"Please Help Me, I'm Falling" is a 1960 song written by Don Robertson and Hal Blair and first recorded by

Hank Locklin Hank Locklin (born Lawrence Hankins Locklin; February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on ''Billboard''s country chart. His biggest hits included ...

. The single was Locklin's most successful recording and was his second number one on the country charts. "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" spent fourteen weeks at the top spot and spent nine months on the country chart and crossed over to the Hot 100 peaking at number eight.

Chart performance

Answer record

Later in 1960,

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis S ...

had a hit with an

answer record An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...

entitled, " (I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" which peaked at number two for three weeks on the Hot C&W Sides charts and number thirty-nine on the Hot 100.

Cover versions

*During the early 1960s Broadway Record Label released a version of this song on an EP - 45 rpm that featured "Vocals and Orchestra by Popular Artists," none of which are listed anywhere on the record label. *In October 1963,

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

recorded the song as one of the tracks on their album The Everly Brothers Sing Great Country Hits, featuring their covers of classic country songs. *On August 1, 1967,

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Rec ...

covered the song. His version was not released as a single, and remained unreleased until it was included on his 1997 album ''The Essential Charley Pride''. *In 1973, John Fogerty covered the song on his first solo album, '' Blue Ridge Rangers''. *In 1978,

Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen Single (music), singles in the top ten of the ...

released a cover version of the song as "Please Help Me (I'm Fallin' in Love with You)" and took it to number 12 on the country charts. Unlike Locklin's piano-based, bright mid-tempo version, Fricke's version is a ballad in the

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

vein. *In 1989,

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

covered the song as b-side to her single "Days". *In 1993,

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

and

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 ...

recorded their version of "Please Help Me (I'm Fallin' in Love with You)" for their album, ''

Honky Tonk Angels ''Honky Tonk Angels'' is a collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was released on November 2, 1993, by Columbia Records. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 5, 1994, for sales of 500,000 c ...

'', although Loretta herself recording a duet with Conway Twitty from the 1987 ''Heartland Music'' album. *In 1996,

Puff Johnson Ewanya "Puff" Johnson (December 10, 1972 – June 24, 2013) was an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born in Detroit, she emerged on the music scene with her singles " Forever More" and " Over and Over", which experienced commercial success in E ...

recorded a version of "Please Help Me (I'm Fallin' in Love with You)" for her album, ''

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

''. *

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...

covered the song on her 2001 album "At Last". *In 2007, David Ball covered the song in his album, '' Heartaches by the Number''. *In 2008,

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

covered the song in her album, '' Sleepless Nights''.

References

{{Hank Locklin, state=autocollapse 1960 singles 1978 singles Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year Hank Locklin songs Homer and Jethro songs Skeeter Davis songs Charley Pride songs John Fogerty songs Janie Fricke songs Loretta Lynn songs Dolly Parton songs Tammy Wynette songs David Ball (country singer) songs Patty Loveless songs Songs written by Don Robertson (songwriter) Song recordings produced by Chet Atkins RCA Victor singles Columbia Records singles Songs written by Hal Blair 1960 songs