Released August 1975 Length 3:02 Writer(s) Waylon Jennings | Genre Country Label RCA | |
B-side "Bob Wills Is Still the King" | ||
"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" is a song written and performed by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It was released in August 1975 as the first single from the album Dreaming My Dreams. The song was Waylon Jennings' fourth number one on the country chart as a solo artist. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of sixteen weeks on the country chart.
Contents
The B-side to "Are You Sure ..." was "Bob Wills is Still the King," a tribute to the music of Wills. Although it never charted on its own, "Bob Wills ... " gained airplay and continues to be a staple at classic country radio stations.
Song content
"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" pays homage to the influence of Hank Williams Sr. in country music and criticizes the glitz that had come to characterize top-selling country artists in the 1970s, through references to "rhinestone suits" and "new shiny cars."
Cover versions
Country band Alabama covered the song in 2010 for the Waylon Jennings tribute album, The Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings, Volume One, which was released on February 8, 2011. Alabama's version was released as a single on December 13, 2010 via The Valory Music Co.
Pat Green and Cory Morrow covered the song on the album Songs We Wish We'd Written in 2001.
Clint Black covered the song on his 1999 album D'lectrified, inserting Jennings' name in place of Williams'. Black's version adds an extended instrumental section, and features Jennings as a guest vocalist.
Chequered Past, featuring singer/actor Michael Des Barres, covered this song on their 1984 eponymous album.
Robert Earl Keen contributed a cover of the song to Lonesome, On'ry and Mean: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings.
Morrissey performed a cover of the song at a concert in 2015.
Jack Ingram performed a cover of the song on the 2003 album Live at Billy Bob's Texas.
Uncle Tupelo released a cover of the song on the 2003 reissue of the album Anodyne
In popular culture
The song was prominently featured in a Grand Theft Auto V trailer for the wild, hard-living main character, Trevor Philips. The song is also in the video game's soundtrack on the in-game radio station, Rebel Radio.
The song was also included on the soundtrack for the 2009 film Crazy Heart.