"I Overlooked an Orchid" is a country song that was a hit for Mickey Gilley in 1974. It was first recorded by Carl Smith in 1950, achieving only modest sales when it was released as a single through Columbia Records.[1] Country act Johnnie & Jack recorded the song in 1962 as part of their album Smiles and Tears, then it was released as the B-side to their single "Bye Bye Love" in early 1963.[2]
| "I Overlooked an Orchid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Carl Smith | ||||
| B-side | "I Betcha My Heart I Love You" | |||
| Released | 1950 | |||
| Recorded | 1950 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | see text | |||
| Carl Smith singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "I Overlooked an Orchid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Mickey Gilley | ||||
| from the album Room Full of Roses | ||||
| B-side | "Swinging Doors" | |||
| Released | June 1974 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | Playboy | |||
| Songwriter(s) | see text | |||
| Producer(s) | Eddie Kilroy | |||
| Mickey Gilley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Various people are credited with writing the song. Carl Smith has been named co-writer along with Arthur Q. Smith[3] and Shirly Lyn. "Shirly Lyn" is a pseudonym of songwriter Troy Lee Martin, who wrote under several names.[4] Carl Story was recorded telling a disc jockey that he wrote the song, but Carl Smith denied this version of events, pointing instead to Arthur Q. Smith as the co-writer.[5] Kentucky historian W. Lynn Nickell asserted that Kentuckian Paul Gilley (no relation to Mickey Gilley) wrote the lyrics and sold them along with all the rights so that he could not take songwriting credit.[6]
"I Overlooked an Orchid" was recorded by American country music artist Mickey Gilley, released in June 1974 as the second single from the album Room Full of Roses. "I Overlooked an Orchid" was Mickey Gilley's second country hit and second number one on the country chart. The single stayed at number one for a week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the country chart.[7] The Gilley version had a small amount of crossover interest, peaking at number 104 in the Cashbox "Looking Ahead" survey, in August 1974.
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 15 |
References
edit- ^ Country Music Hall of Fame (1998). Country Music Hall of Fame songbook series. Vol. 3. Hal Leonard. pp. 46–47.
- ^ Staff (March 2, 1963). "Singles Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 75, no. 9. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Arthur Q. Smith | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Troy Martin | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ Ronnie Pugh; Paul Kingsbury (1989). "Songs They Gave Away". The Journal of Country Music. 13 (1). Country Music Foundation: 10.
- ^ KET - Kentucky Educational Television (29 July 2013). "Songwriter Paul Gilley - Kentucky Life - KET". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 136.
- ^ "Mickey Gilley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
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