Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)

"Friendly Persuasion"
"Friendly Persuasion"
Song
Published	1956
Composer(s)	Dimitri Tiomkin
Lyricist(s)	Paul Francis Webster

"Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)" is a popular song with music by Dimitri Tiomkin and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. It was published in 1956 and appeared in the 1956 film of the same name.^[1] At the 29th Academy Awards, Friendly Persuasion was nominated for the Best Music – Song but lost out to "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)".

Background

The title is an obvious play on words, since the film centers on a Quaker family, a religion known as the "Society of Friends". Thus, they are said to be of the "Friendly" persuasion.

1956 recordings

The best-known version of the song was recorded by Pat Boone^[2] and it reached the No. 5 position in the USA charts and No. 3 in the UK.^[3]
Another recording by The Four Aces followed Boone's in 1956^[4] and reached number 45 peak position on Billboard's pop music chart.^[5]

Other recordings

Johnny Mathis included the song in his 1963 album Romantically.
Bing Crosby recorded the song for his album Bing Crosby's Treasury - The Songs I Love (1968 version).
Aretha Franklin recorded the song for her album Soft and Beautiful (1969).^[6]

Popular culture

The Four Aces version of the song was used in the 2013 BBC television series, Call the Midwife.

References

^ Friendly Persuation (1956) on Internet Movie Database
^ "45cat - Pat Boone - Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love) / Chains of Love - Dot - USA - 45-15490". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
^ Davies, Chris (1998). British and American Hit Singles. London, UK: BT Batsford. p. 493. ISBN 0-7134-8275-3.
^ "Four Aces Featuring Al Alberts - Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)". 45cat.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
^ Billboard 3. Nov. 1956, p. 36, respectively Billboard 1. Sept. 1956, p. 44
^ "The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging/Soft and Beautiful - Aretha Franklin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

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[1] Friendly Persuation (1956) on Internet Movie Database

[2] "45cat - Pat Boone - Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love) / Chains of Love - Dot - USA - 45-15490". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-04-22.

[3] Davies, Chris (1998). British and American Hit Singles. London, UK: BT Batsford. p. 493. ISBN 0-7134-8275-3.

[4] "Four Aces Featuring Al Alberts - Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)". 45cat.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

[5] Billboard 3. Nov. 1956, p. 36, respectively Billboard 1. Sept. 1956, p. 44

[6] "The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging/Soft and Beautiful - Aretha Franklin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

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