Then and Only Then

"Then and Only Then"
Single by Connie Smith
from the album Connie Smith
B-side "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio"
Released January 1965
Format 45 RPM
Recorded November 18, 1964
Genre Country, Nashville Sound
Length 2:25
Label RCA Victor
Writer(s) Bill Anderson
Producer Bob Ferguson
Connie Smith singles chronology
"Once a Day"
(1964)		 "Then and Only Then"
(1965)		 "I Can't Remember"
(1965)

"Then and Only Then" is a song written by Bill Anderson and recorded by American country artist, Connie Smith. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and released on her self-titled debut album that year. The song was released in January 1965, reaching the Top 5 on the Billboard country music chart in early 1965, becoming her second major hit. It was her follow-up single to her multi-week number one hit, "Once a Day," which was released the previous year.

Contents

Background and content

"Then and Only Then" was a series of hit songs written by Bill Anderson for Connie Smith. It was recorded at RCA Victor Records' Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee on November 18, 1964. Produced by Bob Ferguson, the session featured Nashville's "A-Team" of musicians, including members of Anderson's backing band, The Po' Boys.[1] "Then and Only Then"'s storyline describes how a woman's lover has temporarily left her, but said that he would return. The female narrator forgets when he will be returning and later says that when he returns, "then and only then" she will stop crying. The song's chorus further explains the storyline:

For then and only then will I stop cryin'
And this achin', breakin' heart of mine will mend
Not until I feel your arms around me
Will I be happy and I live for then and only then

"Then and Only Then" has since been recorded by American country singer, Loretta Lynn for her 1965 studio album, Blue Kentucky Girl. In the song's original recording, Smith is featured not only singing the lead vocals, but also playing the guitar accompaniment, as she did for her previous single.[2]

Chart performance

"Then and Only Then" was Smith's second single released on RCA Victor Records and her follow-up to her last hit, "Once a Day." The song was issued to radio in January 1965, becoming a major hit shortly afterwards, reaching #4 on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Songs chart, while peaking outside the Billboard Top Pop 100, reaching #116. The B-side of the single, "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio," also charted the country music list as well, peaking at #25 during the same time.[3] "Then and Only Then" would be a series of singles written by Bill Anderson over the next few years. The other singles written by Anderson would also include "Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)" and "Cincinnati, Ohio."[4]

Charts

Chart (1965) Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs 4
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 16

References

  1. ^ "Connie Smith: Biography (click on the "biography" section of the website)". Connie Smith Music.com. http://conniesmithmusic.com/. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  2. ^ "Connie Smith 1965 studio album > Credits". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r123098. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  3. ^ Bush, John. "Connie Smith > Biography". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p2398. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  4. ^ Wolff, Kurt (2000). "Ch. 8 - It's Such a Pretty World Today: The Nashville Sound Arrives". In Orla Duane. Country Music: The Rough Guide. London, England: Rough Guides Ltd.. p. 327.