"Make the World Go Away'" is a

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 ...

song composed by

Hank Cochran Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran (August 2, 1935 – July 15, 2010) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy ...

. It has become a Top 40 popular success three times: for Timi Yuro (1963),

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

(1965), and the brother-sister duo Donny and

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and p ...

(1975). The original version of the song was recorded by Ray Price in 1963. It has remained a country-

crooner Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range ...

standard ever since.

History

wrote the song while he was on a date at a movie theater in 1960 when the film inspired him. He left the theater quickly, and by the time he got home fifteen minutes later had composed "Make the World Go Away". Ray Price recorded the song, and it scored No.2 on the ''Billboard'' country charts in 1963. The next year Eddy Arnold would make the song his signature hit, scoring No. 1 on the country music charts and then in 1965 No. 6 on the overall ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart (his highest rated song ever). Cochran was already a successful songwriter, having written two successes for

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

: " I Fall to Pieces" (with

Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote many popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists. C ...

) and "

She's Got You "She's Got You" is a country song written by Hank Cochran and first recorded (in December 1961) and released (in 1962) as a single by Patsy Cline. Musically the song is an upbeat jazz-pop song with country overtones to support it. History Accord ...

". "Make the World Go Away" was recorded first by Ray Price and was one of Price's first songs to feature an orchestra and female chorus, a trend that continued with other songs like "Burning Memories" and " For the Good Times". Price's album peaked at No. 2 on the country chart and No. 100 on the album chart.

Versions

Many artists have covered this song over the years, here are a few examples: During 1963, Timi Yuro released a

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

version of the song from her album of the same name. A moderate success, the single reached No. 24 on the ''Billboard'' U.S. top 40 music chart and as much as No. 11 on the Canadian charts. At his last recording session in July 1964,

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentlem ...

recorded a version of the song which became the opening track to his 1965 album '' The Jim Reeves Way''. "Make the World Go Away" was a greater success for

during 1965, scoring No. 1 on the country music chart and also scoring No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart. It reached No. 6 on the singles chart. "Make the World Go Away" was part of the so-called

Nashville sound The Nashville Sound originated during the mid-1950s as a subgenre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of the rough honky tonk music, which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s, with "smooth strings and choruses", "sophis ...

, an early mixture of popular with country music, and it became one of the most popular recordings of 1960s country music. It is generally considered to be Arnold's best-known song. The musicians on the Arnold session were

Grady Martin Thomas Grady Martin (January 17, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American session guitarist in country music and rockabilly. A member of The Nashville A-Team, he played guitar on hits such as Marty Robbins' " El Paso", Loretta Lynn's " Co ...

, Velma Smith (guitars), Henry Strzelecki (bass), Jerry Carrigan (drums),

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatur ...

(piano), Bill Walker (vibes), Harvey Wolfe (cello), Pamela Goldsmith, Ruby Ann Story (violas), Brenton Banks, Solie Fott, Lillian Hunt, Martin Kathan, Shelly Kurland (violins), and the

Anita Kerr Singers Anita Jean Kerr (née Grilli, October 13, 1927 – October 10, 2022) was an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Euro ...

(vocal chorus). In 2020, this version was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

for preservation in the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

recorded a version on the 1966 album ''Harry James & His Western Friends'' ( Dot DLP 3735 and DLP 25735) and again on the 1977 album ''Comin' from a Good Place'' (Sheffield Lab LAB 6).

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's 1970 version of "Make the World Go Away" was the closing track of his album '' Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old)''.

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

included his interpretation of the song on his 1970 album '' My Woman, My Woman, My Wife''. During 1975,

Donny Osmond Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host, and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and go ...

and

covered "Make the World Go Away", scoring hits in the UK and the United States. The song was recorded by the pair on the MGM album of the same title. During 1978, country music singer

Charly McClain Charlotte Denise "Charly" McClain (born March 26, 1956) is an American country music singer, best known for a string of hits during the 1980s. McClain's biggest hits include " Who's Cheatin' Who", " Sleepin' with the Radio On", and " Radio Hear ...

covered "Make the World Go Away" for her second album, ''Let Me Be Your Baby''. The single, with "Leanin' on the Bottle" as the B-side, reached No. 73 on the country charts.

Roger Whittaker Roger Henry Brough Whittaker (born 22 March 1936) is a British singer-songwriter and musician, who was born in Nairobi to English parents. His music is an eclectic mix of folk music and popular songs in addition to radio airplay hits. He is bes ...

covered the song for the 1987 album ''His Finest Collection''. During 2005,

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and rel ...

covered "Make the World Go Away" for her album ''Timeless''. Other popular singers who have covered the song include Engelbert Humperdinck, Jimmie Rogers and

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

. At the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards program,

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single " Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bil ...

and

Brad Paisley Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...

sang the song as a duet to honor Eddy Arnold for his long career in country music. "Make the World Go Away" is the song playing on the radio of the car in Underwood's 2008 music video for her single " Just a Dream". In October 2012,

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass- country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed wit ...

and

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single " The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album '' The Dollar''. He was dropped fro ...

performed their version of this song on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'', promoting the album '' Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran''. Jim Adkins of American rock band

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They ...

covered the song on various dates of his first European solo tour.

The Secret Sisters The Secret Sisters are an Americana singing and songwriting duo consisting of vocalists Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle. The duo's music has been compared to artists like the Everly Brothers. History Beginnings Laura and Lydia Rogers are sisters ...

have been performing the song at some of their concerts since 2015. Country singer

Kelsea Ballerini Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American country pop singer. She began songwriting as a child and signed with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, '' The First Time''. ...

performed the song on the ''

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a div ...

'' in 2016.

Foreign-language versions

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

there were two local versions: the first, with the title ''Resta solo come sei'' (''Stay as just the way you are''), with the Italian lyrics written by

Leo Chiosso Leo Chiosso (b. Turin, 8 August 1920 – d. Chieri, Italy, 26 November 2006) was an Italian lyricist mostly known for his work with Fred Buscaglione. They formed a songwriting duo who produced about forty songs and created Buscaglione's publ ...

, was recorded in 1964 by Iva Zanicchi; the second, with the title ''Qualche cosa tra noi'' (''Something between us''), adapted and arranged by Maestro Giancarlo Chiaramello, was recorded in the late 1967 by the Japanese singer Yoko Kishi.

Use in television and film

The song appears twice in the 2015 British gangster film ''

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

'' (based on the story of London's

Kray twins Ronald Kray (24 October 193317 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were identical twin brothers, gangsters and convicted criminals. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, Engl ...

); once as a 'live' performance in cabaret by Welsh singer

Duffy Duffy may refer to: People *Duffy (surname), people with the surname Duffy or Duffey * Duffy (nickname) *Duffy (singer) (born 1984), Welsh singer, born Aimee Ann Duffy Places *Duffy, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Duffy, Ohi ...

, portraying Timi Yuro, in a nightclub scene, and then again when the original Timi Yuro single version is played over the film's closing credits. Yuro was allegedly a favourite singer of Reggie Kray and was often booked to perform at the Krays' nightclubs when she was touring Europe in the 1960s.

Chart positions

Ray Price version

Timi Yuro version

Eddy Arnold version

Donny and Marie Osmond version

Charly McClain version

References

{{authority control 1963 songs 1966 singles Ray Price (musician) songs Eddy Arnold songs Charly McClain songs Donny Osmond songs Marie Osmond songs Carrie Underwood songs Timi Yuro songs Brad Paisley songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Hank Cochran Song recordings produced by Chet Atkins Columbia Records singles RCA Victor singles United States National Recording Registry recordings