The birth of Hank Williams Jr.’s catchphrase.
Taking it back to 1981 when Hank Williams Jr. released his fifth number-one single, “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)” on September 5th, 42 years ago today.
The song, written by Williams Jr. himself, was the lead single off his The Pressure Is On record.
In the song, Hank laments the fact that all of his rowdy friends are getting older and settling down, himself included, and nobody wants to tear up the town with him anymore.
“And the hangovers hurt more than they used to
And cornbread and ice tea took the place of pills and 90-proof
And it seems like none of us do things quite like we used to do
And nobody wants to get high on the town
And all my rowdy friends have settled down.”
After the single’s success, Williams Jr. continued to coin the phrase “all my rowdy friends,” eventually becoming his catchphrase.
The phrase led to the formation of one of Williams Jr.’s most loved songs, “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight,” released in 1984.
Unlike the lyrical content of “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down),” the 1984 hit features a narrator who details a wild party he plans on throwing.
“Do you wanna drink, hey do you wanna party?
Hey honey, this is old Hank, ready to get the thing started
We cooked the pig in the ground, got some beer on ice
And all my rowdy friends are comin’ over tonight.”
The line would also appear in 1987 for “Born to Boogie,” and “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over For Monday Night Football,” and in 2011 for “Keep the Change.”
Outside of his music, Hank Williams often shared stories about the wild times he shared with his “rowdy friends.”
All thanks to a number-one single in 1981, one of the best catchphrases in country music was born.
“All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)”
“All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight”
“All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over For Monday Night Football”
