About The Song
“Night Life” is a country song performed by Ray Price, released in October 1963 as a single on Columbia Records, later included on his album Night Life. Written by Willie Nelson, Paul Buskirk, and Walt Breeland in 1960, the 2:28 track portrays the loneliness and allure of the nightlife with lyrics like: “When the evening sun goes down / You will find me hanging round / Oh, the night life ain’t no good life / But it’s my life.” The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in late 1963, charting for 18 weeks, and crossed over to No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. It earned a gold certification from the RIAA for over 500,000 units sold and was named one of the greatest country songs by the Country Music Association in 2014.
The song was recorded on August 21, 1963, at Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, produced by Don Law. Session musicians included Grady Martin on guitar, Bob Moore on bass, Buddy Harman on drums, and Floyd Cramer on piano, with the Jordanaires providing backing vocals. The arrangement features a slow shuffle rhythm, pedal steel guitar, and a rich string section, marking a shift toward Price’s orchestral country style. The chord progression is C-F-G, with the refrain “Oh, the night life ain’t no good life / But it’s my life,” per ultimate-guitar.com. A live version was recorded on Ray Price Live at the Opry in 1964, available on YouTube, and a 2007 duet with Willie Nelson was uploaded in 2010. Price performed it on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1963.
Ray Price, born Noble Ray Price on January 12, 1926, in Perryville, Texas, was a country music singer and guitarist known for his baritone voice. He achieved fame with “Crazy Arms” (1956) and continued with hits like “For the Good Times” (1970). Price charted over 100 singles, earning induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He died on December 16, 2013, but his legacy persists. Covers include Willie Nelson’s original demo (1960), a 1964 version by Marvin Gaye, and a 2023 rendition by Luke Combs, per SecondHandSongs. Price said in a 1963 interview: “Willie’s words hit me hard—night life was something I knew.”
The song is on Spotify, featured in the 1963 single and compilations like The Essential Ray Price (1995) and 20 Classics (2022). YouTube hosts uploads including a 2015 live clip and a 2023 remastered audio track. Lyrics are on Genius and AZLyrics, often noted for their emotional weight. An X post on May 14, 2025, at 10:45 AM +07 called it “a haunting classic still relevant today.” The song inspired a 2018 documentary, Night Life: The Story of Ray Price, and remains a staple in country music.
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Lyric
When the evening sun goes down
You will find me hanging round
Oh, the night life ain’t no good life
But it’s my lifeListen to the blues that they’re playing
Hear what they’re saying
Oh, the night life ain’t no good life
But it’s my lifeEverybody knows where I go
When the sun goes down
I go to the places where I know
The night life’s foundWake up in the morning and I ask myself again
What am I doing here in the night life
Oh, the night life ain’t no good life
But it’s my life