I Love You Because (song)

Leon Payne version

In 1949, Leon Payne's original version went to number 4 on the Billboard Country & Western Best Seller lists and spent two weeks at number 1 on the Country & Western Disk Jockey List, spending a total of thirty-two weeks on the chart. "I Love You Because" was Payne's only song to make the country charts.

Elvis Presley version

"I Love You Because" was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1954, at SUN Studio, Memphis, Tennessee. The session started on July 4 and ended early on the morning of July 5, the day that he recorded "That's All Right". Producer Sam Phillips did not think "I Love You Because" was the right song for Elvis's first single, so it was instead used as the B-side of "Tryin' to Get to You", both of which can be found on his 1956 debut album Elvis Presley.

Johnny Cash version

| B-side = "Straight A's in Love

The song was also notably covered by Johnny Cash. His version was released by Sun Records as a single (Sun 334, with "Straight A's in Love" on the opposite side) in December 1959, when Cash had already left the label for Columbia.

Charts

Al Martino version

| B-side = Merry-Go-Round In 1963, Al Martino recorded the most successful version of the song, which peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Middle-Road (Adult Contemporary) chart for two weeks in May that year.

Jim Reeves version

In 1963, American country singer Jim Reeves recorded the song for his album Gentleman Jim. Released as a single in 1964, it peaked at number 5 in the UK and became his most successful single in Norway, topping the VG-Lista chart for 13 weeks. In 1976, the song was the title track of a posthumous Jim Reeves album that peaked at number 24 on the US Country LP chart. Released as a single, it reached number 54 in the US Billboard Country singles chart in that year.

Charts

Sales

Other versions

• In 1950, Ernest Tubb and Clyde Moody each recorded their own version, both making the top 10 on the Country & Western charts.
• Carl Smith recorded it for his album I Love You Because (1969). The song peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1969.
• In 1983, Roger Whittaker's rendition peaked at number 91 on the Hot Country Singles chart.

References

References

1. Whitburn, Joel. (2004). "The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition". Record Research.
2. John Edwards Memorial Foundation. (1974). "JEMF Quarterly". John Edwards Memorial Foundation.
3. Joel Whitburn. (2002). "Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001". Record Research.
4. Tim Neely. (2004-05-01). "Goldmine Records & Prices". Krause Publications.
5. (1980). "Sun Records: The Brief History of the Legendary Recording Label". Quick Fox.
6. George Albert. (1984-01-01). "The Cash Box Country Singles Charts, 1958-1982". Scarecrow Press.
7. Peter Lewry. (2001). "I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle". Helter Skelter.
8. (1994). "The Johnny Cash Record Catalog". Greenwood Publishing Group.
9. (June 1, 1963). "US ''Billboard'' Hot 100".
10. (May 25, 1963). "US Billboard Adult Contemporary - Chart History".
11. [https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Jim+Reeves&titel=I+Love+You+Because&cat=s JIM REEVES - I LOVE YOU BECAUSE - NorwegianCharts.com]
12. (March 20, 1976). "Top Country Albums".
13. [https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Jim+Reeves&titel=I+Love+You+Because&cat=s JIM REEVES – I LOVE YOU BECAUSE – DutchCharts.nl]
14. (February 26, 1964). "Jim Reeves – I Love You Because". [[Official Charts Company]].
15. (March 27, 1976). "Jim Reeves Chart History – Hot Country Songs".
16. (October 16, 1965). "Reeves' Magic in Norway".
17. (October 4, 1969). "Hot Country Songs - Billboard".
18. Whitburn, Joel. (2008). "Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008". Record Research, Inc.