"Little Things" is a song written and sung by

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit " Honey", which sold over 1 million copies i ...

, which he recorded on November 19, 1964, and released on November 24, 1964.You've come a long way Bobby.
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', October 5, 1974. p. BG-20. Accessed December 3, 2015. The song reached No. 13 ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Background

Goldsboro wrote the up-tempo "Little Things" after a series of ballads that he had written and recorded, and his producer Jack Gold wanted him to continue writing ballads. Goldsboro recorded the song in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, as were the other tracks in the album. Goldsboro had originally intended the song to be recorded in 2/4 time, but after hearing a copy of " Oh, Pretty Woman" that his friend

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

had sent him, he changed the beat of "Little Things" to 4/4. The arrangement of the song was done by Goldsboro and Bill Justis. In the song,

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelt ...

sang the back-up vocals. The song was recorded on November 19, 1964 and released five days later. In 1965, the song spent 12 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 13. In Canada, the song reached No. 4 on

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...

's ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensi ...

'' Top 40 & 5, and No. 4 on ''RPM'''s Adult Contemporary chart. The song was ranked No. 81 on ''

''s year-end chart of " Top Singles of 1965".

Covers

Dave Berry released a cover of "Little Things" in 1965, which reached No. 5 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 ...

, and No. 9 on the Irish chart.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1964 songs 1964 singles Bobby Goldsboro songs United Artists Records singles Songs written by Bobby Goldsboro