How Can You Refuse Him Now

Last updated
"How Can You Refuse Him Now"
Single by Hank Williams
B-side "A House of Gold"
Released1954
Recorded1950 (Unconfirmed)
Genre Country
Length2:37
Label MGM Records
Songwriter(s) Hank Williams

"How Can You Refuse Him Now" is a hymn written by Hank Williams and issued by MGM Records in 1954. The original recording is a demo that was likely recorded in 1950. [1] The song describes Christ's suffering on the cross ("As they nailed his hands, he cried, 'They don't understand'...") and admonishes the listener for turning away from the Lord. Williams' first musical experiences came in the church, with the singer revealing in a 1952 interview with Ralph Gleason that was reprinted in Rolling Stone in 1969, "My mother was an organist at Mt. Olive, Alabama and my earliest memory is sittin' on that organ stool by her and hollerin'. I must have been five or six years old and louder than anybody else." The B-side to "How Can You Refuse Him Now" was "A House of Gold," another hymn that would prove to be far more popular in the long run, being recorded by many artists.

Contents

Cover versions

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Williams</span> American singer, songwriter, and musician (1923–1953)

Hank Williams was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 12 that reached No. 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Williams Jr.</span> American musician

Randall Hank Williams, known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of country musician Hank Williams and the father of musicians Holly Williams and Hank Williams III.

Jett Williams is an American singer and songwriter.

"Cold, Cold Heart" is a country music and pop song written and first recorded by Hank Williams. This blues ballad is both a classic of honky-tonk and an entry in the Great American Songbook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hey, Good Lookin' (song)</span> 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams

"Hey, Good Lookin'" is a 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2003, CMT voted the Hank Williams version No. 19 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music. Since its original 1951 recording it has been covered by a variety of artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaw-Liga</span> 1952 song by Hank Williams and Fred Rose

"Kaw-Liga" is a country music song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose.


"Ramblin' Man" is a song written in 1951 by Hank Williams. It was released as the B-side to the 1953 number one hit "Take These Chains from My Heart", as well as to the 1976 re-release of "Why Don't You Love Me". It is also included on the 40 Greatest Hits, a staple of his CD re-released material.

<i>George Jones Salutes Hank Williams</i> 1960 studio album by George Jones

George Jones Salutes Hank Williams is the 1960 country music studio album released in May 1960 by George Jones. The album was the ninth studio LP release, and was recorded in one session. The album has been reissued multiple times since its release, including the tracks being reused on many compilations.

"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American singer and guitarist Hank Williams. The song reached number one on the U.S. Country & Western chart. It was released as a single in 1950 with the B-side, "A House Without Love".

"Take These Chains from My Heart" is a song by Hank Williams. It was written by Fred Rose and Hy Heath and was recorded at Williams' final recording session on September 23, 1952, in Nashville. The song has been widely praised; Williams' biographer Colin Escott deems it "perhaps the best song [Rose] ever presented to Hank...It was one of the very few songs that sounded somewhat similar to a Hank Williams song." Williams is backed by Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Don Helms, Chet Atkins, Jack Shook, and Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance (bass). In the wake of Williams' death on New Year's Day, 1953, the song shot to No. 1, his final chart-topping hit for MGM Records. Like "Your Cheatin' Heart," the song's theme of despair, so vividly articulated by Williams' typically impassioned singing, reinforced the image of Hank as a tortured, mythic figure.

"You Win Again" is a 1952 song by Hank Williams. In style, the song is a blues ballad and deals with the singer's despair with his partner. The song has been widely covered, including versions by Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, the Grateful Dead, Charley Pride, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones.

"Men with Broken Hearts" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams under the pseudonym "Luke the Drifter." It was released on MGM Records in 1951.

"My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" is a song widely attributed to Clarence Williams, who obtained a copyright in 1933, although the melody was recorded under various names years earlier. The song became popular performed by Hank Williams for MGM and reached number 4 on the country chart in 1949.

"A Mansion on the Hill" is a song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose and originally recorded by Williams on MGM Records. It peaked at No. 12 on the Most Played Jukebox Folk Records chart in March 1949.

"They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" is a country song popularized by Hank Williams in 1950. In 1961, Johnny Horton also had a hit with the song, and many others have covered it.

<i>Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter</i> 1953 studio album by Hank Williams

Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter is an LP by Hank Williams released by MGM Records in 1954. It features narrations that Williams released under the pseudonym Luke the Drifter.

"House of Gold" is a hymn written by Hank Williams. It was released by MGM Records as the B-side to "How Can You Refuse Him Now?" in 1954. It was recorded as a demo when Williams worked the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport between August 1948 and May 1949. The song admonishes those who "steal, cheat, and lie" in pursuit of material wealth rather than finding salvation in God. Despite being a posthumous single that he never recorded with his band in a studio, "A House of Gold" became one of Hank's most covered hymns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Home in Heaven</span> 1956 single by Hank Williams & Audrey Williams

"A Home in Heaven" is a hymn written by Hank Williams and recorded as a duet with his wife Audrey Williams. It was released as a single on MGM Records in 1956.

"The Little House We Built " is a song written by Hank Williams and steel guitarist Don Helms. It was recorded and released by honky tonk singer Big Bill Lister in 1951.

References

  1. Escott, Colin (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. Back Bay. p. 334. ISBN   0-316-73497-7.