Please Help Me, I'm Falling

This article is about the song. For the album, see Please Help Me, I'm Falling (album).
"Please Help Me, I'm Falling"
Single by Hank Locklin
from the album Please Help Me, I'm Falling
B-side "My Old Home Town"
Released February 1960
Genre Country
Length 2:21
Label RCA
Writer(s) Don Robertson
Hal Blair
Producer(s) Chet Atkins[1]
Hank Locklin singles chronology
"Blues in Advance"
(1959)
"Please Help Me, I'm Falling"
(1960)
"One Step Ahead of My Past"
(1961)

"Please Help Me, I'm Falling" is a 1960 song written by Don Robertson and Hal Blair and first recorded by Hank Locklin.[1] The single was Locklin's most successful recording and was his second number one on the country charts.[2] "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" spent fourteen weeks at the top spot and spent nine months on the country chart and crossed over to the Hot 100 peaking at number eight.[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1960) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot C&W Sides[2] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 8
U.K. Singles Chart[4] 9
Norway VG Lista[5] 4

Answer record

Later in 1960, Skeeter Davis had a hit with an answer record entitled, "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" which peaked at number two for three weeks on the Hot C&W Sides charts[6] and number thirty-nine on the Hot 100.[7]

Cover versions

On August 1, 1967, Charley Pride covered the song. His version was not released as a single, and remained unreleased until it was included on his 1997 album The Essential Charley Pride.[8]

In 1973, John Fogerty covered the song on his first solo album, Blue Ridge Rangers.

In 1978, Janie Fricke released a cover version of the song as "Please Help Me (I'm Fallin' in Love with You)" and took it to number 12 on the country charts.[9] Unlike Locklin's piano-based, bright mid-tempo version, Fricke's version is a ballad in the country pop vein.

In 1989, Kirsty MacColl covered the song as b-side to her single "Days".

In 1993, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette recorded their version of "Please Help Me (I'm Fallin' in Love with You)" for their album, Honky Tonk Angels, although Loretta herself recording a duet with Conway Twitty from the 1987 Heartland Music album.

In 1996, Puff Johnson recorded a version of "Please Help Me (I'm Fallin' in Love with You)" for her album, Miracle.

In 2007, David Ball covered the song in his album, Heartaches by the Number.

In 2008, Patty Loveless covered the song in her album, Sleepless Nights.

References

  1. 1 2 Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 10 - Tennessee Firebird: American country music before and after Elvis. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
  2. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 303.
  3. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 376.
  4. Guinness World Records British Hit Singles 15th Edition. London, UK: Guinness World Records Limited. 2002. p. 301. ISBN 0-85112-187-X.
  5. "norwegiancharts.com - Hank Locklin - Please Help Me, I'm Falling". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 100.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 164.
  8. "Original versions of Please Help Me I'm Falling by Charley Pride". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 151. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
Preceded by
"He'll Have to Go"
by Jim Reeves
Billboard Hot C&W Sides
number-one single

May 16-August 15, 1960
Succeeded by
"Alabam"
by Cowboy Copas
Preceded by
"The Battle of New Orleans"
by Johnny Horton
Billboard Hot C&W Sides
number-one single of the year

1960
Succeeded by
"I Fall to Pieces"
by Patsy Cline
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