I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
Encyclopedia
"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a number one country music
single for The Davis Sisters
in 1953. The song, written by Cecil Null
, was the first hit for the duo of Skeeter Davis
and Betty Jack Davis
and their only one as Betty Jack was killed in an automobile accident the week the record was released.
The song was one of five tracks recorded (including two versions of the "B" side, "Rockabye Boogie") on May 23, 1953. The musicians for the sessions were Chet Atkins
, lead guitar; Velma E. Williams Smith, guitar; Jerry Byrd
, steel guitar; Ernest "Ernie" Newton, bass; and Hal Smith, fiddle. The session, The Davis Sisters' first in Nashville, Tennessee was recorded at Thomas Productions.
The song tells the story of the ex-girlfriend of a young man warning his smug, ruthless current flame who stole him away that she'll lose him too one day "when his love goes cold." The song is sung completely in duet harmony by Skeeter and Betty Jack with the exception of the lines "You stole his love from me one day, you didn't care how you hurt me, but you can never steal away memories of what used to be" which is sung by Betty Jack.
"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a blockbuster hit, the only number one country song by a female duet until the rise of The Judds
some thirty years later. The song stayed at number one on the country charts for eight weeks. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" ranks among the top 100 country hits of alltime according to chart historian Joel Whitburn
.
Skeeter Davis rerecorded the song as an album track for her first solo album, 1959's I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too
and continued to sing the song throughout her career. The song was second only to her blockbuster crossover hit "The End of the World" as her most popular number in concerts. Elvis Presley
told Davis that it was one of his favorite country records and Roy Acuff
frequently requested she sing the song at the Grand Ole Opry
.
Sonny James
scored a modest pop hit with the song in 1960 and Jeanne Pruett
had a mid-level charting country single with it in 1972. Many artists have recorded versions of the song including Johnny Cash
, Bob Dylan
, Jerry Lee Lewis
, Patti Page
, Kitty Wells
, Jimmie Rodgers
, Roy Drusky
, Del Reeves
, The Statler Brothers, Slim Whitman
, Jann Browne
with Wanda Jackson
, Patty Loveless
, and the trio of Dolly Parton
, Loretta Lynn
, and Tammy Wynette
. Dylan and Tom Petty
performed the song as a duet in their 1980's concert tour. Elvis Costello
recorded the song as a duet with Tom Waits
on the album "Such Unlikely Covers".
Swedish rock artist-songwriter Svante Karlsson covered it on his debut album American Songs in 1999. In 2006, The Perrys
recorded as a Southern-gospel number, "He Forgot More Than I'll Ever Know".
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
single for The Davis Sisters
The Davis Sisters (country)
The Davis Sisters were an American country music duo consisting of two unrelated singers, Skeeter Davis and Betty Jack Davis. One of the original female country groups, they are best known for their 1953 No...
in 1953. The song, written by Cecil Null
Cecil Null
Cecil Allen Null was an American songwriter. He began writing songs and singing publicly while serving in the Navy during World War II. After leaving the service, he performed with various groups on radio stations in Bristol, Va...
, was the first hit for the duo of Skeeter Davis
Skeeter Davis
Mary Frances Penick , better known as Skeeter Davis, was an American country music singer best known for crossover pop music songs of the early 1960s. She started out as part of The Davis Sisters as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Records. In the late '50s, she became a solo...
and Betty Jack Davis
Betty Jack Davis
Betty Jack Davis was an American country music singer who was one half of the duet The Davis Sisters with Skeeter Davis, who was not related.-Biography:...
and their only one as Betty Jack was killed in an automobile accident the week the record was released.
The song was one of five tracks recorded (including two versions of the "B" side, "Rockabye Boogie") on May 23, 1953. The musicians for the sessions were Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, lead guitar; Velma E. Williams Smith, guitar; Jerry Byrd
Jerry Byrd
Gerald Lester "Jerry" Byrd was an American musician who played Lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music.-Career:...
, steel guitar; Ernest "Ernie" Newton, bass; and Hal Smith, fiddle. The session, The Davis Sisters' first in Nashville, Tennessee was recorded at Thomas Productions.
The song tells the story of the ex-girlfriend of a young man warning his smug, ruthless current flame who stole him away that she'll lose him too one day "when his love goes cold." The song is sung completely in duet harmony by Skeeter and Betty Jack with the exception of the lines "You stole his love from me one day, you didn't care how you hurt me, but you can never steal away memories of what used to be" which is sung by Betty Jack.
"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a blockbuster hit, the only number one country song by a female duet until the rise of The Judds
The Judds
The Judds were an American country music duo composed of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna Judd. Signed to RCA Records in 1983, the duo released six studio albums between then and 1991. One of the most successful acts in country music history, The Judds won five Grammy Awards for Best Country...
some thirty years later. The song stayed at number one on the country charts for eight weeks. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" ranks among the top 100 country hits of alltime according to chart historian Joel Whitburn
Joel Whitburn
Joel Carver Whitburn is an American author and music historian.Whitburn founded Record Research Inc. in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, in 1970, and put together a team of researchers to examine in detail all of Billboards music and video charts...
.
Skeeter Davis rerecorded the song as an album track for her first solo album, 1959's I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too
I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too
I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too is the debut studio album by American country artist Skeeter Davis. The album was released in November 1959 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins...
and continued to sing the song throughout her career. The song was second only to her blockbuster crossover hit "The End of the World" as her most popular number in concerts. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
told Davis that it was one of his favorite country records and Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
frequently requested she sing the song at the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
.
Sonny James
Sonny James
James Loden , known professionally as Sonny James, is an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love". Dubbed the Southern Gentleman, James had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983, including a five-year streak of 16 straight among his 23 No. 1...
scored a modest pop hit with the song in 1960 and Jeanne Pruett
Jeanne Pruett
Jeanne Pruett is an American Country Music Singer and Grand Ole Opry star, best-known for her 1973 chart-topping Country hit, "Satin Sheets", that spent three weeks at No. 1....
had a mid-level charting country single with it in 1972. Many artists have recorded versions of the song including Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
, Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
, Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer)
James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:...
, Roy Drusky
Roy Drusky
Roy Frank Drusky Jr., was an American country music singer popular from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Known for his baritone voice, he was known for incorporating the Nashville sound. His highest-charting single was the No. 1 "Yes Mr. Peters", a duet with Priscilla Mitchell.-Early life and...
, Del Reeves
Del Reeves
Franklin Delano Reeves , better known as Del Reeves, was an American country music singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of Southern Bell"...
, The Statler Brothers, Slim Whitman
Slim Whitman
Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr. , known professionally as Slim Whitman, is an American country music singer and songwriter, known for his yodelling abilities. He has sold in excess of 120 million albums in unit sales and has had numerous successful recordings...
, Jann Browne
Jann Browne
Jann Browne is an American country singer. Before her solo career, she was a vocalist with the Western swing group Asleep at the Wheel. She has recorded four studio albums, and has charted three singles on the Hot Country Songs charts. Her highest single is 1990's "Tell Me Why" at...
with Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Lavonne Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist...
, Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
, and the trio of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, and Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
. Dylan and Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
performed the song as a duet in their 1980's concert tour. Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
recorded the song as a duet with Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
on the album "Such Unlikely Covers".
Swedish rock artist-songwriter Svante Karlsson covered it on his debut album American Songs in 1999. In 2006, The Perrys
The Perrys
The Perrys are a professional Southern Gospel quartet based in Gallatin, Tennessee. The group formed on December 25, 1970 with Randy Perry and his sisters Debbie and Libbi in Georgia. In the mid 1980s, the group signed with former pianist for the Happy Goodman Family, Eddie Crook on his Morning...
recorded as a Southern-gospel number, "He Forgot More Than I'll Ever Know".