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Eddie writesTake Two: “Cold, Cold Heart” (Hank Williams vs. Tony Bennett vs. Nat King Cole)
by Eddie Sayago
There is a chance that you have come across a song (or two, or so many more) that you enjoy and did not realize that it's either been covered by someone else or is a cover itself. We hope that this series allows you to appreciate both the original and the covers they have inspired, and to seek out and enjoy new music in the process.
Here we take a look at one of Hank Williams’ most memorable songs and two different covers by two of the most influential male crooners America has ever produced.
Hank Williams (single released 1950 on MGM Records)
Despite his short life (he died on New Year’s Day 1953 at age 29), Hank Williams accomplished more as a musician than most other artists who live twice as long.
Arguably America’s first country music superstar, Williams had written/co-written and recorded over 160 songs over the course of a decade, with 35 of them becoming Top 10 hits on the Country Charts (and 11 of them going to #1).
“Cold, Cold Heart” was actually a B-Side to a more upbeat single, “Dear John” (a very downer title, if one is familiar with “Dear John” letters/stories). “Cold, Cold Heart” is by far the more memorable of the two songs released on that record in February 1951, quickly becoming a #1 hit and becoming a popular song to cover by other artists.
Though the song could apply to any couple going through hardship, a line in the first verse, “A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart”, references an abortion that Williams’ first wife, Audrey, had that may have been from an extramartial affair.
Hank also had affairs of his own, eventually divorcing Audrey to marry Billie Jean Horton–who later had an affair with Johnny Cash–shortly before his death in October 1952. Horton got her name from her next marriage, to singer Johnny Horton, whom she married the following September.
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (March 14 - March 20)
Speical Announcements:
- CHIRP Radio's 2022 Spring Fundraising Drive is underway! We're here for you, live and local, every day. Listener support makes everything we do possible. Show your belief in our work with a tax-deductable donation today!
Upcoming Events:
- Monday April 4: CHIRP Radio welcomes Sons of Kemet to Lincoln Hall
- Friday April 8: CHIRP Radio welcomes Adia Victoria to Evanston SPACE
- Tuesday April 19: CHIRP Radio welcomes FUZZ to Thalia Hall
- Thursday May 12: CHIRP Radio welcomes Julianna Barwick to Lincoln Hall
On the Podcast:
- Mick R talks to Woody Goss of Vulfpeck
On the Blog:
- Mick R interviews Asbestos Lead Asbestos
Top of the CHIRP Charts for the week of 3/7/22:
Bloodhype – Pictures of Our Dead Intercom System (self-released)
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: Asbestos Lead Asbestos
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows / Read his blog)
It has been said, that, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you weirder.” Now the person who said that was an actor, portraying a madman, in a major motion picture, but I defy you to find the lie.
Chicago’s electro-pop duo Asbestos Lead Asbestos takes this sentiment to the opposite extreme: If you want to live, you better prepare to get weird.
Named for a Meat Beat Manifesto masterpiece, the group boasts the talents of best buds Joey and Cassidy, who together form a human sound lab, conducting experiments at the outer limits of good taste while pumping out poignant, absurdist insights and Ableton-enabled, hip-hop night-terrors.
It’s perfect for disassociating with a can of rosé in a jacuzzi jerried out of a Waste Management container - in other words, it’s the soundtrack to your best possible life.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (March 7 - March 13)
Upcoming Events:
- Saturday March 12: CHIRP Radio welcomes DRAMA to Lincoln Hall
- Monday April 4: CHIRP Radio welcomes Sons of Kemet to Lincoln Hall
- Friday April 8: CHIRP Radio welcomes Adia Victoria to Evanston SPACE
On the Podcast:
- Mick R speaks with Chicago-based artist Megiapa
- Marjorie Alford talks with Alexia Roditis of Destroy Boys
On the Blog:
- Mick R interviews Dreamjacket
- Kevin Fullam and Dobby Evers discuss the 2006 film Idiocracy
Top of the CHIRP Charts for the week of 3/7/22:
Bloodhype – Pictures of Our Dead Intercom System (self-released)
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: Dreamjacket
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows / Read his blog)
Variety and experience are the zest of life and novel pairings are the fleshy fruit from which they are squeezed. Would you turn your nose up at a peanut butter and sweet onion sandwich? Well, you’re only depriving yourself by tilting your proboscis northward, my friend.
And what about country music and space rock? Outrageous! Maybe… but a part of me thinks you’re curious to know how these disparate styles come together.
Thankfully, you don’t have to visit a saloon on a desert planet in a galaxy far far away to find out what this theoretical, dusty, and cosmic category of American might sound like in practice. Chicago’s own Dreamjacket is more than happy to bring the interstellar frontier as near as your neighborhood bar.
The five-piece band comprised of vocalist Jesse W. Johnson, violist Yoo Soo Kim, bassist Timothy Cap, guitarist Bradley Bergstrand, and drummer Dane Marcussen took a while to assemble, but it is hard to put a price on the sum of their talents now that their forces have aligned.
Their debut album Lost at Last dropped late last year, and they’re still hard at work spreading the good word about it. To help in their efforts I shot some questions their way about their origin story, their sound, and their new album and you can check out their very thorough and charming responses below: