“I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline had a serious auto accident in June, 1961 that prevented her from fully promoting this record. Uploaded by hepcatrestorations.com.
It was the Billboard Hot Country chart’s number one song for the year 1961. Sometimes those songs become classics, sometimes they make you cringe (like the following year’s “Wolverton Mountain”). The incredible voice of Patsy Cline was all it took to assure this song classic status.
Uploaded by rickrice.net.
“I Fall to Pieces” was written by songwriting partners Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard (Hank and Harlan – yeah, country music), and Cochran also wrote Cline’s hit “She’s Got You.” Fortunately for Cline (and for us), Brenda Lee turned the song down, thinking it was “too country” for her pop/country style. Ironically, Cline was concerned that it was “too pop” for her country audience. Backed by the Jordanaires, Cline came to appreciate the song – recognizing how it fit her identity.
Strangely, the song wasn’t an immediate hit. Released at the end of January, it didn’t even make the country chart until April, and didn’t reach number one until August. Unfortunately, Cline had a serious auto accident in June, and never got to fully promote the record. “I Fall to Pieces” ranked number seven in CMT’s broadcast of the “100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.”