Almost Persuaded

"Almost Persuaded"
Single by David Houston
from the album Almost Persuaded
B-side "We Got Love"
Released June 1966 (U.S.)
Format 7"
Recorded January 1966
Genre Country
Length 2:56
Label Epic
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Billy Sherrill
David Houston singles chronology
"Sammy"
(1966)		 "Almost Persuaded"
(1966)		 "Where Could I Go? (But to Her)"
(1966)

"Almost Persuaded" is a song written by Glenn Sutton and Muscle Shoals songwriter Billy Sherrill and first recorded by David Houston in 1966. It is not to be confused with the Christian hymn of the same name.[1]

The song is about a married man who, while patronizing a tavern, sees a beautiful young woman and is instantly smitten. Forgetting that he is married, he nearly succumbs to temptation. However, when the two share a slow dance on the floor, he sees the reflection of his wedding band and, remembering his vows to his wife, leaves.

Legacy

"Almost Persuaded" spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart starting in August 1966[2] and has since gone on to become a country standard. The song was also a moderate pop hit, reaching twenty-four on the Billboard pop chart and was David Houston's only top 40 entry on the pop charts.[3]

For 46 years and two months, no No. 1 song matched the chart-topping longevity of "Almost Persuaded," until Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" notched its ninth week atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the week of December 15, 2012. Swift would surpass Houston with the January 12, 2013, chart, when the song returned to No. 1 for a 10th non-consecutive week (after having fallen back to No. 2 for three weeks). Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" quickly overtook Swift and stayed at No. 1 for 24 weeks, now the all-time record on that chart.

The song won a Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording of 1966.

Other versions

Some cover versions of this song include:

Chart performance

David Houston

Chart (1966) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 24
Canadian RPM Top Singles 45

Patti Page

Chart (1966) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 13
U.S. Adult Contemporary 20

Ben Colder ("Almost Persuaded No. 2")

Chart (1966) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 58
Canadian RPM Top Singles 53

Etta James

Chart (1969) Peak
position
U.S. Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles 32
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 79
Canadian RPM Top Singles 71

Merle Haggard

Chart (1987) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 58
Canadian RPM Top Country Singles 54

References

  1. ↑ "ALMOST PERSUADED at the Cyber Hymnal". Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 162.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 293.
  4. ↑ Crispian St. Peters, "Almost Persuaded" chart position Retrieved June 18, 2015.

External links

Preceded by
"Think of Me"
by Buck Owens		 Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single
August 13-October 8, 1966 		Succeeded by
"Blue Side of Lonesome"
by Jim Reeves
Preceded by
"What's He Doing in My World"
by Eddy Arnold		 Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single of the year
1966 		Succeeded by
"All the Time"
by Jack Greene
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