5 Best Connie Smith Songs As One Of The Most Influential Women of Country Music

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Connie Smith
Connie Smith

Since she made her debut in the early 1960s, Connie Smith‘s songs have influenced subsequent country musicians. She is well regarded and adored by her fellow artists, including Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton, and Merle Haggard, for her distinctive storytelling and forceful delivery.

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Her talent, influence, and groundbreaking contribution to the industry were greatly recognized during her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

With that in mind, let’s travel down memory lane and check out some of Connie Smith‘s greatest hits. Keep on scrolling below!

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1. Once a Day

Smith became the first female artist to have a debut single peaking at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart – thanks to “Once a Day,” a song written by Bill Anderson that tells the story of a woman who has not gotten over her previous lover. 

What’s even more amazing is that the poignant ballad stayed atop the country chart for eight consecutive weeks, a time when few other women were even reaching the top spot. She held that record for almost fifty years until Taylor Swift surpassed her in 2012.

In 2020, “Once a Day” was chosen for preservation in the National Recording Registry and was regarded as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress.

2. Just One Time

“Just One Time” first reached No. 2 with its original recording in 1960 by country singer Don Gibson. A little over a decade later, Smith released her version and brought the song back to the second spot on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. 

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It also ranked No. 19 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, making it her first single to reach the chart in seven years.

3. Then and Only Then

Here’s one of a series of hit songs written by Anderson for Smith. In “Then and Only Then,” Smith sings about her lover, who left her in haste but promised her that he would come back. However, the sorrowful woman forgot to ask him when – so she’s left counting the hours and hoping every minute for his return.

4. I Can’t Remember

This is the third single Anderson wrote for Smith – however, he’s joined by his wife Bette Anderson this time. “I Can’t Remember” tells the narrative of a woman explaining how her lover called her late at night to tell her he must leave town. Though he had clearly told her where he was going, the woman is having a hard time recalling. All she remembers is nothing but tears and the fact that he’s gone.

5. If I Talk to Him

This is the first single Smith recorded that was not written by Anderson. It was instead written by songwriter Dolores Edgin and Jerry Reed’s wife Priscilla Mitchell, where Smith finds herself describing her fear of receiving a call from her former lover. This is because she’s afraid she might fall with his sweet talking and that he might change her mind about taking him back again. 

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So, which among these Connie Smith songs are your favorite?

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