"Night Life" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. Nelson was inspired to write the song during one of his trips from his home in Pasadena, Texas, to his work, singing at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston.
| "Night Life" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
Due to financial issues, Nelson sold the song to guitar instructor Paul Buskirk for US$150. The song was rejected by Pappy Daily, who made Nelson's studio recordings at the time. Daily believed that the song was not country. Due to the amount of money that Nelson received for the song, he decided to record the song in another studio. To avoid legal actions, it was recorded as "Nite Life" under the artist name of "Hugh Nelson and Paul Buskirk and the Little Men".
The song was later recorded by Ray Price as the title track of his 1963 album. The song became a hit for Price, who included it as the introduction of his act. That same year Doris Day recorded the song for her Love Him album. The song was later covered by Frank Sinatra and B.B. King.
Background and recording
After his son Billy was born in 1958, struggling with financial issues, Nelson moved to Houston. On the way, Nelson stopped by the Esquire Ballroom to sell songs to house band singer Larry Butler. Butler refused to purchase Nelson's songs, giving him instead a US$50 loan to rent an apartment and a six-night job singing in the club.[1] Nelson rented the apartment near Houston in Pasadena, Texas, where he also worked at the radio station as a DJ. During the same time, Nelson recorded for Pappy Daily of D Records. While working on the club, Nelson used the time of the thirty-mile travel from his home to the club to write songs. One night he was inspired to start the song after thinking the line "When the evening sun goes down, you will find me hanging 'round." Nelson's inspiration was completed on his way back, with the line "The night life ain't no good life, but it's my life".[2]
Nelson sold the song for US$150 to Paul Buskirk in 1960, while working on his school as a guitar instructor. The recording of the song was turned down by Pappy Daily, who did not considered the song country. Nelson, who owed Daily the recording of other songs, had sold the "Night Life" for enough money to record it on a different studio. Daily threatened Nelson to sue him if he recorded the song. Nelson recorded the song as "Nite Life", but they labeled the artist under "Hugh Nelson and Paul Buskirk and the Little Men",[3] and released it through Rx Records. The song received limited airplay by DJ Uncle Hank Craig, broadcast on XEG.[4]
Recordings
In 1960 Ray Price purchased the song and recorded a cover of the song as the titletrack of his 1963 album Night Life.[5] The song became a hit for Price,[6] who started to use it as the introduction in his shows, replacing the usual fiddles of his backing for violins.[7] Price wrote on the liner notes that the song was "especially" written for him by "a boy down Texas way".[8] The single reached number 28 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles.[9] That same year, Doris Day also recorded the song for her Columbia Records album, Love Him. In 1965, Nelson recorded the song for his RCA Records release, Country Willie – His Own Songs. The liner notes of the album stated "Willie writes the songs.... You make them into hits", detailing the songs written by Nelson that were hits for other artists, listing Ray Price's recording of "Night Life".[10] A version recorded by Nelson and trumpeter Danny Davis in 1979 reached in 1980 number 20 on Billboard's Hot Country singles,[11] while also reached number 9 on RPM's Country Tracks.[12] A cover by B. J. Thomas peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1986.[13]
The song was covered by several artists including Frank Sinatra, B.B. King Dottie West and Rusty Draper. David Lee Roth released the song as a single from his 1994 album Your Filthy Little Mouth.[6] Dolly Parton performed the song on television on her 1970s variety series Dolly!, and again in 1987 on her later network series. Aretha Franklin performed the song on her album The Delta Meets Detroit
Chart performance
Ray Price
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 28[9] |
Willie Nelson and Danny Davis
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 20[11] |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 9[12] |
B. J. Thomas
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 59[13] |
Footnotes
- ^ Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake 2000, p. 116, 117.
- ^ Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake 2000, p. 117.
- ^ Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake 2000, p. 118.
- ^ Smith, Michael William (April 25, 2013). "Mr. Record Man: Willie Nelson". Houston Press. Voice Media Group. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ^ Cusic, Don 2011, p. 137.
- ^ a b Reinert, Al 1976, p. 102.
- ^ Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake 2000, p. 158.
- ^ Night Life (LP). Ray Price. Columbia Records. 1963. CS-8771.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Hot Country Singles". Billboard. 75 (41). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 12, 1963. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris 2003, p. 532.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel 1989, p. 77.
- ^ a b "Country 75 Singles". RPM. 33 (4). Walt Grealis: 31. April 19, 1980. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
Bibliography
- Cusic, Don (2011). The Cowboy in Country Music: An Historical Survey with Artist Profiles. McFarland. ISBN 9780786463145.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra,Chris (2003). Allmusic Guide to Country Music. Backbeat Books. ISBN 9780879307608.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake (2000). Willie: An Autobiography. Cooper Square Press.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Reinert, Al (1976). "Bringing it All Back Home". Texas Monthly. 4 (8). Emmis Communications. ISSN 0148-7736.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Whitburn, Joel (1989). Joel Whitburn's top country singles, 1944-1988: compiled from Billboard's country charts, 1944-1988. Record Research. ISBN 9780898200706.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)