"But You Know I Love You" is a song written by Mike Settle, which was a 1969 pop hit for Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, a group that included Settle and Kenny Rogers. The song also became a major country hit by Bill Anderson in 1969. In 1981, a cover version of "But You Know I Love You" by singer Dolly Parton topped the country singles charts.
| "But You Know I Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition | ||||
| from the album The First Edition '69 | ||||
| B-side | "Homemade Lies" | |||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 1968 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Settle | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Bowen | |||
| Kenny Rogers and The First Edition singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Kenny Rogers and The First Edition version
editBackground
editIn the song, "But You Know I Love You", the narrator voices regret over not being able to remain with his/her significant other, due to career demands and the need to travel for his/her job. At the time Settle was guitarist for Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, with Rogers singing lead and Settle harmonizing. The fall 1968 release, with a brass-tinged country-folk sound to broaden the group's fan base, peaked at number 19 on the Hot 100 just under a year after "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" peaked. In the group's rendition on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that aired on 8 December 1968, the audience was unwittingly fooled to start clapping too soon, right after the false ending but way before the real ending.
Charts
edit| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 19 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[2] | 18 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 11 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 9 |
Bill Anderson version
editBill Anderson's cover version of "But You Know I Love You" rose to No. 2 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in 1969.
Charts
edit| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 2 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 6 |
Dolly Parton version
edit| "But You Know I Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Dolly Parton | ||||
| from the album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs | ||||
| B-side | "Poor Folks' Town" | |||
| Released | March 16, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Settle | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Post | |||
| Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editCountry entertainer Dolly Parton (who, in 1983, would have the number 1 duet "Islands In The Stream" with Rogers) in 1980 included "But You Know I Love You", based on the occupation of on-the-road singer, on her album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs. In March 1981, Parton released the song as the album's second single, following the success of "9 to 5," and it reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart on 20 June 1981, succeeding Rogers' accompanying Dottie West on "What Are We Doin' in Love" at the top slot.[4] Parton's version also crossed over, bowing at number 82 on 4 April 1981 and peaking at number 41 on 16 May 1981 on the Hot 100 and No. 14 on the AC chart.
Charts
editWeekly
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 41 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[7] | 14 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
Year-end
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 6 |
Other covers
edit- 1969: Bill Anderson for his album My Life / But You Know I Love You (Decca DL 75142).
- 1969: Ray Stevens for his album Have a Little Talk With Myself (Monument SLP 18134).
- 1969: Wynn Stewart for his album Yours Forever (Capitol ST 324).
- 1969: Teresa Bennett for her album Anita Kerr Presents Teresa (Dot DLP 25944).
- 1969: The Sweet Inspirations for their album Sweets for My Sweet (Atlantic SD 8225).
- 1969: Kim Weston and Johnny Nash for their album Johnny Nash & Kim Weston (Major Minor SMLP 54).
- 1969: Buck Owens for his album Tall Dark Stranger (Capitol ST 212).
- 1970: Barbara Lewis for her album The Many Grooves of Barbara Lewis (Enterprise ENS 1006).[9]
- 1970: Evie Sands for her album Any Way That You Want Me (A&M SP 4239) (US Billboard #110, AC #30).[10]
- 1970: Julie Rogers for her album Once More With Feeling (Ember NR 5050).
- 1970: Skeeter Davis for her album A Place In the Country (RCA Victor LSP-4310).
- 1972: Laura Lee for her album Love More Than Pride (Chess CH 50031).
- 1972: Maria Dallas for her album Town and Country (CBS SBP-234201).
- 1973: Henson Cargill for his album This Is Henson Cargill Country (Atlantic SD 7279).
References
edit- ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Bill Anderson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 262.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Billboard Hot Country Songs - Year-End Charts (1981)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "Barbara Lewis – the Many Grooves of Barbara Lewis (1970, Vinyl)". Discogs.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004