"The Easy Part's Over" is a song written by Jerry Foster and Bill Rice, and recorded by American country music artist Charley Pride. It was released in April 1968 as the first single from the album Songs of Pride...Charley That Is. The song was Pride's seventh single and his fifth major hit as a recording artist.
| "The Easy Part's Over" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Charley Pride | ||||
| from the album Songs of Pride...Charley That Is | ||||
| B-side | "The Right to Do Wrong" | |||
| Released | April 1968 | |||
| Recorded | January 2, 1968 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:20 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | ||||
| Charley Pride singles chronology | ||||
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Background and content
editUnder the supervision and guidance of Jack Clement, Charley Pride became country music's first commercially successful African-American recording artist. With his first two singles failing to become successful, Pride finally had his first major hit in 1967 with "Just Between You and Me." He would have several more top ten hits that followed this hit, including "The Easy Part's Over."[2] The song was co-written by songwriters Jerry Foster and Bill Rice. The song was recorded on January 2, 1967 at the RCA Victor Studio. Two additional tracks were also recorded at the same session. Jack Clement co-produced the song, along with Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson.[3]
Release and reception
edit"The Easy Part's Over" was released as a single via RCA Victor Records in January 1968. It was Pride's seventh single released in his music career.[4] It spent a total of 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at number two on the list in June 1968.[5] The song was Pride's fifth major hit and highest-charting single up to that point.[4] In addition, it also became a hit in Canada, also reaching number two on the RPM Country Singles chart in 1968.[6] It was later released on Pride's 1967 studio album on RCA titled Songs of Pride...Charley That Is.[1]
Track listings
edit7" vinyl single[7]
- "The Easy Part's Over" – 2:20
- "The Right to Do Wrong" – 2:20
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Songs (RPM)[6] | 2 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 2 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Songs of Pride...Charley That Is: Charley Pride: Songs, Reviews Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ Vinopal, David. "Charley Pride: Biography & History". Allmusic. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ Pride, Charlie (April 1968). ""The Easy Part's Over"/"The Right to Do Wrong" (Vinyl Single Insert Information)". RCA Victor Records.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ ""The Easy Part's Over" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Search results for "Charley Pride" under Country Singles". RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "Charley Pride -- "The Easy Part's Over" (1968, Single)". Discogs. 1968. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Charley Pride Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.