On This Day in 1961, Patsy Cline Released the Legendary Hit Single That She Recorded in a Single Take

On this day (October 16) in 1961, Patsy Cline released “Crazy.” It reached No. 2 on the country chart and became a top 10 pop hit. At first, Cline didn’t want to record the song for several reasons. One issue was Willie Nelson’s phrasing. She didn’t believe she could replicate his vocal style. However, when the time came to record the song, she knocked out the vocals in a single take.

Several country artists passed on “Crazy” because it was more musically complicated than most country songs of the day. While the most popular songs of the era were simple three-chord compositions, Nelson’s arrangement was heavily influenced by jazz and included a handful of unusual chord voicings. Eventually, Hank Cochran took the song to producer Owen Bradley, who knew it would be perfect for Cline.

Patsy Cline Wasn’t Crazy About “Crazy”

At the time, Patsy Cline had no interest in hearing anything from Nelson’s catalog. Her husband, Charlie Dick, had played her the demo of “Night Life.” She disliked it so much that she asked Dick not to bring her anything else Nelson wrote. More specifically, she didn’t want to record any more vulnerable, heartbroken torch songs.

There are two different versions of how the “Crazy” demo landed in Cline’s hands. In one version, Cochran drove to Cline’s house late one night and hand-delivered it. The other version of the story has Nelson playing the song for Dick at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. He liked what he heard so much that he went home and played it for his wife. Both versions of the story end the same way, though. Nelson waited in the car while someone else played the tape for Cline. Eventually, she invited the songwriter inside, and he taught her to sing the future hit.

Gordon Stoker, a member of the Jordanaires, spoke to NPR about Cline’s early reaction to the song. “I remember when Patsy heard the demo, she said, ‘Look, Hoss, there ain’t no way I could sing it like that guy’s a-singing it,’” he recalled. Then, he pointed out the issue. “The phrasing of it. The way he cut his words off was choppy. She didn’t want to do it like that. She wasn’t going to do it that way,” he explained.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1961, Patsy Cline First Tried to Record Her Biggest Hit While Recovering From the Car Crash That Nearly Killed Her]

Owen Bradley, the session musicians, and the Jordanaires worked for hours on the arrangement. Eventually, they recorded the backing track after a four-hour session. Cline came in a few weeks later and recorded her vocals in a single take.

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