Hangin' On

Background

Hangin' On is most notable for the hit single "The Chokin' Kind," which rose to #9 on the country charts, Jennings' best showing up to that time. It was written by Harlan Howard, whose songs Jennings covered extensively in the 1960s. In the authorized video biography Renegade Outlaw Legend, Jennings recalls, "I remember the first time I'd heard that, it was a demo that he had done, just himself, and I flipped over that song. I loved that song." In the same documentary Howard added, "My melody was pretty straight, and with this beautiful voice of his he changed the melody. I liked that melody better."

Hangin' On climbed to #9 on the Billboard country albums chart. Praising "I Fall in Love So Easy" as the LP's "premier track," Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic opines, "Sticking to totally musical criteria, the best tracks on this collection are so good that dismissing the gunky ones is easy...Jennings' backup band, the Waylors, actually plays on a few tracks here, a hard-fought compromise with RCA producer Chet Atkins, who wanted his own session crew to provide backup. There are no further musical credits, and no information about who thought up the wonderful parts of this album. Call it a brilliant collaboration of Jennings and Atkins at the dawn of a new era in country music."

Track listing

1. "Hangin' On" (Ira Allen, Buddy Mize) – 2:19
2. "Julie" (Waylon Jennings) – 2:24
3. "The Crowd" (Roy Orbison, Joe Melson) – 2:36
4. "Let Me Talk to You" (Danny Dill, Don Davis) – 2:12
5. "Woman, Don't You Ever Laugh at Me" (Bobby Bare) – 2:22
6. "The Chokin' Kind" (Harlan Howard) – 2:27
7. "Gentle on My Mind" (John Hartford) – 3:07
8. "Right Before My Eyes" (Don Bowman, Jennings) – 2:02
9. "Lock, Stock and Teardrops" (Roger Miller) – 2:49
10. "I Fall in Love So Easily" (Glenn Martin, Billy Swan) – 2:08
11. "Looking at a Heart That Needs a Home" (Howard) – 2:27
12. "How Long Have You Been There" (Dee Moeller) – 2:37