A Country Boy Can Survive
"A Country Boy Can Survive" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Hank Williams Jr. | ||||
from the album The Pressure Is On | ||||
B-side | "Weatherman" | |||
Released | January 18, 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 4:16 | |||
Label | Elektra/Curb | |||
Songwriter(s) | Hank Williams Jr. | |||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Bowen Hank Williams Jr. | |||
Hank Williams Jr. singles chronology | ||||
|
"A Country Boy Can Survive" is a song written and recorded by American musician Hank Williams Jr. The song was released as a single in January 1982 and reached a peak of number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in March 1982.[1] It is considered one of Williams' signature songs even though it never reached number one.
Shortly after 9/11, Williams re-wrote and re-recorded the song with a patriotic theme under the name "America Will Survive"; the rewrite peaked at number 45 on the Billboard country charts.
In early 2007, Williams re-released the original version to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its original release, in addition to creating a music video for it. This re-release peaked at number 45 on the Billboard country charts.
Content
This song was released in January 1982. It reflects changes to American lifestyle and society that corresponded with rural concerns of the negative impact from increasing urbanization, and exalts the self-reliance of 'country boys'.
The second verse mentions the narrator's relationship with a New York City businessman; despite their differing backgrounds (urban vs. rural) the two had become good friends and exchanged gifts ("he'd send me pictures of the Broadway nights/And I'd send him some homemade wine"). The businessman is "killed by a man with a switchblade knife/for $43 my friend lost his life"; Williams replies that he would like to personally shoot the mugger himself, but not before "(spitting) Beech-Nut in that dude's eyes". The "America Will Survive" remix has the businessman being a victim of the 9/11 attacks.
Chart history
Original version
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[2] | 2 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1982) | Position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 9 |
2001 re-release as "America Will Survive"
Chart (2001) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 45 |
2007 re-release for 25th Anniversary
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 45 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[4] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Cover versions
Kid Rock recorded a cover of the song, which appeared on the 1993 EP Fire It Up, and as a B-side to his 1993 single "I Am the Bullgod".
Chad Brock version (Y2K version)
"A Country Boy Can Survive (Y2K version)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Chad Brock, Hank Williams, Jr., and George Jones | ||||
from the album Yes! | ||||
B-side | "Going the Distance" | |||
Released | November 22, 1999 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:59 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) | Hank Williams, Jr. | |||
Producer(s) | Buddy Cannon Norro Wilson | |||
Chad Brock singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Hank Williams, Jr. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
George Jones singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In late 1999, Chad Brock and George Jones collaborated with Williams to record a re-written version of the song with a Y2K theme, with lines such as "If the bank machines crash, we'll be just fine." This version peaked at number 30 on the Billboard country charts, and number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Chart positions
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] | 66 |
US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 75 |
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 30 |
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ "Hank Williams, Jr. 2 Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – Hank Williams, Jr. – A Country Boy Can Survive". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 10016." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. January 10, 2000. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
- ^ "Chad Brock Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Chad Brock Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
External links
- Official music video by Hank Williams Jr.
- v
- t
- e
- Your Cheatin' Heart
- Connie Francis and Hank Williams Jr. Sing Great Country Favorites
- Ballads of the Hills and Plains
- Blues My Name
- A Time to Sing
- Songs My Father Left Me
- Luke the Drifter Jr. – Vol. 2
- Live at Cobo Hall
- After You, Pride's Not Hard to Swallow
- Hank Williams Jr. and Friends
- Family Tradition
- Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
- Habits Old and New
- Rowdy
- The Pressure Is On
- High Notes
- Strong Stuff
- Man of Steel
- Major Moves
- Five-O
- Montana Cafe
- Hank Live
- Born to Boogie
- Wild Streak
- Lone Wolf
- Pure Hank
- Maverick
- Out of Left Field
- Hog Wild
- A.K.A. Wham Bam Sam
- Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts
- Stormy
- The Almeria Club Recordings
- I'm One of You
- 127 Rose Avenue
- It's About Time
- Rich White Honky Blues
- Greatest Hits
- Greatest Hits Vol. 2
- Fourteen Greatest Hits
- Hank Williams Jr.'s Greatest Hits
- Hank Williams Jr.'s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
- Greatest Hits, Vol. 3
- America (The Way I See It)
- The Best of Hank Williams Jr. Volume One: Roots and Branches
- Tribute to My Father
- 20 Hits Special Collection, Vol. 1
- Early Years, Vol. 1
- Early Years, Vol. 2
- The Bocephus Box
- That's How They Do It in Dixie: The Essential Collection
- "Long Gone Lonesome Blues"
- "Nobody's Child"
- "All for the Love of Sunshine"
- "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (with Lois Johnson)
- "Rainin' in My Heart"
- "Eleven Roses"
- "Rainy Night in Georgia"
- "I'll Think of Something"
- "I Fought the Law"
- "To Love Somebody"
- "Family Tradition"
- "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound"
- "Women I've Never Had"
- "Kaw-Liga"
- "Old Habits"
- "Texas Women"
- "Dixie on My Mind"
- "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)"
- "A Country Boy Can Survive"
- "Honky Tonkin'"
- "The American Dream"
- "Gonna Go Huntin' Tonight"
- "Leave Them Boys Alone" (with Ernest Tubb and Waylon Jennings)
- "Queen of My Heart"
- "Man of Steel"
- "Attitude Adjustment"
- "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight"
- "Major Moves"
- "I'm for Love"
- "This Ain't Dallas"
- "Ain't Misbehavin'"
- "Country State of Mind"
- "Mind Your Own Business" (with Reba McEntire, Tom Petty, Reverend Ike and Willie Nelson)
- "Born to Boogie"
- "Heaven Can't Be Found"
- "Young Country"
- "If the South Woulda Won"
- "Early in the Morning and Late at Night"
- "There's a Tear in My Beer" (with Hank Williams Sr.)
- "Finders Are Keepers"
- "Ain't Nobody's Business"
- "Good Friends, Good Whiskey, Good Lovin'"
- "If It Will, It Will"
- "Devil in the Bottle"
- "Are You Ready for the Country?" (with Eric Church)
- "The Conversation" (with Waylon Jennings)
- "That Old Wheel" (with Johnny Cash)
- "Bartender Song (Sittin' at a Bar)" (with Rehab)
- Hank Williams (father)
- Audrey Williams (mother)
- Jett Williams (half-sister)
- Hank Williams III (son)
- Holly Williams (daughter)
- Coleman Williams (grandson)
- Discography
- Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story