Hello Darlin' (song)
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| “Hello Darlin'” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Conway Twitty from the album Hello Darlin' |
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| A-side | "Hello Darlin'" | ||||
| B-side | "Girl at the Bar" | ||||
| Released | April 1970 (U.S.) | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | November 18, 1969 | ||||
| Genre | Country | ||||
| Length | 2:26 | ||||
| Label | Decca Records 32661 | ||||
| Writer(s) | Conway Twitty | ||||
| Producer | Owen Bradley | ||||
| Conway Twitty singles chronology | |||||
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"Hello Darlin'" is an American country music song written and recorded by Conway Twitty.
Originally released in 1970, the song became Twitty's fourth No. 1 song on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and soon became one of his signature songs.
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[edit] Song history
During Twitty's lifetime, two songs became closely associated with him: "It's Only Make Believe" and "Hello Darlin'." The latter song would become the song Twitty used to open his concerts.
While recording the song in 1969, Twitty sang the opening lines, but for some reason it didn't work. Record producer Owen Bradley suggested speaking the lines: "Hello darlin', nice to see you." The result was a hook that made the song instantly recognizable to fans.[1]
"Hello Darlin'" is about a man who runs into an old flame and, after acknowledging she's "just as lovely as you used to be," tries to put up his bravado by saying he's getting along fine, "except I can't sleep, and I cry all night 'til dawn." He then admits his deep sorrow for his mistakes that led to the breakup of their relationship, then - after sharing an embrace "just for old time's sake" - bids her well. Before the two part, he says that if she would forgive him, he'll be waiting for her.
The song spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and was named the No. 1 song of 1970. Aside from being Twitty's standard concert opener, the song became a country standard.
[edit] Cover versions
A cover version of "Hello Darlin'" was recorded in 1993 by George Jones as a track on his 1993 album, High Tech Redneck, and was considered to be part of Jones' tribute to Twitty (who had died earlier in the year).
Among the artists recording cover versions were Lynn Anderson, Bobby Bare, Wanda Jackson, Daniel O'Donnell, Stu Phillips and Charley Pride.[2]
[edit] In popular culture
A live video clip of Twitty singing "Hello Darlin'" (on Hee Haw) is used at the end of the Family Guy episode "Peter's Daughter."
[edit] "Privet Radost"
On July 17, 1975, "Hello Darlin'" was played and broadcast to a worldwide audience as part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Actually, it was a Russian language version of the song. Called "Privet Radost," the song — commissioned by the Apollo crew — was played by the American astronauts to Russian cosmonauts (of the Soyuz crew) as "a gesture of goodwill." Twitty worked with a language professor from the University of Oklahoma to record the phonetic Russian version of the song.[3]
"Privet Radost" - released as a special edition single in 1975, although it did not chart - is available on The Conway Twitty Collection box set.
[edit] Succession
| Preceded by "My Love" by Sonny James |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single by Conway Twitty June 6-June 27, 1970 |
Succeeded by "He Loves Me All the Way" by Tammy Wynette |
| Preceded by "My Life (Throw it Away If I Want To)" by Bill Anderson |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single of the year 1970 |
Succeeded by "Easy Loving" by Freddie Hart |
[edit] Sources
[edit] References
- ^ Oermann, Robert K. "The Conway Twitty Collection," liner notes (booklet included with The Conway Twitty Collection 4-disc set). MCA Special Products, 1994).
- ^ [1] "Hello Darlin'," All Music Guide.
- ^ Oermann.
[edit] See also
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
