| "Heartaches by the Number" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Guy Mitchell | ||||
| B-side | "Two" | |||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:34 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Harlan Howard | |||
| Producer(s) | Joe Sherman | |||
| Guy Mitchell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Heartaches by the Number" is a popular country song written by Harlan Howard and published in 1959. Sheet music for the song was a best seller in both the US and Britain in January 1960.[1]
the song mentions three heartaches, listed by the narrator:
The first one occurs when the opposite sex leaves the narrator.
The second ones occurs when the opposite sex returns to the narrator, never meaning to stay.
The third one occurs when the opposite sex calls the narrator, stating that the opposite plans to return, however, according to the narrator, the opposite sex may have lost their way.
The chorus section of the song states by the narrator that they love their opposite sex more, when the opposite sex is not with the narrator, indicating that the narrator will only stop the counting when the narrator dies.
Guy Mitchell version
The biggest hit version was recorded by Guy Mitchell on August 24, 1959. It reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the weeks of December 14 and December 21, 1959.[2] The recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 41476. This would be Mitchell's second pop chart topper (after "Singing the Blues"); it was also his last top-40 single in the Billboard charts. Columbia first issued a mono recording by Mitchell as a 7" 45 rpm single, which became the hit. Columbia later issued a stereo version of the song, also by Mitchell; however, the mono and stereo issues are in fact two completely different recordings. The hit version has never appeared in stereo and has appeared on only a lone compact disc release (Hit Parade Records 12311, Hard to Find Jukebox Classics 1959: Pop Gold.) The video game Fallout: New Vegas does not feature his original Columbia Records version; rather it is a 1980 re-recording made for K-Tel records. Mitchell's version featured a Whistler who plays during the intro ad well as the instrumental break on the song.
Other notable recordings
- 1959 Ray Price - recorded before the Guy Mitchell version.(Columbia 41374). Price's version reached number two and spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot C&W Sides chart.[1]
- 1961 George Jones - his version of the song was included on the Mercury label album George Jones Sings Country and Western Hits (MG 20624/SR 60624).
- 1961 Kitty Wells recorded a version for her LP Heartbreak U.S.A..
- 1961 Buck Owens - included in his album Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard.
- 1962 Connie Francis for the album Country Music - Connie Style.
- 1962 Leroy Van Dyke on the Mercury album Walk on By (MG 20682/SR 60682).
- 1965 Bing Crosby - recorded for his album Bing Crosby Sings the Great Country Hits.
- 1965 Johnny Tillotson a single release on the MGM label.
- 1966 Willie Nelson included on his album Country Favorites-Willie Nelson Style.
- 1967 Waylon Jennings for the album Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan.
- 1968 Burl Ives on the Decca album The Big Country Hits.
- 1969 Jerry Lee Lewis included in the album Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 1.
- 1969 Country Joe and the Fish - Performed at Woodstock
- 1970 Jane Morgan - included in her album Jane Morgan - In Nashville.
- 1972 Jack Reno reached #26 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[3]
- 1979 Bill Haley and His Comets - included on Haley's final album, Everyone Can Rock and Roll (Sonet 808)
- 1983 The Kendalls for the album 20 Favorites
- 1986 Dwight Yoakam included on his debut studio album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc..
- 2005 Martina McBride (featuring Dwight Yoakam) for her album Timeless.
- 2009 Rosanne Cash (featuring Elvis Costello) in the album The List.
- 2013 The Playtones for their album In the Mood.
- 2014 Mary Sarah in a duet version featuring Ray Price included in her album Bridges: Great American Country Duets.[4]
- 2016 Cyndi Lauper covered the song for studio album Detour.
Chart performance
Ray Price
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 2 |
Guy Mitchell
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.K. Singles Charts | 5 |
| U.S. Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles | 19 |
| Norway VG-Lista[5] | 3 |
| German Singles Charts | 2 |
All-time charts
| Chart (1958-2018) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 407 |
Johnny Tillotson
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 35 |
| U.S. Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 14 |
Jack Reno
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 26 |
See also
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1959
References
- ^ a b Billboard Jan 11, 1960. page 48
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 431.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Guy Mitchell - Heartaches By The Number". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics