Are You Ready for the Country (song)

"Are You Ready for the Country?"
"Are You Ready for the Country?"
Single by Waylon Jennings
from the album Are You Ready for the Country
B-side	"So Good Woman"
Released	November 20, 1976
Genre	Country rock
Length	3:12
Label	RCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Neil Young
Producer(s)	Waylon Jennings; Ken Mansfield;
Waylon Jennings singles chronology

"Are You Ready for the Country?"
"Are You Ready for the Country?"
Song by Neil Young
from the album Harvest
Released	February 1, 1972
Genre	Country rock
Length	3:33
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Neil Young
Producer(s)	Neil Young; Elliot Mazer;

"Are You Ready for the Country?" is a song written by Neil Young and released on his 1972 Harvest album. The track features Young on piano backed by the studio band dubbed The Stray Gators, comprising Jack Nitzsche on slide guitar,^[3]^[4] Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar,^[4] Tim Drummond on bass,^[3] and Kenny Buttrey on drums. Backing vocals on the track are by David Crosby and Graham Nash.^[3] The recording was made in a studio set up in a barn on Young's ranch.^[4]^[5]

Lyrics and music[]

According to Sam Inglis, the "country" in the title is never made explicit, and while certainly not a country like Belgium and it seems like it could be in the United States south like contemporary Young songs "Southern Man" and "Alabama," the lyrics are not explicitly political like those songs.^[4] Rather than addressing issues like racism, the lyrics of "Are You Ready for the Country" are more about generalized dread.^[4] Lyrics like "I was talkin' to the preacher, said, 'God was on my side'/Then I ran into the hangman, he said, 'It's time to die'" imply that there is more to the story, and perhaps a more interesting backstory, than what is explicitly stated, and hint at an organized religion theme.^[5]^[3] The title may be Young asking his audience if they are willing to follow him into country music, although Inglis states that the arrangement is more blues than country.^[4]

Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald states that the arrangement provides a sense of whimsy, highlighting Young's "funky" piano and Nitzsche's "lazy" slide guitar.^[6] Ken Bielen describes the melody as "punchy" and says it works well with the song's "sing-a-long vocal character."^[3] Bielen also comments on the "rustic" quality added by Nitzsche's slide guitar.^[3]

Critical reception[]

Rolling Stone Magazine critic John Mendelsohn said the song seemed like "an in-joke throwaway intended for the amusement of certain of Neil's superstar pals."^[7]

Waylon Jennings version[]

The song was released as a single by American country music artist Waylon Jennings in 1976, the second single from the album named after the song, Are You Ready for the Country. Jennings changed the lyrics of the chorus from "Are you ready for the country/Because it's time to go" to "Are you ready for the country?/Are you ready for me?" The Jennings single reached #7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.^[8]

Chart performance[]

Waylon Jennings[]

Chart (1976–77)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[9]	7
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	3

Hank Williams, Jr. featuring Eric Church[]

Chart (2015–16)	Peak position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)^[10]	46

References[]

^ "Harvest". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
^ "Waylon Jennings 45 RPM Are You Ready for the Country / So Good Woman".
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bielen, K. (2008). The Words and Music of Neil Young. Praeger. p. 21. ISBN 9780275999025.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Inglis, S. (2015). Harvest. Bloomsbury. pp. 84–87. ISBN 9780826414953.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Williamson, N. (2002). Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young. Hal Leonard. pp. 40–41. ISBN 9780879307417.
^ Greenwald, M. "Are You Ready for the Country?". Allmusic. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
^ Mendelsohn, John (March 30, 1972). "Neil Young Harvest > Album Review". Rolling Stone (105). Archived from the original on 13 October 2004. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 175.
^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "Hank Williams, Jr. Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.

[1] "Harvest". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-07-21.

[2] "Waylon Jennings 45 RPM Are You Ready for the Country / So Good Woman".

[words-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bielen, K. (2008). The Words and Music of Neil Young. Praeger. p. 21. ISBN 9780275999025.

[harvest-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Inglis, S. (2015). Harvest. Bloomsbury. pp. 84–87. ISBN 9780826414953.

[journey-5] Jump up to: ^a ^b Williamson, N. (2002). Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young. Hal Leonard. pp. 40–41. ISBN 9780879307417.

[allmusic-6] Greenwald, M. "Are You Ready for the Country?". Allmusic. Retrieved 2015-07-21.

[7] Mendelsohn, John (March 30, 1972). "Neil Young Harvest > Album Review". Rolling Stone (105). Archived from the original on 13 October 2004. Retrieved 2015-07-21.

[8] Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 175.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Waylon_Jennings-9] "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardcountryairplay_Hank_Williams,_Jr.-10] "Hank Williams, Jr. Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.

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show v t Hank Williams Jr.
Studio albums	Your Cheatin' Heart Connie Francis and Hank Williams Jr. Sing Great Country Favorites Ballads of the Hills and Plains Blues My Name A Time to Sing Songs My Father Left Me Luke the Drifter Jr. Vol. 2 Live at Cobo Hall After You, Pride's Not Hard to Swallow Hank Williams Jr. and Friends Family Tradition Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound Habits Old and New Rowdy The Pressure Is On High Notes Strong Stuff Man of Steel Major Moves Five-O Montana Cafe Hank Live Born to Boogie Wild Streak Lone Wolf Pure Hank Maverick Out of Left Field Hog Wild A.K.A. Wham Bam Sam Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts Stormy The Almeria Club Recordings I'm One of You 127 Rose Avenue It's About Time
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Fourteen Greatest Hits Hank Williams Jr.'s Greatest Hits Hank Williams Jr.'s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 America (The Way I See It) The Best of Hank Williams Jr. Volume One: Roots and Branches Tribute to My Father 20 Hits Special Collection, Vol. 1 Early Years, Vol. 1 Early Years, Vol. 2 The Bocephus Box That's How They Do It in Dixie: The Essential Collection
Notable singles	"Long Gone Lonesome Blues" "Nobody's Child" "All for the Love of Sunshine" "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (with Lois Johnson) "Rainin' in My Heart" "Eleven Roses" "Rainy Night in Georgia" "I'll Think of Something" "I Fought the Law" "To Love Somebody" "Family Tradition" "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound" "Women I've Never Had" "Kaw-Liga" "Old Habits" "Texas Women" "Dixie on My Mind" "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)" "A Country Boy Can Survive" "Honky Tonkin'" "The American Dream" "Gonna Go Huntin' Tonight" "Leave Them Boys Alone" (with Ernest Tubb and Waylon Jennings) "Queen of My Heart" "Man of Steel" "Attitude Adjustment" "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" "Major Moves" "I'm for Love" "This Ain't Dallas" "Ain't Misbehavin'" "Country State of Mind" "Mind Your Own Business" (with Reba McEntire, Tom Petty, Reverend Ike and Willie Nelson) "Born to Boogie" "Heaven Can't Be Found" "Young Country" "If the South Woulda Won" "Early in the Morning and Late at Night" "There's a Tear in My Beer" (with Hank Williams Sr.) "Finders Are Keepers" "Ain't Nobody's Business" "Good Friends, Good Whiskey, Good Lovin'" "I Mean I Love You" "If It Will, It Will" "Devil in the Bottle" "Are You Ready for the Country?" (with Eric Church)
Guest singles	"The Conversation" (with Waylon Jennings) "Bartender Song (Sittin' at a Bar)" (with Rehab)
Family	Hank Williams Audrey Williams Jett Williams Hank Williams III Holly Williams
Related articles	Discography Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story

show v t Eric Church
Discography
Studio albums	Sinners Like Me (2006) Carolina (2009) Chief (2011) The Outsiders (2014) Mr. Misunderstood (2015) Desperate Man (2018) Heart & Soul (2021)
Singles	"How 'Bout You" "Two Pink Lines" "Guys Like Me" "Love Your Love the Most" "Hell on the Heart" "Smoke a Little Smoke" "Homeboy" "Drink in My Hand" "Springsteen" "Creepin'" "Like Jesus Does" "The Outsiders" "Give Me Back My Hometown" "Cold One" "Talladega" "Like a Wrecking Ball" "Mr. Misunderstood" "Record Year" "Kill a Word" "Round Here Buzz" "Desperate Man" "Some of It" "Monsters" "Stick That in Your Country Song" "Hell of a View"
Guest singles	"The Only Way I Know" "Raise 'Em Up" "Are You Ready for the Country" "We Were" "Does to Me"
Concert tours	No Shoes Nation Tour Holdin' My Own Tour

"Are You Ready for the Country?"
Song by Neil Young
from the album Harvest
Released	February 1, 1972
Genre	Country rock
Length	3:33
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Neil Young
Producer(s)	Neil Young Elliot Mazer^[1]