Awful, Beautiful Life
Encyclopedia
"Awful, Beautiful Life" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music
artist Darryl Worley
. It was co-written with Harley Allen
. It was released in June 2004 as the lead single from Worley's fourth, self-titled studio album. The song became his third and (to date) most recent No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks
chart in January 2005, holding the position for two weeks.
.
The story, told in first person
, describes the events of a Sunday in a young family man's life. The main protagonist reluctantly goes to church with his wife, despite having been out with his friends the night before. Later, the family attends a cookout and spends time with other family members
. Later, everyone prays for a cousin who has been deployed to Iraq
, well aware he may never return home alive. That night, as the protagonist lays in bed, he reflects on his day, thankful for his freedom and summing this all up by stating how he "love[s] this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life."
magazine noted that "the country singer exhibits an insightful awareness of life's vagaries" on the song, and designated it as the album's recommended download.
in early 2005.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Darryl Worley
Darryl Worley
Darryl Wade Worley is an American country music artist. Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 2000, Worley released four albums for the label: Hard Rain Don't Last , I Miss My Friend , Have You Forgotten? , and Darryl Worley in 2004...
. It was co-written with Harley Allen
Harley Allen
Harley Lee Allen was an American bluegrass and country singer and songwriter.-Early life:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of the bluegrass performer Red Allen.-Film career:...
. It was released in June 2004 as the lead single from Worley's fourth, self-titled studio album. The song became his third and (to date) most recent No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in January 2005, holding the position for two weeks.
Content
"Awful, Beautiful Life" is an up-tempo featuring accompaniment from electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
.
The story, told in first person
First person
First person may refer to:* First-person narrative, a literary device* First-person interpretation, a museum technique* First Person , an interview-based television series created by Errol Morris...
, describes the events of a Sunday in a young family man's life. The main protagonist reluctantly goes to church with his wife, despite having been out with his friends the night before. Later, the family attends a cookout and spends time with other family members
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
. Later, everyone prays for a cousin who has been deployed to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, well aware he may never return home alive. That night, as the protagonist lays in bed, he reflects on his day, thankful for his freedom and summing this all up by stating how he "love[s] this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life."
Critical reception
PeoplePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine noted that "the country singer exhibits an insightful awareness of life's vagaries" on the song, and designated it as the album's recommended download.
Music video
Directed by Cameron Casey, this video plays out the events related in the song's lyrics; Worley's participation in the events is interspersed with performance shots of him singing while standing in a field, standing by a fence and in front of a barn, and driving a car. Near the end of the video, Worley is shown picking up his cousin and drops him off at his house.Chart performance
"Awful, Beautiful Life" debuted at No. 56 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart the week of July 10, 2004. After a long climb up the chart, the song reached No. 1 the week of January 22, 2005. The song also gained moderate success among pop music fans, peaking at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in early 2005.
| Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position |
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