"Hey, Good Lookin'" is a 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Since its original 1951 recording it has been covered by a variety of artists.
Background
The Hank Williams song was inspired by another song by the same title, which was written by Cole Porter in 1942. The lyrics for the Williams version begin as a come on using double entendres related to food preparation. By the third and fourth verses, the singer is promising the object of his affection that they can become an exclusive couple. Williams was friendly with musician Jimmy Dickens. Having told Dickens that Dickens needed a hit record if he was going to become a star, Williams said he'd write it, and penned "Hey Good Lookin'" in only 20 minutes while on a plane with Dickens, Minnie Pearl, and Pearl's husband Henry Cannon. A week later Williams recorded it himself, jokingly telling Dickens, "That song's too good for you!" "Hey, Good Lookin'" was recorded on March 16, 1951, at Castle Studio in Nashville. The same session also produced the single's B-side "My Heart Would Know" as well as another pair of tunes that would be released as singles: "I Can't Help It " and "Howlin' at the Moon", released on April 27, 1951. The "Hey, Good Lookin'" single would follow on June 22. Williams was backed on the session by members of his Drifting Cowboys band, including Jerry Rivers, Don Helms, Sammy Pruett, Jack Shook, Ernie Newton or "Cedric Rainwater", aka Howard Watts, and either Owen Bradley or producer Fred Rose on piano. As author Colin Escott observes, "On one level, it seemed to point toward rock 'n' roll, but the rhythm plodded along with a steppity-step piano, and Hank sounded almost dour." Williams performed the song on the Kate SmithEvening Hour on March 26, 1952; the appearance remains one of the few existing film clips of the singer performing live. He is introduced by Roy Acuff and banters with a young June Carter. He is wearing his famous white cowboy suit adorned in musical notes. He performed "Hey, Good Lookin'" and joined in with the rest of the cast singing his own "I Saw The Light". The rare clip displays the singer's exuberance on stage while performing an up-tempo number, and he appears at ease in the relatively new broadcast medium of television. The kinescope from this show would provide the footage for the Hank Williams Jr. video "There's A Tear In My Beer" some 37 years later.
Cover versions
In 1951, Jo Stafford and Frankie Laine released a rendition of the song as a duet, peaking at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Tennessee Ernie Ford covered the song with Helen O'Connell in 1951.
Johnny Cash recorded a version during his tenure with Sun Records.
The Hank Williams version ranked #19 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music in 2003, and appeared in the 2004 video game on the fictional country music radio stationK-Rose. It was also used in The Wonder YearsSeason 4 episode "It's a Mad, Mad, Madeline World", where Kevin and Madeline cook to make chocolate mousse.
Leon Russell recorded a cover of the song on his 1973 album "Hank Wilson's Back Vol. I".
