On this day (October 31) in 1963, Buck Owens was at No. 1 with “Love’s Gonna Live Here.” The single stayed atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 17 non-consecutive weeks. In doing so, the song set a chart record that would stand for 50 years. In fact, it would be almost that long before another song stayed at No. 1 for 10 years.
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Owens was a dominant force in the country music world throughout the 1960s and ’70s. He found his first No. 1 with “Act Naturally” in June 1963, kicking off a string of 14 No. 1 singles that ended in 1967 when “It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)” peaked at No. 2. ”Love’s Gonna Live Here” was the second entry in that long string of hits.
“Love’s Gonna Live Here” reached the top of the country chart for the first time on September 21, 1963. It retained the pole position for a week. Three weeks later, on October 19, it returned to No. 1, where it stayed for 16 consecutive weeks. The song kept Owens at the top spot until early February 1964.
Buck Owens Inspired a Long Line of Killer Covers
Buck Owens wrote “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” and turned it into one of the biggest country hits of the 20th century. However, the song’s life didn’t stop there. It also inspired dozens of cover versions by some of the biggest names in the genre and beyond.
George Jones and Waylon Jennings recorded versions of the song in 1964. Jones released his in November and Jennings released his in December. The next year, Ray Charles recorded a version of the song and released it as a single. Connie Smith, Bobby Bare, and Wanda Jackson all released covers of “Love’s Gonna Live Here” before the end of the 1960s.
The list of artists who put their spin on this massive hit goes on and on. However, one of the most notable came in 1991, when Jones and Owens recorded the song together for Jones’ album Friends in High Places.
Featured Image by Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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