"I Fall to Pieces" was written by the team Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard and first offered to Brenda Lee, who turned it down. It was then offered to Patsy Cline in 1961. She initially had misgivings about it as insufficiently country, but her producer prevailed (with the incentive of backup vocals by the Jordanaires), and it became the beginning of her crossover success. There isn't much variation in the covers, which I guess is understandable.
Except this one, of course.
Sorry about the poor sound quality; seemed worth including anyhow.
Audio only:
Instrumental:
And this one:
You didn't even have to put up the other versions. Patsy's is definitive. You don't realize how good hers is in the live version. You get the full flavor in the recorded version with the Jordanaires, Elvis's back up singers, in the background. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEcZ8BlsJhI
Her version of Crazy is also definitive. She is to country music what Ella is to jazz.
Posted by: cory | January 25, 2025 at 08:56 AM