The Complete Capitol Hits of Faron Young

Young, Faron

album cover

The Hillbilly Heartthrob, Immortalized

The great American credo "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" was the first song Faron Young recorded after his Army hitch was up in 1954. Young (1932–1996) didn't write the song (Nashville DJ Joe Allison did), but he imbued it with all the wildcat energy of one just sprung from a long-standing obligation. It is the essence of early rock rebellion, before such rebellion became a codified (and commodified) part of rock and roll.

When "Live Fast" was released, Young had a built-in audience for his work: Because he'd experienced a bit of success (with the single "Goin' Steady") before entering the service, the military featured him in a weekly radio show heard on two thousand stations. The singer and guitarist, born in Shreveport, Louisiana, said later that the publicity did him a "world of good." After his release, he capitalized on the exposure with a string of energetic honky-tonk hits, collected here, that made him a star; by late 1955, when rock and roll exploded, Young was possibly the biggest attraction in country music, and one of the form's few talents who knew, instinctively, how to appeal to younger listeners.

Young did this by bringing a bit of honkytonk rhythm and teen-idol pop sheen to his art—for a while, he was known as the "Hillbilly Heartthrob." Though he wrote (or cowrote) some singles, he was also esteemed as a sharp eye for talent, recording early songs by Willie Nelson ("Hello Walls," a number 1 hit), Don Gibson, and others. Sonically, most of Young's singles of the '50s are best described as "nothing fancy"—just nice warm vocals atop neatly appointed small-band accompaniment, following the general path of his idol, Hank Williams. But they're charming and energetic, and graced with a hint of the abandon that became a key ingredient of all the fast-living rock and roll that followed.

Genre: Country
Released: 2004, Collector's Choice
Key Tracks: "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young," "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')," "That's the Way I Feel," "I Hear You Talkin'"
Next Stop: Merle Haggard: Mama Tried
After That: Wynn Stewart: After the Storm
Book Pages: 882–883

Buy this Recording

Share this page: