Lovesick Blues

"Lovesick Blues" is a show tune written by composer Cliff Friend and co-lyricist & producer Irving Mills. It has become a pop standard and an even more popular country song since it helped make Hank Williams famous in the 1940s. Published through Tin Pan Alley in 1922, the song was first recorded by the popular contralto Elsie Clark. Later that year, it was recorded by Jack Shea (not the 1932 Olympic medalist speed skater) on Vocalion 14333. This recording contains a verse that no later versions include. Emmett Miller recorded it on Okeh 40465, September 1, 1925. He re-recorded it on June 12 1928, accompanied by his Georgia Crackers (which included Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Eddie Lang, and Leo McConville). On November 26, 1926, blues singer Bertha "Chippie" Hill recorded a different song titled "Lovesick Blues" (Okeh 8453). The song was a minor hit for her. The first country music version of the song was by Rex Griffin (Decca 5570), September 25, 1939. The song's most recognizable version did not come until 1948, with Williams' hit rendition.

Though Williams had scored a few hits prior to "Lovesick Blues," the song was the first of many number one hits on Country radio for the singer. It also marked one of the songwriter's few cover songs. The song's monumental success led to Williams' tenure at the Grand Ole Opry and remains one of his best remembered songs. In 2004, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. His version of the song appeared in such films as The Last Picture Show (1971) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

Since Williams' hit rendition of the song, it has been covered by a wide array of performers. Country performers including Slim Whitman (1957), Patsy Cline (1960), Glen Campbell (1974), Charley Pride (1973), and LeAnn Rimes (1999), have all recorded their own renditions of the song. Floyd Cramer's rock-and-roll cover crossed over to pop audiences in 1962, while Frank Ifield took the song to #1 in the United Kingdom in 1963. In the 1970s, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Arlo Guthrie, Don McLean, Etta James and Linda Ronstadt all covered the song. George Strait took his cover all the way to #24 on the country chart in 1992 with little traditional promotion of the single. Alt-country artist Ryan Adams recorded the song for Timeless, a Hank Williams tribute album.

Chart performance

Hank Williams version

Chart (1949)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	24

Sonny James version

Chart (1957)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	15

Floyd Cramer version

Year	Chart	Position
1962	Billboard Pop Singles	87

Frank Ifield version

Year	Chart	Position
1963	Billboard Pop Singles	44
1962	UK Singles Chart	1

George Strait version

Chart (1992)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	24
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	23

Other versions

• Linda Ronstadt released a version on her 1970 album Silk Purse.
• Rachael Price released a version on her 2008 album Refreshingly Cool.

Chart-toppers

Preceded by "Candy Kisses" by George Morgan	Best Selling Retail Folk Records number one song by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys May 7, 1949 (sixteen weeks)	Succeeded by "I'm Throwing Rice (At the Girl That I Love)" by Eddy Arnold "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" by Wayne Raney
Preceded by "Bouquet of Roses" by Eddy Arnold	Billboard Best Selling Retail Folk Records number-one single of the year 1949	Succeeded by "I'm Moving On" by Hank Snow
Preceded by "Telstar" by The Tornados	UK number one single November 8, 1962 (5 weeks, Frank Ifield version)	Succeeded by "Return to Sender" by Elvis Presley (December 13)

Links

• Songwriters Hall of Fame Cliff Friend Discography