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On This Day in 1983, George Jones Earned His Final No. 1 by Dethroning the Legend Who Wrote the Song
On 30 July 1983, George Jones reached the top of the US Hot Country Songs chart with “I Always Get Lucky with You”, his ninth and final solo number one. The achievement was notable because the song had been co-written and previously recorded by Merle Haggard, who had occupied the chart’s top spot the previous week with Willie Nelson.
Haggard wrote the song with Freddy Powers, Gary Church and Tex Whitson for his 1981 album Big City, but did not issue it as a single; Whitson later offered it to Jones’s producer, Billy Sherrill. Jones released his version in April 1983, and it spent one week at number one, following “Pancho and Lefty”, which also had a one-week run. The hit formed part of Jones’s early-1980s comeback after “He Stopped Loving Her Today” revived his chart career in 1980.
In short
- George Jones earned his final solo number one in July 1983.
- The song was co-written by Merle Haggard.
- It followed Jones’s early-1980s career revival.
Explained simply
George Jones and Merle Haggard are prominent country music singers. In July 1983, Jones's recording of "I Always Get Lucky with You" reached number one on the US country charts, becoming his ninth and final number one hit.
The song originated with Haggard, who wrote it in 1981 and included it on his album Big City, though he never released it as a single. One of the song's co-writers later brought it to Billy Sherrill, Jones's producer, who worked with Jones on a new recording.
Jones was experiencing a career resurgence at this time after a difficult period in the late 1970s. His chart fortunes had been revived in 1980 with the hit "He Stopped Loving Her Today", and this 1983 number one capped that comeback.
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