"The Note" is a

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, ...

song written by Buck Moore and Michele Ray. The most famous version of the song was recorded by

Daryle Singletary Daryle Bruce Singletary (March 10, 1971 – February 12, 2018) was an American country music singer. Between 1995 and 1998, he recorded for Giant Records, for which he released three studio albums: ''Daryle Singletary'' in 1995, '' All Because o ...

, whose version was the lead single to his 1998 album '' Ain't It the Truth''.

Content

The song is about a man who witnesses a breakup through a note left by his former lover.

History

The song was first cut by

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

on his 1985 album ''

Don't Call Him a Cowboy "Don't Call Him a Cowboy" is a song written by Debbie Hupp, Johnny MacRae and Bob Morrison, and recorded by American country music artist Conway Twitty. It was released in February 1985 as the first single and title track from the album ''Don't C ...

''.

Gene Watson Gary Gene Watson (born October 11, 1943) is an American country music singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit "Love in the Hot Afternoon," his 1981 No. 1 hit " Fourteen Carat Mind," and his signature 1979 song "Farewell Party." Watson's lo ...

recorded a version of 'The Note' and included the track on his 1985 album ''Memories to Burn''.

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 a version of the song for her 1989 album '' Next To You''. It also appeared on

Doug Supernaw Douglas Anderson Supernaw (September 26, 1960November 13, 2020) was an American country music artist. After several years performing as a local musician throughout the state of Texas, he signed with BNA Records in 1993. Supernaw released four st ...

's 1995 album ''

You Still Got Me '' You Still Got Me'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Doug Supernaw. Released in November 1995, the album produced the single "Not Enough Hours in the Night", a Top 5 hit for Supernaw on the Hot Country Songs charts in 1 ...

'', which, like Singletary's version, was released through

Giant Records In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

Nashville. Doug Johnson, then-president of Giant Records Nashville, said that he had "no idea" about the song's history. Singletary discovered the song through a friend of his bass player's wife, and Johnson had discovered it through a song plugger.

Critical reception

A review in ''

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 advertise ...

'' was positive, saying that "this young traditionalist can stand toe to toe with such master stylists as

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 ...

and

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", ...

" and "the lyric is one that listeners will find themselves singing along with."

Chart performance

Although the song was not officially released until November 17, 1997, many stations on the ''

'' survey added it prior to the single's release.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Note 1997 singles 1985 songs Conway Twitty songs Gene Watson songs Tammy Wynette songs Doug Supernaw songs Daryle Singletary songs Giant Records (Warner) singles Songs written by Buck Moore Song recordings produced by Doug Johnson (record producer)