"Hello Walls" is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

song written by

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

and first recorded by

Faron Young Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country singer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. His hits including " If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and " Live Fast, Love Hard, Die ...

. It was number one on ''Billboard'''s

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

chart for nine weeks in

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

and spent 23 weeks on the chart. It peaked at number 12 on the pop chart and was Young's only top-40 pop hit in the United States. Young's recording featured Floyd "Lightnin’" Chance on

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

and The Wilburn Brothers on background vocals. "Hello Walls" introduced Nelson to a national audience. In 1996, Nelson recorded a rock version of the song with the band

The Reverend Horton Heat The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his psychobilly trio from Dallas. Heath is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. A reviewer for the magazine Prick (magazine), ''Pr ...

for the album '' Twisted Willie''.

Content

The lyrics portray a man's lonely conversation with his walls, window and ceiling after having been jilted by his lover.

Chart performance

Other notable recordings

Ralph Emery Walter Ralph Emery (March 10, 1933 – January 15, 2022) was an American country music disc jockey, radio and television host from McEwen, Tennessee. Emery promoted numerous stars on his radio and TV shows, and was called the Dick Clark (ent ...

had an answer song called "Hello Fool" in 1961, which peaked at number 4 on the Country Charts. That song was Emery's only hit as a singer.

References

External links

Willie Nelson's Official Website
1961 singles Faron Young songs Willie Nelson songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Willie Nelson Song recordings produced by Ken Nelson (American record producer) 1961 songs Capitol Records singles {{1960s-country-song-stub