Composed by

Release Year

1953

(incorrect year?)

Song Genres

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Country (8)

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Song Styles

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Honky Tonk (9) Traditional Country (9)

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Song Moods

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Bittersweet (9) Earthy (9) Melancholy (9) Organic (9) Plaintive (9) Poignant (9) Sad (9) Searching (9)

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Song Themes

All Themes
Drinking (9) Feeling Blue (9) Heartache (9) Late Night (9) Regret (9) Loss/Grief (7) Reflection (6) Early Morning (5)

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Hank Williams

Your Cheatin' Heart

Song Review by

If country singing legend Hank Williams has a signature tune out of his massive catalog of hits, "Your Cheatin' Heart" has to be it. It became the title of the film made about his life (starring George Hamilton, in one of the more bizarre castings in Hollywood history) and in many ways is the unofficial anthem of country music. Whenever anyone wants "to go country," they'll usually plunder the vast Williams catalog and "Your Cheatin' Heart" is one of the first tunes on their list for recycling, the song making perfect fodder for reinterpretation for everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Teresa Brewer. The ultimate mournful country ballad, its whiny steel guitar intro all by itself epitomizes country when the music was still described as "hillbilly" before Williams even sings a note. Williams' vocal is filled with regret and recrimination, coming from the bleakest of feelings, absolutely brimming over with despair. When disparagers of old-time country refer to it as "cry in your beer music," this performance is exactly what they're talking about.

Appears On

Year Artist/Album Label Time AllMusic Rating
No Image 1955
Hank Williams
Hank Williams Memorial Album
MGM
Hank Williams' Greatest Hits 1961
Hank Williams
Hank Williams' Greatest Hits
Polydor / Polygram 2:38
No Image 1963
Hank Williams
The Very Best of Hank Williams [Polygram]
Polygram
Your Cheatin' Heart: Hank Williams' Life Story 1964
Hank Williams, Jr. & the Cheatin' Hearts
Your Cheatin' Heart: Hank Williams' Life Story
Sony Music Distribution 2:10
No Image 1965
Hank Williams
The Hank Williams Story [MGM]
MGM
No Image 1966
Hank Williams
More Hank Williams and Strings
MGM
No Image 1970
Hank Williams / Hank Williams, Jr.
24 Karat Hits
MGM
No Image 1970
Hank Williams
24 of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits
MGM 2:38
No Image 1970
Hank Williams
Life to Legend
MGM 2:38
No Image 1973
Hank Williams
The Legend of Hank Williams in Song and Story
MGM
24 Greatest Hits 1976
Hank Williams
24 Greatest Hits
Mercury 2:41
40 Greatest Hits 1978
Hank Williams
40 Greatest Hits
Polydor / Mercury 2:43
No Image 1984
Various Artists
Other Side Of Nashville
Pickwick
No Image 1985
Hank Williams
Just Me & My Guitar
The Country Music Foundation
I Won't Be Home No More: June 1952 - September 1952, Vol. 8 1987
Hank Williams
I Won't Be Home No More: June 1952 - September 1952, Vol. 8
Mercury Nashville / Universal 2:42
No Image 1987
Hank Williams
Grand Ole Country Classics
Pair
21 Country, Rock & Love Songs of the 50's & 60's, Vol. 1 1989
Various Artists
21 Country, Rock & Love Songs of the 50's & 60's, Vol. 1
Laurie 2:44
20 of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits 1990
Hank Williams
20 of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits
Chronicles / PolyGram 2:41
No Image 1990
Hank Williams
Memorial Album
Polydor 0:00
Rare Demos: First to Last 1990
Hank Williams
Rare Demos: First to Last
The Country Music Foundation 2:33
Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music, Vol. 2 1991
Various Artists
Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music, Vol. 2
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2:41
The Original Singles Collection...Plus 1992
Hank Williams
The Original Singles Collection...Plus
Mercury 2:41
Country Music Classics, Vol. 15 (1950-55) 1993
Various Artists
Country Music Classics, Vol. 15 (1950-55)
K-Tel Distribution 2:46
Country Shots: Two Timing Tunes 1994
Various Artists
Country Shots: Two Timing Tunes
Rhino 2:44
The 101 Greatest Country Hits [Box] 1995
Various Artists
The 101 Greatest Country Hits [Box]
K-Tel Distribution 2:41
The Hits, Vol. 2 1995
Hank Williams
The Hits, Vol. 2
Mercury 2:41
Hank Williams Songbook 1996
Ace Cannon
Hank Williams Songbook
K-Tel Distribution 2:46
Commemorative Collection [Box] 1997
Hank Williams
Commemorative Collection [Box]
Valley Entertainment 13:02
The Academy of Country Music's 101 Greatest Country Hits, Vol. 6: Timeless Country 1997
Various Artists
The Academy of Country Music's 101 Greatest Country Hits, Vol. 6: Timeless Country
K-Tel Distribution 2:44
The Complete Hank Williams 1998
Hank Williams
The Complete Hank Williams
Mercury Nashville / Mercury 2:40
Classic Country [Time-Life Box Set] 1999
Various Artists
Classic Country [Time-Life Box Set]
Time / Life Music 2:43
Classic Country: Neon Memories 1999
Various Artists
Classic Country: Neon Memories
Time / Life Music 2:43
Classic Country: 1950-1964 1999
Various Artists
Classic Country: 1950-1964
Time / Life Music 2:44
Classic Country: Golden 50's [1999] [1 CD] 1999
Various Artists
Classic Country: Golden 50's [1999] [1 CD]
Time / Life Music 2:44
Classic Country: 1950-1959 [2 CD] 1999
Various Artists
Classic Country: 1950-1959 [2 CD]
Time / Life Music 2:44
History of Country Music: Country Love Classics 2000
Various Artists
History of Country Music: Country Love Classics
Madacy Distribution / Madacy 2:44
The Essential Hank Williams Jnr 2001
Hank Williams, Jr.
The Essential Hank Williams Jnr
Spectrum Music / PolyGram
Cheating Hearts 2002
Hank Williams
Cheating Hearts
404 Music Group 2:44
Ultimate Collection [Mercury/UTV] 2002
Hank Williams
Ultimate Collection [Mercury/UTV]
Mercury 2:42
Ultimate Power of Country Love 2002
Various Artists
Ultimate Power of Country Love
Madacy Distribution / Madacy 2:44
Golden Greats 2003
Hank Williams
Golden Greats
Disky Golden Greats 2:43
Classic Country 2004
Stetson
Classic Country
Madacy Distribution / Madacy 2:41
Elvis Inspiration 2004
Various Artists
Elvis Inspiration
Boulevard Vintage 2:42
Country Singer 2004
Various Artists
Country Singer
K-Tel Distribution 2:47
You Done Me Wrong: Vintage Country Cheating Songs 1929-1952 2004
Various Artists
You Done Me Wrong: Vintage Country Cheating Songs 1929-1952
Buzzola 2:42
Hank Williams [2004] 2004
Hank Williams
Hank Williams [2004]
Kala International 2:42
Classic Country: Honky Tonk Heroes 2004
Various Artists
Classic Country: Honky Tonk Heroes
Time / Life Music 2:43
His Best Recordings, Vol. 2: 1949-1953 2004
Hank Williams
His Best Recordings, Vol. 2: 1949-1953
Blue Moon 2:42
Back Street Affair: Country Cheatin' Songs 2005
Various Artists
Back Street Affair: Country Cheatin' Songs
Castle Pulse 2:43
Classic Country: Kings of Country 2005
Various Artists
Classic Country: Kings of Country
Time / Life Music 2:43
Just Call Me Hank 2005
Various Artists
Just Call Me Hank
K-Tel Distribution 2:44
Hank Williams [Direct Source 3 CD] 2005
Hank Williams
Hank Williams [Direct Source 3 CD]
Direct Source 2:45
Jambalaya (On the Bayou) 2005
Hank Williams
Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
Dynamic / Dynamic (Emp520) 2:43
The Hillbilly Shakespeare 2005
Hank Williams
The Hillbilly Shakespeare
American Legends 0:00
The Very Best of Hank Williams [Legacy] 2005
Hank Williams
The Very Best of Hank Williams [Legacy]
Legacy 2:43
Gold 2005
Hank Williams
Gold
Mercury Nashville 2:42
Settin' the Woods on Fire 2005
Hank Williams
Settin' the Woods on Fire
Recall (UK) 2:43
Turn Back the Years: The Essential Hank Williams Collection 2005
Hank Williams
Turn Back the Years: The Essential Hank Williams Collection
Mercury Nashville 2:42
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection, Vol. 2 2006
Hank Williams
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection, Vol. 2
MCA Nashville / Mercury 2:42
Collected 2006
Hank Williams
Collected
Deluxe 2:42
Lifetime of Country Romance Collection 2007
Various Artists
Lifetime of Country Romance Collection
Time / Life Music 2:43
No Image 2008
Hank Williams
BD Rock: Hank Williams
Nocturne Records
Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music: 1953 2009
Various Artists
Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music: 1953
Bear Family Records 0:00
Bob Dylan Cover to Cover: The Originals 2010
Various Artists
Bob Dylan Cover to Cover: The Originals
Mischief / Music Melon 2:32
Best Of 2011
Hank Williams
Best Of
Mercury / Mercury Nashville 2:38
Icon 2011
Hank Williams
Icon
Mercury Nashville 2:42
Simply Country [2012] 2012
Various Artists
Simply Country [2012]
Simply 2:44
Icon 2 2014
Hank Williams
Icon 2
Mercury Nashville 2:42
The Complete Singles As & Bs 1947-55 2016
Hank Williams
The Complete Singles As & Bs 1947-55
Acrobat Music 2:43
20 Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
Hank Williams
20 Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
2:41
A Legendary Collection
Hank Williams
A Legendary Collection
Mercury Nashville 0:00
George Harrison's Jukebox: The Music That Inspired the Man
George Harrison
George Harrison's Jukebox: The Music That Inspired the Man
Chrome Dreams 2:43
Greatest Hits
Hank Williams
Greatest Hits
Country Roads / ZYX / ZYX Music 2:43
No Image
Various Artists
High Noon [Drive]
Drive (import)