"Then and Only Then" is a song written by Bill Anderson and recorded by the American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

artist,

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity h ...

, on her

. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and released in January 1965, reaching the Top 5 on the '' Billboard'' country music chart in early 1965, becoming her second major hit. It was her follow-up single to her multi-week number one hit, "

Once a Day "Once a Day" is a song written by Bill Anderson and recorded as the debut single by American country artist Connie Smith. It was produced by Bob Ferguson for her self-titled debut album. The song was released in August 1964, topping the '' Bi ...

", which was released the previous year.

Background and content

"Then and Only Then" was one of a series of hit songs written by Anderson for Smith. (Others included "Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)" and "

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

".) It was recorded at

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Ari ...

' Studio B in

Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...

, on November 18, 1964. Produced by Ferguson, the session featured Nashville's "A-Team" of musicians, including members of Anderson's backing band, The Po' Boys. The storyline of "Then and Only Then" describes how a woman's lover has temporarily left her, saying that he will return. The female narrator forgets when he will be returning and says that when he returns, "then and only then" she will stop crying. The song's chorus further explains the storyline: In the song's original recording, Smith is featured not only singing the lead vocals, but also playing the guitar accompaniment, as she did for her previous single. "Then and Only Then" has since been recorded by the American country singer,

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 ...

, for her 1965 studio album, '' Blue Kentucky Girl''.

Chart performance

"Then and Only Then" was Smith's second single released on RCA Victor Records. The song was issued to radio in January 1965, becoming a major hit shortly thereafter, reaching #4 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart, while peaking outside the ''Billboard'' Top Pop 100, reaching #116. The B-side, "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio", also charted the country music list, peaking at #25 during the same time.

Charts

References

{{Connie Smith singles 1965 singles Songs written by Bill Anderson (singer) Connie Smith songs Loretta Lynn songs Song recordings produced by Bob Ferguson (musician) RCA Victor singles 1965 songs