] | |||
| Length | 3:02 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Waylon Jennings | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Waylon Jennings singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It was released in August 1975 as the first single from the album Dreaming My Dreams. The song was Waylon Jennings' fourth number one on the country chart as a solo artist. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of sixteen weeks on the country chart.[2]
The B-side to "Are You Sure ..." was "
Bob Wills is Still the King
", a tribute to the music of Wills. Although it never charted on its own, "Bob Wills ... " gained airplay and continues to be a staple at classic country radio stations.
Content
The song pays homage to the influence of Hank Williams Sr. in country music, and criticizes the glitz that had come to characterize top-selling country artists in the 1970s, through references to "rhinestone suits" and "new shiny cars."[3]
Chart performance
Waylon Jennings
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 60 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 21 |
Alabama
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 53 |
Cover versions
Country band
Alabama covered the song in 2010 for the Waylon Jennings tribute album, The Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings, Volume One, which was released on February 8, 2011. Alabama's version was released as a single on December 13, 2010, via The Valory Music Co.
- Pat Green and Cory Morrow covered the song on the album Songs We Wish We'd Written in 2001.
- Clint Black covered the song on his 1999 album D'lectrified, inserting Jennings' name in place of Williams'. Black's version adds an extended instrumental section, and features Jennings as a guest vocalist.
- Chequered Past, featuring singer/actor Michael Des Barres, covered this song on their 1984 eponymous album.
- Robert Earl Keen contributed a cover of the song to Lonesome, On'ry and Mean: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings.
- Morrissey performed a cover of the song at a concert in 2015 in Visalia.[7] It later became the B-Side to his 2018 single "My Love, I'd Do Anything for You".
- Jack Ingram performed a cover of the song on the 2003 album Live at Billy Bob's Texas.
- Uncle Tupelo released a cover of the song on the 2003 reissue of the album Anodyne.
- Hank Williams Jr. released a cover of this song on his 1981 album Rowdy and added/changed lyrics.
- The Mavericks cover it on their 2019 album “The Mavericks Play the Hits”.
In popular culture
- The song is included on "The Highwaymen Live" movie from 1990.
- The song was also included on the soundtrack for the 2009 film Crazy Heart.
- The song appears on Rebel Radio, the country music themed station, in Grand Theft Auto V. The song was also used in a promotional trailer showcasing the character Trevor Philips.
References
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (August 22, 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
Like the best outlaw country, "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" looks backwards and forwards simultaneously...
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 174.
- ^ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr. "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - Waylon Jennings | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Alabama Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ Kanoniuk, Lachlan (21 October 2016). "Cakes, Brexit, and country music: We chat with Morrissey". FasterLouder. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.