They say you’ve found somebody new,
But that won’t stop my loving you.
I just can’t let you walk away,
Forget the love I had for you.Guess I could find somebody, too,
But I don’t wan’t no one but you.
How could you leave without regret?
Am I that easy to forget?
About the Song
A popular song released in 1959, “Am I That Easy to Forget” was originally recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Carl Belew. He co-wrote it with fellow American songwriter W.V. Stevenson. While in Nashville, Tennessee, Belew first recorded the song on December 17, 1958, and released it as a single the following year in March. The song debuted at no. 9 on the Billboard Country Music chart.
“Am I That Easy to Forget” is one of the several country music classics that are covered by other artists. In fact, the most notable artists who covered this song include Skeeter Davis and Ernest Tubb in 1960, Gene Vincent in 1966, George Jones in 1967, Patti Page in 1968, Jim Reeves in 1973, and Prairie Oyster in 1991. Most of these covers were also chart-toppers. Davis’ version went on to be no. 11 while Reeves’ reached the 12th spot on the country music charts.
The song also crossed over to the pop charts. The best known pop covers of the song were rendered by singer-actress Debbie Reynolds in 1960, Esther Phillips in 1963, and Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967. While Reynolds’ version placed at no. 24 on the pop charts, Phillips’ ranked 12th on the Billboard Bubbling Under-Hot Singles.
On the other hand, Humperdinck’s cover received the biggest reception among all other versions including the original. It is the highest charting version of the song on the U.S. pop charts. Moreover, Humperdinck’s version did not only dominate in the U.S. music charts but also penetrated three other countries. It peaked at no. 1 on the Irish Singles Charts. Meanwhile, it ranked third on the U.K. Singles Charts, and no. 10 on the Springbok Radio in South Africa. In addition, the recording has a special Italian version entitled, “Dimenticarti non potrei” which translates “I couldn’t forget you” in English.
Carl Belew: Behind this ’50s Classic Hit
A famous American country music singer and songwriter in the 1950s, Carl Belew was born on April 21, 1931, and grew up in his hometown in Salina, Oklahoma before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in his later years. Starting the ’50s through the ’70s, Belew began his career and recorded for different music labels like Decca, RCA Victor, and MCA. As a result of this, he produced 11 chart-topping songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. In addition, he was also noted for writing singles for the great classic artists like Johnie & Jack, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, and others.
He continued on to write songs for other artists until his death on October 31, 1991, because of cancer. He was 59.
Listen to the original version of “Am I That Easy To Forget” by Carl Belew:
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Am I That Easy to Forget, Carl Belew