"But You Know I Love You" | ||||
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Single by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition | ||||
from the album The First Edition '69 | ||||
B-side | "Homemade Lies" | |||
Released | 1968 | |||
Recorded | 1968 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:01 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Settle | |||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Bowen | |||
Kenny Rogers and The First Edition singles chronology | ||||
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"But You Know I Love You" is a song written by Mike Settle, which was a 1969 pop hit for Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, a group that included Settle and Kenny Rogers. The song also became a major country hit by Bill Anderson in 1969. In 1981, a cover version of "But You Know I Love You" by singer Dolly Parton topped the country singles charts.
In the song, "But You Know I Love You", the narrator voices regret over not being able to remain with his/her significant other, due to career demands and the need to travel for his/her job. At the time, Mike Settle was guitarist for Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, with Kenny Rogers singing lead and Settle harmonizing. The fall 1968 release, with a brass-tinged country-folk sound to broaden the group's fan base, peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 just under a year after "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" peaked. During the group's rendition on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that aired on 8 December 1968, the audience was unwittingly fooled to start clapping too soon, right after the false ending but way before the real ending.
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Hot 100 [1] | 19 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [2] | 18 |
Canadian RPM Top Singles | 11 |
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 9 |
Bill Anderson's cover version of "But You Know I Love You" from his album My Life/But You Know I Love You (Decca DL 75142) rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1969.
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
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US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [3] | 2 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 6 |
"But You Know I Love You" | ||||
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Single by Dolly Parton | ||||
from the album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs | ||||
B-side | "Poor Folks' Town" | |||
Released | March 16, 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:20 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Settle | |||
Producer(s) | Mike Post | |||
Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
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Country entertainer Dolly Parton (who, in 1983, would have the number 1 duet "Islands In The Stream" with Kenny Rogers) in 1980 included "But You Know I Love You", based on the occupation of on-the-road singer, on her album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs . In March 1981, Parton released the song as the album's second single, following the success of "9 to 5," and it reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart on 20 June 1981, succeeding Rogers' accompanying Dottie West on "What Are We Doin' in Love" at the top slot. [4] Parton's version also crossed over, bowing at number 82 on 4 April 1981 and peaking at number 41 on 16 May 1981 on the Hot 100 and No. 14 on the AC chart.
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [5] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 41 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [7] | 14 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
Chart (1981) | Peak Position |
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US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8] | 6 |