When I Call Your Name (Vince Gill song)

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"When I Call Your Name"
Single by Vince Gill
from the album When I Call Your Name
B-side "Rita Ballou"
ReleasedMay 1990
Recorded1989
Genre Neotraditional country [1]
Label MCA
Songwriters Vince Gill, Tim DuBois
Producer Tony Brown
Vince Gill singles chronology
"Oklahoma Swing"
(1990)		"When I Call Your Name"
(1990)		"Never Knew Lonely"
(1990)

"When I Call Your Name" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in May 1990 as the third single and title track from the album When I Call Your Name . The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. [2] It was written by Gill and Tim DuBois. Patty Loveless performed backing vocals on the song. Session veteran Barry Beckett played piano on the track. The Common Linnets performed a cover of the song to celebrate 50 years of the CMA Awards. [3]

Contents

Cover versions

Country music singer Cody Johnson covered the song from the television special CMT Giants: Vince Gill.

Critical reception

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #91 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking. [4]

Music video

The music video was directed by Bill Pope and premiered in mid-1990. Although Patty Loveless sang the song with Gill in live performances, she did not appear in the video. Instead, country singer Matraca Berg appeared, lip-syncing to Loveless's vocals. [5]

Chart performance

Chart (1990)Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [6] 5
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [7] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (1990)Position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [8] 82
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [9] 39

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [10] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Sawyer, Bobbie Jean. "The 15 Most Underrated Country Songs from the 90s". Wide Open Country. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 135.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone . May 24, 2014.
  5. ↑ Hurst, Jack (November 21, 1991). "Sensitive Souls". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1316." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. August 25, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Vince Gill Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  8. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1990". RPM . December 22, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Best of 1990: Country Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  10. ↑ "American single certifications – Vince Gill – When I Call Your Name". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 14, 2025.


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