Back in 1960, Willie Nelson was a budding songwriter trying to get a record contract. When he was heard singing “Hello Walls” at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge in Nashville, Tennessee, another famous singer, Faron Young, decided to record it, and thus began a long career of writing hits for other artists.
In 1965, after finally becoming a recording artist, Willie Nelson appeared on a local Nashville variety show called the Porter Wagoner Show. There he played a number of his hits, including the song that first got him into the business of writing hits for other singers. This song was called “Hello Walls.”
There’s a brilliant line at the end of the song that exemplifies the genius of the song. The lyric goes “Well, look here, is that a teardrop in the corner of your pane? Now, don’t you try to tell me that it’s rain.” Poignant and honest, “Hello Walls” shows us Willie Nelson at his purest.
