"You Don't Even Know Who I Am" | ||||
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Single by Patty Loveless | ||||
from the album When Fallen Angels Fly | ||||
B-side | "Over My Shoulder" | |||
Released | March 18, 1995 | |||
Recorded | 1994 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 4:04 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gretchen Peters | |||
Producer(s) | Emory Gordy Jr. | |||
Patty Loveless singles chronology | ||||
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"You Don't Even Know Who I Am" is a song written by Gretchen Peters and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in March 1995 as the third single from Loveless's album When Fallen Angels Fly .
The song is a ballad that describes the end of a marriage where both spouses realize they have become complete strangers over time.
The first verse describes the wife's decision to leave her ring on the pillow in their bedroom and a letter in the kitchen "next to the grocery list", describing her feelings of distance towards her husband, ending with ”You don’t even know who I am/So what do you care if I go?”
The second verse describes the husband's reaction to the events. He thinks about what he saw, calls her "to say he was sorry/but he couldn't remember what for" and reciprocates her feelings of distance, citing he feels the same way about the state of their marriage, concluding "You don’t even know who I am/So what do I care if you go?”
The music video premiered on CMT March 20, 1995, and was directed by Jim Shea.
According to Loveless, "The one that got a lot of reaction was "You Don't Even Know Who I Am." It starts out and you think, "Okay, here's another woman crying about something," and then it swings around and it says he finds her ring on the pillow and he starts to think, "Hey, you didn't know who I was either." They got to the point in their marriage that they didn't know each other anymore. There's been a lot of men that this song just tears up. I've often said that country is the cheapest therapy you can get. Music can be good for your soul. People can be moved to tears." [1]
"You Don't Even Know Who I Am" was nominated for 1996 Academy of Country Music Award Song of the Year award and the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. [2]
The song charted for 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart, reaching number 5 during the week of June 17, 1995. [3] It was written by Gretchen Peters.
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
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Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [4] | 17 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [5] | 17 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [6] | 5 |
Chart (1995) | Position |
---|---|
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [7] | 60 |
Patty Loveless 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 few releases were unsuccessful, she broke through by decade's end with a cover of George Jones's "If My Heart Had Windows". Loveless issued five albums on MCA before moving to Epic Records in 1993, where she released nine more albums. Four of her albums—Honky Tonk Angel, Only What I Feel, When Fallen Angels Fly, and The Trouble with the Truth—are certified platinum in the United States. Loveless has charted 44 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five which reached number one: "Timber, I'm Falling in Love", "Chains", "Blame It on Your Heart", "You Can Feel Bad", and "Lonely Too Long".
"You Don't Know Me" is a song written by Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker in 1955. "You Don't Know Me" was first recorded by Arnold that year and released as a single on April 21, 1956, on RCA Victor. The best-selling version of the song is by Ray Charles, who took it to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1962, after releasing the song on his number 1 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. The first version of the song to make the Billboard charts was by Jerry Vale in 1956, peaking at number 14 on the pop chart. Arnold's version charted two months later, released as an RCA Victor single, 47–6502, backed with "The Rockin' Mockin' Bird", which reached number 10 on the Billboard country chart. Cash Box magazine, which combined all best-selling versions at one position, included a version by Carmen McRae that never appeared in the Billboard Top 100 Sides listing.
Gretchen Peters is an American singer and songwriter. She was born in Bronxville, New York, and she wrote her first song with her sister at the age of 5. In 1970, her parents broke up, and Peters moved with her mother to Boulder, Colorado. There, she discovered a lively music scene, and began playing at local clubs. In 1988 she moved to Nashville, where she found work as a songwriter, composing hits for Martina McBride, Etta James, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Anne Murray, Shania Twain, Neil Diamond and co-writing songs with Bryan Adams. Some of Peters' notable compositions include "The Secret of Life", "On a Bus to St. Cloud", "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" and "Independence Day", for which she received the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. In addition, Peters has released fourteen studio albums of her own, beginning with 1996's The Secret of Life.
When Fallen Angels Fly is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless, released on August 23, 1994. It reached #8 on the Top Country Albums charts and was certified Platinum for shipments of over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. All four of its singles — "I Try to Think About Elvis," "You Don't Even Know Who I Am," "Here I Am," and "Halfway Down" — reached the Top Ten on the Hot Country Songs charts. "Old Weakness " was also recorded by Greg Holland on his 1997 album Exception to the Rule and Delbert McClinton on his 1997 album One of the Fortunate Few. Both "Old Weakness" and "Over My Shoulder" were also recorded in 2002 by Tanya Tucker on her album Tanya.
"He Thinks He'll Keep Her" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in December 1993 as the sixth single from the album Come On Come On. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was written by Carpenter and Don Schlitz.
Rebecca Lynn Howard is an American country music artist. She has charted seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and has released three studio albums. Her highest-charting single, "Forgive", peaked at No. 12 on the country music charts in 2002. She is a founding member of the country-rock group Loving Mary.
"Don't Toss Us Away" is a song written by Bryan MacLean and recorded by country rock band Lone Justice in 1985 on their self-titled debut album. In 1988, the song was recorded by American country music singer Patty Loveless, who released the song as the second single from her album Honky Tonk Angel, in February 1989. Loveless' version reached the number five position on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in May 1989.
"The Night's Too Long" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. It was released in 1989 as the second single from her third album, Lucinda Williams (1988).
"Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way)" is a song written by Deborah Allen and Rafe Van Hoy, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in September 1991 as the first single from her album Up Against My Heart.
"Blame It On Your Heart" is a song written by Harlan Howard and Kostas and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in April 1993 as the first single from her album Only What I Feel. A cover version by Deborah Allen was featured prominently in the 1993 film The Thing Called Love.
"Nothin' but the Wheel" is a song written by John Scott Sherrill, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in July 1993 as the second single from the album Only What I Feel. The song reached #20 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" is a song written by Karen Taylor-Good and Burton Banks Collins. It was first recorded by American country music singer Patty Loveless for her 1993 album, Only What I Feel and released in March 1994 as the fourth single. A version by American singer, songwriter, and actress Laura Branigan was released later the same year on her final studio album, Over My Heart, also being released as a single. The song was later included on Branigan's 1995 greatest hits album, The Best of Branigan.
"I Try to Think About Elvis" is a song written by Gary Burr, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in July 1994 as the first single from her album When Fallen Angels Fly.
"Here I Am" is a song written by Tony Arata, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in November 1994 as the second single from her seventh album, When Fallen Angels Fly (1994). The song reached a number four peak in February 1995.
"You Can Feel Bad" is a song written by Matraca Berg and Tim Krekel, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in December 1995 as the first single from her eight album, The Trouble with the Truth (1996). The song charted for 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart, reaching No. 1 during the week of March 23, 1996.
"You Don't Seem to Miss Me" is a song written by Jim Lauderdale, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless featuring backing vocals from George Jones. It was released in September 1997 as the first single from her album Long Stretch of Lonesome. The song won Loveless and Jones the 1998 Country Music Association Award for Musical Event of the Year.
"Lovin' All Night" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Rodney Crowell. It was released in March 1992 as the first single from his album Life Is Messy. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart.
American country music artist Patty Loveless has released 16 studio albums, 11 compilation albums, two video albums and 52 singles. Recording a tape of her own music, Loveless signed her first recording contract with MCA Records in 1985. Her self-titled studio album was released in January 1987 and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. She followed it with her second studio release, If My Heart Had Windows (1988). It peaked at number 33 on the country albums list and spawned her first major country hits: "If My Heart Had Windows" and "A Little Bit in Love". Her third studio album, Honky Tonk Angel (1988), would certify platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and produced her first number one country hits, "Timber, I'm Falling in Love" and "Chains". Loveless went on to release the studio albums On Down the Line (1990) and Up Against My Heart (1991). Together, both albums produced three top 10 singles including the number three hit "Hurt Me Bad ".
"Go Rest High on That Mountain" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in August 1995 as the sixth single from his album When Love Finds You. It is a eulogic ballad. Gill began writing the song following the death of country music singer Keith Whitley in 1989. Gill did not finish the song until a few years later following the death of his older brother Bob of a heart attack in 1993. Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless both sang background vocals on the record.
The singles discography of American country artist, George Jones, contains 182 singles. Of the total, 136 were released with Jones as the solo artist. In addition, 31 were issued with Jones being part of a collaboration. Thirdly, eight singles were issued with Jones being part of a featured act. Fourthly, seven released were promotional singles. Additionally, 14 songs that are not released as singles are included that made any major chart. Finally, 21 music videos which were first issued as singles are also listed. Jones had his first chart success in 1955 with several top ten Billboard Hot Country Songs singles: "Why Baby Why", "What Am I Worth" and "You Gotta Be My Baby". After several more top ten releases, "White Lightning" became his first to top the Billboard country chart. Along with "Who Shot Sam", both singles were also his first to make the Hot 100 charts.