"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" (sometimes "I've Forgotten More Than You'll Ever Know About Him") is a song, written by

Cecil Null Cecil Allen Null (April 26, 1927 – August 26, 2001) was an American songwriter. He began writing songs and singing publicly while serving in the Navy during World War II. After leaving the service, he performed with various groups on radio stati ...

Song background

The song was one of five tracks recorded (including two versions of the "B" side, "Rockabye Boogie") on May 23, 1953. The musicians for the sessions were

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...

, lead guitar; Velma E. Williams Smith, guitar;

Jerry Byrd Gerald Lester Byrd (March 9, 1920 – April 11, 2005) was an American musician who played the lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music, as well as a singer-songwriter and the head of a music publishing firm. He appeared on numerous radio p ...

, steel guitar; Ernie Newton, bass; and Hal Smith, fiddle. The session, The Davis Sisters' first in Nashville, Tennessee was recorded at Thomas Productions. The song tells the story of the ex-girlfriend of a young man warning his smug, ruthless current flame who stole him away that she'll lose him too one day "when his love goes cold." The song is sung completely in duet harmony by Skeeter and Betty Jack with the exception of the lines "You stole his love from me one day, you didn't care how you hurt me, but you can never steal away memories of what used to be" which is sung by Betty Jack.

Chart performance

The song was a number one

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

single for The Davis Sisters in 1953. It was the first hit for the duo of

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 ...

and Betty Jack Davis, and also their only one, as Betty Jack was killed in an automobile accident the week the record was released. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a blockbuster hit, the only number one country song by a female duet until the rise of

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds wer ...

some thirty years later. The song stayed at number one on the country charts for eight weeks. It ranks among the top 100 country hits of all time according to chart historian

Joel Whitburn Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings. Early life Joel Carver Whitburn was born in W ...

Cover versions

Many artists have recorded versions of the song including: *Skeeter Davis rerecorded the song as an album track for her first solo album, 1959's I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too and continued to sing the song throughout her career. The song was second only to her blockbuster crossover hit " The End of the World" as her most popular number in concerts.

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

told Davis that it was one of his favorite country records and

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

frequently requested she sing the song at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

. *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

(on ''Self Portrait'') *In 1960,

Sonny James Jimmie Hugh Loden (May 1, 1928February 22, 2016), known professionally as Sonny James, was an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, " Young Love", topping both the ''Billboard'' Hot Country and Disk Jockey s ...

scored a modest pop hit with his version, which peaked at #80 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. *

Jeanne Pruett Jeanne Pruett (, ) (born Norma Jean Bowman; January 30, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She also has credits as a published author. Pruett had several major hits as a music artist, but became best-known for 1973's "Sati ...

had a mid-level charting country single with it in 1972. *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...

Kitty Wells Ellen Muriel Deason (August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was an American pioneering female country music singer. She broke down a barrier for women in country music with her 1952 hit recording " It Wasn't God ...

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his di ...

Roy Drusky Roy Frank Drusky, Jr. (June 22, 1930 – September 23, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter popular from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Known for his baritone voice, he was known for incorporating the Nashville sound a ...

Del Reeves Franklin Delano Reeves (July 14, 1932 – January 1, 2007) was an American country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American ...

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening a ...

Slim Whitman Ottis Dewey "Slim" Whitman Jr. (January 20, 1923 – June 19, 2013) was an American country music singer and guitarist known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto. Recorded figures show 70 million sales, during a career that spanne ...

Jann Browne Jann Browne (born Jana Lynn Stebner; March 14, 1954) is an American country music singer. She moved to Southern California in 1978 where she performed in a number of Orange County country bars. From 1981 through 1983, before her solo career, she w ...

with

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American retired singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of Rock music, rock, Country music, country and Gospel music, gospel. She was among th ...

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 ...

, and the trio of

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

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 "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

, and

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Lynn, Wynette helped bring a ...

. *Dylan and

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

performed the song as a duet in their 1986 True Confessions Tour *

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

recorded the song as a duet with

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

on the album ''Such Unlikely Covers''. *Swedish rock artist-songwriter Svante Karlsson covered it on his debut album ''American Songs'' in 1999. *In 2006,

The Perrys The Perrys are a Southern gospel quartet based in Hendersonville, Tennessee. History The group was formed on December 25, 1970 by siblings Randy, Debbie, and Libbi Perry, in Georgia. In the mid-1980s, the group signed with former Happy Good ...

recorded as a Southern-gospel number, "He Forgot More Than I'll Ever Know". *

Esther Phillips Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Washington; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. ...

covered also it on her album ''The country side of Esther Phillips'' in 1966, I've Forgotten More Than You'll Ever Know About Him.

References

{{authority control 1953 songs Skeeter Davis songs The Davis Sisters (country band) songs Sonny James songs Jeanne Pruett songs Bob Dylan songs Song recordings produced by Stephen H. Sholes