On This Day in 1964, Buck Owens Wrapped up a Record-Breaking Run on the Country Charts With a Song Later Covered by Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, and Tanya Tucker

Growing up in Mesa, Arizona, Alvis Edgar “Buck” Owens Jr. didn’t much care for schoolwork. However, he did enjoy singing and performing, and soon learned that both those things could get him out of classwork. Deciding to make a career of it, Owens scored his first No. 1 hit with “Act Naturally” in June 1963. By the end of that year, he’d already landed another chart-topping hit in “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” which Owens wrote himself. On this day (Feb. 1) in 1964, “Love’s Gonna Live Here” wrapped up an unprecedented 16-week run at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. No other artist would come close to this level of success for another half century.

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This Song Was Only the Second No. 1 Hit of Buck Owens’ Career

It’s easy to see why the song resonated with country music audiences. “Love’s Gonna Live Here Again” sounds like the musical equivalent of sunshine breaking through storm clouds. I hear bees a-hummin’ / And I know the day’s a-comin‘, Buck Owens sings. Love’s gonna live here again.

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An all time classic from one of the greatest in Country Music. #buckowens #buck #dwightyoakam #top #new #share #repost #follow #like #tiktok #georgestrait #georgejones #merlehaggard #traditionalcountry #country #countrymusic #classiccountry #wehatepopcountry

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Continuing to perform until his death at age 76 on March 25, 2006, Owens released 39 studio albums across six decades. Those albums yielded 21 No. 1 hits, including “Together Again” and “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail.” However, none of them matched the staying power of “Love’s Gonna Live Here.” In fact, no other artist would spend more than 10 weeks atop the country songs chart until 2013, when Taylor Swift accomplished that feat with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” off her fourth studio album Red.

Six months later, country music duo Florida Georgia Line would finally shatter Owens’ record after their 17th week at No. 1 with “Cruise.”

[RELATED: On This Day in 1964, Buck Owens Stepped Into a Hollywood Studio and Recorded His Biggest Crossover Hit—Against His Co-Writer’s Advice]

The Artists Who Covered “Love’s Gonna Live Here”

Buck Owens’ 1963 hit “Love’s Gonna Live Here” has become a country music standard, with artists like Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, Dwight Yoakum, and Tanya Tucker all putting their own spin on it throughout the years.

Additionally, in 1991, Owens joined country music legend George Jones on a duet of “Love’s Gonna Live Here” for Jones’ duets album Friends in High Places.

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