"Almost Persuaded" is a song written by
Glenn Sutton
Royce Glenn Sutton (September 28, 1937 – April 17, 2007) was an American country music songwriter, record producer, and one of the architects of the ''countrypolitan'' sound.
Biography
Sutton wrote or co-wrote many of Tammy Wynette's early h ...
and
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
producer
Billy Sherrill
Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gl ...
and first recorded by
David Houston in 1966. It is not to be confused with the Christian hymn of the same name.
Content
The song is about a married man who, while patronizing a tavern, sees a beautiful young woman and is instantly smitten. Forgetting that he is married, he nearly succumbs to temptation. However, when the two share a slow dance, he notices a reflection of his wedding ring literally in her eyes and, remembering his vows to his wife, leaves.
Legacy
"Almost Persuaded" spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the
''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart starting in August 1966 and has since gone on to become a country standard. The song was also a moderate
pop hit, reaching twenty-four on the ''Billboard'' pop chart and was David Houston's only
top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
entry on the pop charts.
For 46 years and two months, no No. 1 song matched the chart-topping longevity of "Almost Persuaded," until
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's "
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, '' Red'' (2012). It was released for digital download and to U.S. pop radio as the lead single from ''Red'' on A ...
" notched its ninth week atop the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart the week of December 15, 2012.
The song won a
Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording of 1966.
Other versions
Some cover versions of this song include:
*
Crispian St. Peters released a cover of the song on his 1966 album ''Follow Me''. It reached #52 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in 1967.
Crispian St. Peters, "Almost Persuaded" chart position
Retrieved June 18, 2015.
* The Statler Brothers
The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...
in 1966
* George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
in 1983
* Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
in 1986
* Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...
in 1967, who coincidentally recorded a number of duets with Houston
* Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...
in 1966
* Charlie Rich
Charles Allan Rich (December 14, 1932July 25, 1995) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. His eclectic style of music was often difficult to classify, encompassing the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country music, country, sou ...
in 1974
* Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature int ...
in 1977
* Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
in 1990
* Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song " Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greate ...
in 1968
* Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the country and western, pop, and gospel musical genres. Noted for h ...
* Lefty Frizzell
William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...
* Bill Haley
William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...
* Etta James
* Sheb Wooley as a parody titled "Almost Persuaded No. 2", credited to Ben Colder
* Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
* Pozo-Seco Singers in 1967
* Country Teasers
Country Teasers were an art punk band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1993.
Frontman Ben Wallers also performs solo as The Rebel. He plays live shows with a Gameboy backing-track or accompanied by Country Teasers bassist Sophie Politowicz on dru ...
* Beth Rowley
Beth Ann Rowley is an English singer-songwriter.
Early life
Rowley was born in Peru to British parents who moved back to Bristol, England when Rowley was two years old.
Career Early career
She was influenced by her family's love for many differ ...
* Faron Young
Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country music producer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. Hits including "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and "Live Fast, Love Hard, Di ...
, appearing on numerous Faron Young greatest hits compilations and various artist compilations
* Hootenanny Singers
The Hootenanny Singers were a popular folk group from Sweden, founded in 1961. The group included Björn Ulvaeus, who later became a member of ABBA. Other band members were Johan Karlberg (b. Karl Johan Hilding Karlberg, 14 April 1943, Vim ...
made a Swedish version "Början till slutet" in 1967. Swedish lyrics by Stig Anderson
Stig Erik Leopold Anderson (25 January 1931 – 12 September 1997), better known as Stikkan Anderson, was a Swedish music manager, lyricist and music publisher. He was the co-founder of Polar Music, and is best known for managing the Sw ...
aka Stikkan Anderson
* Ragnar Bjarnason recorded the tune in 1968 with Icelandic Lyrics as "Hafið lokkar og laðar".
Charts
David Houston
Patti Page
Ben Colder ("Almost Persuaded No. 2")
Etta James
Merle Haggard
References
{{authority control
1966 singles
1969 singles
1987 singles
Songs written by Glenn Sutton
Songs written by Billy Sherrill
David Houston (singer) songs
The Statler Brothers songs
Crispian St. Peters songs
George Jones songs
Merle Haggard songs
Tammy Wynette songs
Patti Page songs
Charlie Rich songs
Tanya Tucker songs
Tennessee Ernie Ford songs
Bill Haley songs
Etta James songs
Sheb Wooley songs
Hank Williams Jr. songs
Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year
Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill
Epic Records singles
1966 songs