A Dear John Letter

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"A Dear John Letter", or "Dear John" is the name of a popular country music song. It was popularized by Ferlin Husky and Jean Shepard, and was a crossover country-pop hit in 1953.

The song played on the concept of a Dear John letter while referencing the United States' involvement in the Korean War. It was performed as duet by the two performers, with Husky speaking his part while Shepard sang hers. "Dear John" was released in 1953 and placed "No. 4." on American pop music charts. It also hit "No. 1" on American country charts for a number of weeks in the summer, turning the otherwise unknown singers into star performers in the U.S.

"Dear John" has been covered by several other performers, including Pat Boone. Following Husky and Shepard, Skeeter Davis, and Bobby Bare recorded the song together in 1965, resulting in a No. 11 hit for themselves that year.

Shepard and Husky recording a reply to "Dear John," called, "Forgive Me John", which was another popular country music song.