“I Can’t Believe You Stopped Loving Me”
Charley Pride
Written by Dallas Frazier and A.L. “Doodle” Owens
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
November 7 – November 14, 1970
Charley Pride executed on such a high level that it comes down to the small details when comparing his records.
Pride gives a Hank Williams-worthy honky tonk vocal performance here, with a twangy production that almost gets it right. Jack Clement was usually one of that era’s more tasteful producers, but he went overboard with the backing vocalists in the chorus, making the single sound much more old-fashioned than the man at the mic.
This falls short of his high water marks from this era, but his performance here elevates it, mostly compensating for Clement’s misstep. Check out live performances of the track to hear it reach its fullest potential.
“I Can’t Believe That You’ve Stopped Loving Me” gets a B+.
Every No. 1 Single of the Seventies
Previous: Tammy Wynette, “Run, Woman, Run”|
Oh how I miss not hearing this stuff on radio. A very very good song and the B+ would be a fair grade. I do agree it would have been a bit better if they toned down the background sings.
First time hearing this one. I don’t give grades for songs the first time I hear them unless they completely blow me away but it’s a refreshing revelation how consistent Charley Pride was in the prime of his career in churning out such crisply produced record. I agree that the background vocals are a little heavier than they need to be but he still made twang sound better than pretty much anyone else in the business in this era.
Why does it feel like Charley Pride’s recurrent discography has long since been sanded down to just “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” and “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone”? I don’t think I can name a legacy artist with a larger catalog of stuff I have just plain never heard before.
I still hear “Burgers and Fries” and “Mountain of Love” a fair amount and occasionally “Kaw-Liga”, but you’re right that his legacy has been pared down to an obnoxious degree.
Johnny Rodriguez wasn’t at Charley Pride level in terms of the length of his catalogue, but it certainly surprised me to see he had more than 20 top-10 hits and at least six #1s. There’s exactly one Johnny Rodriguez song I’ve ever heard get even barebones recurrent radio play in my lifetime. And someone else coming up in the 70s feature who a mid-level country music observer under 50 like myself would be stunned to see have such a long list of hits is Lynn Anderson.
Great point about Johnny Rodriguez and Lynn Anderson, Mark. I did a deep dive on Johnny and was blown away at how good his run of hits in the 70s was. I will concede my knowledge of Lynn Anderson is lacking beyond her obvious classic in Rose Garden.
I really agree with all of the above comments. Taking the lyrics in isolation, this and “I’d rather Love You” are my favorite Charley Pride songs
“I’d Rather Love You” is one of my top favorites, as well.
I loved this song back in the day but hadn’t listened to it in a while and like Kevin mentioned in the review the next time I listened to it I couldn’t believe how loud the background singers were. Almost overwhelms Charly. If they toned it down I definitely would give this an A. Great song and vocals by Charley though.
I have a feeling that discovering Charley Pride hits that I’ve not heard before will be the revelation from this feature for me. I know his enduring hits, but not the number one songs that have been highlighted so far.
Kind of on a different note, Neal McCoy’s tribute album to Charley Pride is good and it introduced me to some of Pride’s songs. He also has a fun duet with Charley on his That’s Life album, “You’re My Jamaica.”
Bonus Beats:
Connie Smith, who frequently recorded Dallas Frazier songs, recorded a version of “I Can’t Believe That You’ve Stopped Loving Me” for her 1971 album Where Is My Castle. I’m gonna be seeing her husband perform live tonight, by the way. Here’s her version:
https://youtu.be/2dSOzOtXBuw
We got to see her husband several years ago and it was an incredible show!
This is also another Charley Pride hit I’m hearing for the first time. I knew it was going to be another good one with that steel guitar intro! I always love the combination of a traditional country melody, plenty of steel guitar and heavy background vocals. Something about that sound is just so nostalgic and comforting for me. Love Charley’s vocals on this one, too!
I am a Charley Pride superfan, so I know pretty much all of his hits. I’m not too bothered by the background singers here, but my biases probably cloud my judgement some. Excited for others to hopefully learn some forgotten gems by Mr. Pride!