“How Can I Unlove You”
Lynn Anderson
Written by Joe South
Billboard
#1 (3 weeks)
October 16 – October 30, 1971
There are so many things that I adore about this record.
The vocal performance, most especially. Anderson soars on the verses then goes into a Supremes-styled chorus, seamlessly interweaving two distinctive musical styles into one cohesive performance.
And the strings are off the hook, y’all. Off. The. Hook. This rivals “Rose Garden” in earworm status. I’ve been bouncing along to it all week.
But this is also a heartbreak anthem, so it makes for an odd contrast. I like to think we’re being washed away in the love she feels that overwhelms her better judgment. But that’s a lot of heavy lifting on my part to make it work.
I also just hate the “un-” everything that isn’t supposed to have an “un-” in front of it. That ruined “Unbreak My Heart” for me, too. Un this, un that, un not for me.
So a few flaws keep this one from perfection, but I still recommend it wholeheartedly.
“How Can I Unlove You” gets a B+.
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A “B-“. It’s catchy for sure and I don’t mind the “un” but It’s easy to see why it didn’t have the staying power of Rose Garden. When I was young I never understood why she wasn’t as highly regarded as Loretta, Tammy, & Dolly from the same era. But looking back it’s pretty simple. It really is about the SONG. Her material, other than Rose Garden, just wasn’t great. I actually remember her saying in an interview once that she was losing material to Tammy that was written by her husband. I have never researched so don’t know if it’s actually true or not.
Lynn Anderson had an extended stay at the top (her five-year peak period was as dominant as any female ever had) and was an interesting, if overly frenetic, live performer. Her recordings were the epitome of the “Country Cocktail” style of Glenn Sutton & Billy Sherrill, even more so than their work with George Jones, David Houston and Tammy Wynette. From 1970-1974 Lynn had five Billboard #1s (plus three more that went to #1 on either Record World and/or Cash Box). Record World named her Female Country Artist of the Decade for the 1970s. Always a bit of an outsider, she did not receive much recognition from the CMA (other than for “Rose Garden” which was such a big hit that they could not ignore it completely).
The album from which the song was taken was a very successful album although only the title track was released as a single. This album includes covers of such songs as John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, Freddie Hart’s “Easy Loving”, Jerry Lee Lewis’s “What Made Milwaukee Famous” , and Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend” (a hit for James Taylor). I would give the album a B+ and the single an A
She was a truly great recording artist and it is criminal that she has yet to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
I won’t always have something to say about these 70s hits not because I don’t enjoy them but because I don’t have enough background with them to have a fully formed opinion. My initiation with Lynn Anderson’s hit catalogue outside of “Rose Garden” is gonna be one of the most satisfying exercises from this feature as I really love her sound. I’ll concur that this one offers more sonic rewards than lyrical ones, but it’s usually an enriching experience to have even one of the two as it is here.
Insanely bouncy and bright!Does it make any sense to compare the joy in Anderson’s performances to what The Mavericks achieve in their live shows?
Maybe that is disrespectful to Anderson?
The sonic rewards Mark mentioned are wild. I cannot emphasize just how fun this song is to listen to.
This is close enough to perfect for me!
Lynn Anderson was actually the biggest female country star in 1971 and 1972. Her major albums in these years peaked at 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, and 3. Compare to the solo albums in these years by Loretta (4,5,7,3,7,4) and Tammy (8, 5,7, 2). She was surely the biggest the biggest of all country stars in 1971 with two of her albums at number one for a total of 22 weeks, almost half the year! She’s one of the most outrageous omissions from the Country Music Hall of Fame. I think the trouble was she peaked too early and eventually was overcome by Dolly Parton and Barbara Mandrell who were her age and had been in the business just as long if not longer. A lot of her hits were cheery and uptempo like this and people seem to more remember the dramatic songs. I’d still say Lynn Anderson was easily one of the top 10 all-time most important country female vocalists and maybe even top five in terms of singing ability.
I completely with everything you said Kevin. The strings are fantastic here and the vocal performance is great. But I also am annoyed with all the “un’s” at the beginning of each word. Still an enjoyable listen though
I remember hearing (and loving) Rose Garden on the radio. But it was her version of the Carpenters’ Top Of The World that made me fall in love with her.
I believe I had 4 or 5 of her albums. I just loved her voice. But I agree with Tom B – I think she came and went too fast for people to appreciate her. I definitelythinkshe belongs in the CMHOF.
This song was a favorite of mine. I would give it an A or A-.
I know this sounds weird: The “un” prefix was a fad around then. There was an anti-smoking campaign called the “unhooked generation,” 7Up marketed itself as the Un-Cola, unleaded gas was introduced etc. I’m pretty sure the “un”- construct was a play on that.
Sad that Lynn Anderson’s hits other than Rose Garden. Her hits in the ‘70s sounded great on country radio .
This is always a favorite of mine to occasionally hear whenever my mom and I are listening to the Classic Country Music Choice channel on her TV. That channel has actually been responsible in getting me familiar with more of Lynn Anderson’s 70s hits besides “Rose Garden.”
Just like that signature hit and her previous number one hit, “You’re My Man,” “How Can I Unlove You” is such a fun delightful listen. Once again, I love the bouncy tempo, the beautiful, catchy melody, the really cool string section, the steel guitar, and Lynn’s charismatic vocals. I simply cannot be in a bad mood whenever I hear it. I just really love her style on these early 70s hits, so far.
I personally like it sometimes when the mood of the lyrics are different from the mood of the song’s arrangement and melody. It makes for an interesting contrast, and I feel like quite a few older country songs pulled that off very well.