Hello Darlin' (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Hello Darlin'


Artist = Conway Twitty
from Album = Hello Darlin'
A-side = "Hello Darlin'"
B-side = "Girl at the Bar"
Released = April 1970 (U.S.)
Format = 7"
Recorded = November 18, 1969
Genre = Country
Length = 2:26
Label = Decca Records 32661
Writer = Conway Twitty
Producer = Owen Bradley
Chart position =

• #1 (Billboard Hot Country Singles)
  Last single = "That's When She Started to Stop Loving You"
  (1970)
  This single = "Hello Darlin'"
  (1970)
  Next single = "Fifteen Years Ago"
  (1970)

  "Hello Darlin'" is an American country music song written and recorded by Conway Twitty.

  Originally released in 1970, the song became Twitty's fourth No. 1 song on the "Billboard magazine" Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and soon became one of his signature songs.

  ong history

  During Twitty's lifetime, two songs became closely associated with him: "It's Only Make Believe" and "Hello Darlin'." The latter song would become the song Twitty used to open his concerts.

  While recording the song in 1969, Twitty sang the opening lines, but for some reason it didn't work. Record producer Owen Bradley suggested speaking the lines: "Hello darlin', nice to see you." The result was a hook that made the song instantly recognizable to fans. [Oermann, Robert K. "The Conway Twitty Collection," liner notes (booklet included with "The Conway Twitty Collection" 4-disc set). MCA Special Products, 1994).]

  "Hello Darlin'" is about a man who runs into an old flame and, after acknowledging she's "just as lovely as you used to be," tries to put up his bravado by saying he's getting along fine, "except I can't sleep, and I cry all night 'til dawn." He then admits his deep sorrow for his mistakes that led to the breakup of their relationship, then - after sharing an embrace "just for old time's sake" - bids her well. Before the two part, he says that if she would forgive him, he'll be waiting for her.

  The song spent four weeks atop the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles chart, and was named the No. 1 song of 1970. Aside from being Twitty's standard concert opener, the song became a country standard.

  Cover versions

  A cover version of "Hello Darlin'" was recorded in 1993 by George Jones as a track on his 1993 album, "High Tech Redneck", and was considered to be part of Jones' tribute to Twitty (who had died earlier in the year).

  Among the artists recording cover versions were Lynn Anderson, Bobby Bare, Wanda Jackson, Daniel O'Donnell, Stu Phillips and Charley Pride. [ [http://wc02.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:627902] "Hello Darlin'," Allmusic.]

  In popular culture

  A live video clip of Twitty singing "Hello Darlin'" (on "Hee Haw") is used at the end of the "Family Guy" episode "Peter's Daughter."

  "Privet Radost"

  On July 17, 1975, "Hello Darlin'" was played and broadcast to a worldwide audience as part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Actually, it was a Russian language version of the song. Called "Privet Radost," the song — commissioned by the Apollo crew — was played by the American astronauts to Russian cosmonauts (of the Soyuz crew) as "a gesture of goodwill." Twitty worked with a language professor from the University of Oklahoma to record the phonetic Russian version of the song. [Oermann.]

  "Privet Radost" - released as a special edition single in 1975, although it did not chart - is available on "The Conway Twitty Collection" box set.

  uccession

  ources

  References

  ee also

  *Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.