Country Music Hall of Fame member Hank Williams Jr.'s cheeky, namedrop-filled "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" tells how many of his rough-around-the-edges friends from the '70s had toned down their outlaw ways, musically and otherwise, by the early '80s.
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Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and George Jones had cleaned up their acts, which was a good thing for three artists with plenty more to contribute to popular culture. Kris Kristofferson's renaissance man credentials included his movie star achievements by then, and even ole Bocephus himself had "done rowdied on down." He stopped short of calling Willie Nelson out for smoking less weed, but who would've believed that?
Two years after feeling shunned by the establishment in "Family Tradition," Williams topped the country music charts with "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down," his first single off 1981 album The Pressure is On (Elekra/Curb Records). It was Williams' third straight chart-topper, following the success of "Texas Women" and "Dixie on My Mind." The album's other single, "A Country Boy Can Survive," went platinum. Other standout tracks from The Pressure is On include another example of Williams speaking his mind, "Coalition to Ban Coalitions," and honky-tonk throwback "I Don't Care (If Tomorrow Never Comes)."
Read More: Eric Church Honors Johnny Cash's 'Ragged Old Flag' at 2020 ACM Awards
"All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" is not to be confused with another shoo-in for greatest hits playlists, "All My Rowdy Friends are Coming Over Tonight." Though it's titled like it would've come out first, the future Monday Night Football theme hit the airwaves three years later.
This story originally ran on Oct. 6, 2020.
"All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" Lyrics
All my rowdy friends have settled down
And they seem to be more into laid back songs
Nobody wants to get drunk and get loud
Everybody just wants to go back home
I myself have seen my wilder days
And I have seen my name at the top of the page
But I need to find a friend just to run around
But nobody wants to get high on the town
And all my rowdy friends have settled down
And I think I know what my father meant when he sang about the "Lost Highway"
And old George Jones I'm glad to see he's finally getting straight
And Waylon's staying home and loving Jessi more these days
And nobody wants to get drunk and get loud
And all my rowdy friends have settled down
And the hangovers hurt more than they used to
And cornbread and ice tea took the place
Of pills and ninety 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
Yeah I think I know what my father meant when he sang about the "Lost Highway"
And Johnny Cash don't act like he did back in
'68
And Kris he is a movie star and he's moved off to L.A.
And nobody wants to get drunk and get loud
And all my rowdy friends have settled down
Yeah me and my rowdy friends done rowdied on down
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