"Let Me Go, Lover!", a popular

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

, was written by Jenny Lou Carson and Al Hill, a

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

used by Fred Wise, Kathleen Twomey, and Ben Weisman. It is based on an earlier song called " Let Me Go, Devil", about

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

Background

"Let Me Go, Lover!" was first featured on the

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

program '' Studio One'' on November 15, 1954, and caught the fancy of the public. The episode was a murder mystery that revolved around a hit record and a disc jockey. Producer Felix Jackson asked Columbia Records' Mitch Miller for a recording to use in the show, and Miller provided Joan Weber's version of "Let Me Go, Lover!" Miller took advantage of the recording's exposure on national television and sent copies of the record to 2,000 disc jockeys, who began to play it on their radio stations. Weber was pregnant when she recorded the song. A result of the program was to illustrate how efficiently a song could be promoted by introducing it to the public via radio or a TV production. The recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40366. Mitch Miller stocked national record stores the week before the program and because of its availability the record sold over 100,000 in the first week of its release.

Chart performance

Weber's record of the song first reached the ''Billboard'' magazine charts on December 4, 1954. By January 1955, it had hit No. 1 on all the ''Billboard'' charts (the Disk Jockey chart, the Best Seller chart, and the Juke Box chart). The song reached No. 16 in the UK Singles Chart, and was awarded a gold record.

Other versions

It was also covered by a number of other singers: *Among the cover versions was one by

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 ...

. This recording was released by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

as catalog number 70511. It first reached the ''Billboard'' charts on December 18, 1954. On the Disk Jockey chart, it peaked at No. 8; on the Best Seller chart, at No. 24; on the Juke Box chart, at No. 12. *Another cover, by

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

and The Lancers, was recorded on November 18, 1954, and released by Coral Records as catalog number 61315. It reached No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' chart and No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. * Peggy Lee also released the song in 1954, reaching No. 26. On the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' Best-Selling Records chart, all the versions were combined, and the song was also a No. 1 hit on that chart. * Hank Snow's version ("Let Me Go, Woman") went to No. 1 on the country music charts in 1955. * Dean Martin had the song released as a single in 1955, reaching No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart. *In March 1955, Ruby Murray reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart with her version. * Ann-Margret recorded a version on her 1962 album '' On the Way Up'' * Kathy Kirby's version of the song went to No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964. *It was also covered by Billy Fury, and turned out to one of the last songs he recorded before his death in 1983. *Sunny Gale recorded a version in January 1955 that reached No. 17 on the ''Billboard'' chart.

References

Bibliography

*Rogers, Arnold & Langley, Jerry (2005). ''Many Tears Ago: The Life and Times of Jenny Lou Carson''. Nova/Nashville Books. {{Authority control 1954 singles 1955 singles Billy Fury songs Dean Martin songs Hank Snow songs Joan Weber songs Kathy Kirby songs Patti Page songs Peggy Lee songs Ruby Murray songs Teresa Brewer songs Number-one singles in the United States Songs written by Jenny Lou Carson Songs with lyrics by Fred Wise (songwriter) 1954 songs Columbia Records singles