"Always Late (with Your Kisses)" is a song co-written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

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 ...

. It was the fifth single released from his 1951/1952 album ''Listen to Lefty''. It peaked at number one in 1951 and became his fourth release to hit the top.

Recording and composition

During early 1951, Lefty Frizzell was enjoying the success followed by his hit debut, "

If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time) "If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)" is a debut song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Lefty Frizzell, released on September 14, 1950. The song is the second song recorded by Lefty Frizzell during his first session ...

". By this time, Frizzell and

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

were the biggest names in

. Frizzell met for another session on May 24, which capped off a single. "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" with the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"Mom and Dad's Waltz" was released in July and in August the single rose to the number one slot on the US Country chart. "Mom and Dad's Waltz" peaked at number two for eight weeks on the country chart. The song has been covered by many different artists, most credibly, long-time Lefty Frizzell friend,

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", ...

, who was influenced by Frizzell. He covered the song in 1973 on his album, ''Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad as Losing You).''

Chart performance

Cover version

In addition to Frizzell's own stereo re-recording of "Always Late" in 1959, many artists have recorded cover versions of the song, including: ;George Jones version

covered the song for his 1973 album: ''Nothing Ever Hurt Me'' ;Jo-El Sonnier version

Jo-El Sonnier Jo-El Sonnier (; born Joel Sonnier; October 2, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and accordionist who performs country music and Cajun music. Originally signed to Mercury Nashville Records, Sonnier charted several minor singles on the ''Bi ...

covered the song in 1976. His version reached No. 99 on the U.S. country chart. ;Merle Haggard version

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 ...

covered the song in 2001 on his album '' Roots, Volume 1''. ;Leona Williams version A version by

Leona Williams Leona Belle Helton (born January 7, 1943, in Vienna, Missouri, United States) is an American country music singer known professionally as Leona Williams. Active since 1958, Williams has been a backing musician for Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard ...

charted in 1981, reaching No. 84 on the same chart.

Dwight Yoakam version

"Always Late with Your Kisses" was covered by

artist

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerab ...

. It is the fourth and final single released from his 1987 album '' Hillbilly Deluxe''. It peaked at No. 9 in the United States, and No. 5 in Canada.

Chart performance

;Music video The music video was directed by

Sherman Halsey Sherman Brooks Halsey (February 22, 1957 – October 29, 2013) was an American music video and television director, producer, and artist manager. Sherman Halsey produced and directed hundreds of television shows and music videos for artists ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Always Late With Your Kisses Songs about kissing 1951 singles 1988 singles Lefty Frizzell songs George Jones songs Jo-El Sonnier songs Dwight Yoakam songs Merle Haggard songs Songs written by Lefty Frizzell 1951 songs Columbia Records singles Reprise Records singles Music videos directed by Sherman Halsey Song recordings produced by Pete Anderson Song recordings produced by Don Law