"I Always Get Lucky With You" is a song written by

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 a ...

, Freddy Powers, Gary Church, and Tex Whitson. It was first recorded by Haggard on his 1981 album '' Big City'' and then covered 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

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 April 1983 as the second single from the album '' Shine On''. The song was Jones' ninth and final number one on the country chart as a solo artist . The single stayed at number one for one week and spent thirteen weeks on the country chart.

Background

Co-writer Merle Haggard recorded the song first on his 1981 hit LP '' Big City'' but did not release it as a single. According to the Stephen L. Betts ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' article "George Jones Gets 'Lucky' with Merle Haggard Song" published online on February 13, 2015, Haggard's manager, Tex Whitson, first pitched it to Jones' 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 ...

because Jones and Haggard were on the outs at the time. "I'd get mad at him over the years because of his self-damage, but everything I said to him was out of love," Haggard wrote in an article for ''Rolling Stone'' after his friend died. "Imagine you're George Jones, and every night you're expected to sing as good as you did on a song like '

She Thinks I Still Care "She Thinks I Still Care" is a country song written by Dickey Lee and Steve Duffy. The song was recorded by multiple artists, including George Jones, Connie Francis, Anne Murray, Elvis Presley and Patty Loveless. George Jones version Accor ...

.' He was a shy country boy from

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region cons ...

walking around with that on his shoulders. He knew people expected him to be the greatest country singer that ever lived. He was the

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

of country music, and people expected a home run every time." Sherrill, who had produced Jones and Haggard on their first duet album together '' A Taste of Yesterday's Wine'' the year before, still possessed his instincts for a great song and persuaded Jones to cut it. In the 1994 video retrospective ''Golden Hits'', Jones recalled that he "sung it around Nashville at some of the clubs to try and get used to it before I went into the studio and it came off great. It's a great song. Merle Haggard wrote a good one there." Jones, who was about to hit rock bottom after spending most of the previous decade in a booze and drug-crazed wasteland, delivered a sterling performance, which became the last chart topper of his career, ironically bumping off "

Pancho and Lefty "Pancho and Lefty", originally "Poncho and Lefty", is a song written by American country music singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Often considered his "most enduring and well-known song", Van Zandt first recorded it for his 1972 album '' The Late ...

," Haggard's hit duet with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

. Haggard would record the song again in 2006 as part of the second Jones/Haggard release '' Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again''. A duet version featuring Jones and

Shelby Lynne Shelby Lynne (born Shelby Lynn Moorer, October 22, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter and the older sister of singer-songwriter Allison Moorer. The success of her pop rock album '' I Am Shelby Lynne'' (1999) led to her winning the Grammy ...

was made available on the 2009 Jones LP '' Burn Your Playhouse Down – The Unreleased Duets''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1981 songs 1983 singles Merle Haggard songs George Jones songs Songs written by Merle Haggard Songs written by Freddy Powers Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill Epic Records singles