"There's a Tear in My Beer" is a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

song written and recorded by

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

, and later re-recorded by his

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

in 1988.

Original version

The original version was written and recorded by Hank Williams during one of his

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

sessions in 1950-51, but he decided against releasing it. It was not until many years later, in 1989, that the original song would get its first official release. The song was recorded by

Bill Lister "Big Bill" Lister (January 5, 1923 – December 1, 2009) was an American honky tonk country music singer. Born Weldon E. Lister, he was nicknamed "Radio's Tallest Singing Cowboy," standing over 6-foot-7 without his cowboy boots and hat.

, who later gave the

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

by Hank Williams to Hank's son.

1988 version

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

's version is a duet with his father created using electronic merging technology. The original disc was transferred to audio tape by Alan Stoker at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. As the song had been previously recorded with Hank Williams playing the guitar as the sole instrument, his son and his band simply "filled in the blanks" and recorded additional vocals. The music video for the song combined television footage that had existed of Hank Williams performing, onto which electronic merging technology impressed the recordings of Hank Jr., which then made it appear as if he were playing with his father. The video was both a critical and commercial success, and was named ''Video Of The Year'' by both the

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

and the

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...

. Hank Williams, Sr. & Jr., would go on to "share" a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

award win in 1990 for ''Best Country Vocal Collaboration''.

Music video

The music video was directed by

Ethan Russell Ethan Allen Russell (born November 26, 1945 in Mt. Kisco, New York) is an American photographer, author and video director, mostly of musicians. He is known as "the only rock photographer to have shot album covers for The Beatles, The Rolling St ...

and produced by oanne Gardner/ACME Picturesand premiered in early 1989. In the video, Hank Williams Jr. performs the song by himself in an old house on a stormy night. After the first chorus, he hears vocals and sees a silhouette coming from behind a door near him. After harmonizing for a couple of bars with the mystery singer, he opens the door to discover his father, Hank Williams Sr., playing the song with his band in footage of an old performance. Hank Jr. then walks through the door and magically appears by his father's side to finish the song together. The footage of Hank Sr. was a digitally modified kinescope of a 1952 performance of " Hey, Good Lookin'" on the Kate Smith Evening Hour. The editing team made several hundred minute tweaks to lay a new mouth (that of an actor dressed like Hank, Sr.) over the mouth of the original Hank. What now seems quaint was at the time quite groundbreaking. The New York Times did a feature on the video and its cutting edge visual effects, released around the time

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...

used similar effects.

Chart performance

References

External links

* {{CMA Video of the Year 1989 singles Hank Williams Jr. songs Hank Williams songs Songs written by Hank Williams Song recordings produced by Barry Beckett Song recordings produced by Jim Ed Norman Male vocal duets Warner Records singles Curb Records singles 1951 songs Songs about alcohol Songs released posthumously