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| "Settin' the Woods on Fire" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys | ||||
| B-side | "You Win Again" | |||
| Published | July 29, 1952 (1952-07-29) Milene Music | |||
| Released | September 1952 (1952-09) | |||
| Recorded | June 13, 1952 (1952-06-13) | |||
| Studio | Castle Studio, Nashville | |||
| Genre | Country & Western, Honky-tonk, Country blues, proto-rockabilly | |||
| Length | 2:35 | |||
| Label | MGM 11318 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Fred Rose, Edward Nelson | |||
| Producer(s) | Fred Rose | |||
| Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Settin' the Woods on Fire" was the A-side of a single by Hank Williams (opposed by "You Win Again"), released in September 1952. The song reached number 2 on U.S. Billboard Most Played by Jockeys chart and number 2 on the National Best Sellers chart.
Background
Although it sounds remarkably like a Hank Williams composition, "Settin' the Woods on Fire" was written by Hank's song publisher and producer Fred Rose and an elderly New Yorker, Ed G. Nelson. Williams recorded it with Rose producing at Castle Studio on June 13, 1952 in Nashville, with Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Don Helms (steel guitar), and Harold Bradley (rhythm guitar), while it is speculated that Chet Atkins played lead guitar and Ernie Newton played bass. The song peaked at number 2, while the B-side, "You Win Again," climbed to number 10. Author Colin Escott offers that the song "pointed unerringly toward rockabilly,"
In 2007, an episode of The Batman was released called "Two of a Kind", in which Joker and Harley Quinn sing the song while causing chaos in Gotham City.
Cover versions
- Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford released a duet in 1952.
- Jerry Lee Lewis recorded an unissued version of the song for Sun Records in 1958.
- Johnny Burnette released a version in 1958.
- George Jones covered the song for his 1960 album George Jones Salutes Hank Williams.
- Porter Wagoner recorded it on his 1963 LP A Satisfied Mind.
- Mason Proffit recorded it for their 1973 album Bareback Rider.
- Chris LeDoux recorded the song on his Western Underground album in 1991.
- The Tractors recorded the song for their 1994 eponymous debut album.
- Matchbox recorded the song for their 1978 album Settin' the Woods on Fire.
- Delbert McClinton recorded the song in 2022 on his album "Outdated Emotion"
Chart performance
| Chart (1952) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 2 |
References
- "U.S. Copyright Office Virtual Card Catalog 1946-1954". vcc.copyright.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- "Hank Williams 78rpm Issues". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- MacEwen, William; Escott, Colin; Merritt, George (30 May 2009). Hank Williams: The Biography. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316074636. Retrieved 2 May 2021 – via Google Books.
- "MGM 78rpm numerical listing discography: 11000 - 11499". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 387.
- Escott, Colin (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. Back Bay. p. 347. ISBN 0-316-73497-7.
- Escott, Colin (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. Back Bay. p. 214. ISBN 0-316-73497-7.