Cold, Cold Heart

Williams adapted the melody for the song from T. Texas Tyler's 1945 recording of "You'll Still Be in My Heart," written by Ted West in 1943.

Escott also speculates that Audrey, who carried on extramarital affairs as Hank did while he was on the road, may have suspected the baby was not her husband's.

[5] Like his earlier masterpiece "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," it was released as the B-side (MGM-10904B) to "Dear John" (MGM-10904A), since it was an unwritten rule in the country music industry that the faster numbers sold best.

In the liner notes to the 1990 Polygram compilation Hank Williams: The Original Single Collection, Fred Rose's son Wesley states, "Hank earned two major distinctions as a songwriter: he was the first writer on a regular basis to make country music national music; and he was the first country songwriter accepted by pop artists, and pop A&R men."

[10] That same year, it was recorded in a pop version by Tony Bennett[13] with a light orchestral arrangement from Percy Faith.

[14] The popularity of Bennett's version has been credited with helping to expose both Williams and country music to a wider national audience.

During the credits for the 2013 videogame Batman: Arkham Origins, the Joker, voiced by Troy Baker, can be heard singing the song.