Few country artists are as prolific as Don Williams. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010, Williams is the voice behind some of country music’s biggest hits. We found four songs by Don Williams, which will always be classics.
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“It Must Be Love”
On his Expressions record, Bob McDill is the sole writer of “It Must Be Love”, one of Williams’s biggest hits.
Out in 1979, the feel-good song says, “It must be love, it must be love / I fall like a sparrow, fly like a dove / You must be the dream I’ve been dreaming of / Oh, what a feeling, it must be love.”
In 2000, Alan Jackson released his own version of “It Must Be Love”. 21 years later, it became another No. 1 hit at country radio.
“Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good”
“Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” is on his Especially For You album. Out as a single in 1981, the sweet song is written by Dave Hanner.
“Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” is written as a prayer. It begins with, “Lord, I hope this day is good / I’m feelin’ empty and misunderstood / I should be thankful, Lord, I know I should / But Lord I hope this day is good.”
Since Williams released his version, several other artists have recorded “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good”, including Anne Murray Lee Ann Womack.
“Tulsa Time”
“Tulsa Time” is a song that Williams didn’t write, but remains one of his most revered. Written instead by Danny Flowers, the song is also on his Expressions record.
The song says, “My baby said I was crazy / My mama called me lazy / I was gonna show ’em all this time / ‘Cause you know I ain’t no foolin’ / And I don’t need no more schoolin’ / I was born to just walk the line / Livin’ on Tulsa time / Livin’ on Tulsa time / Well, you know I’ve been through it / When I set my watch back to it / Livin’ on Tulsa time.”
“You’re My Best Friend”
Written by Wayland Holyfield, Williams makes “You’re My Best Friend” the title track of his fourth studio album. A deeply romantic song, “You’re My Best Friend” says, “You’re my bread when I’m hungry / You’re my shelter from troubled winds / You’re my anchor in life’s ocean / But most of all, you’re my best friend.”
According to Classic Country Music Stories, “You’re My Best Friend” is Holyfield’s first No. 1 as a songwriter of a song he wrote by himself. For the remainder of Williams’s touring career, it remained a favorite to perform live.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images
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