You Can't Be True, Dear
Encyclopedia
"You Can't Be True, Dear" is a popular
song
.
It was originally written as a German language
song, "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein," by composer Hans Otten and lyricist Gerhard Ebeler. English language
lyrics and title were written by Hal Cotten.
In 1948
, Ken Griffin
recorded the song, first released as an instrumental
and later with vocalist Jerry Wayne dubbing the lyrics, both of which became popular in releases by an independent company, Rondo Records. A number of other versions were also recorded that year.
The recording by Ken Griffin
and Jerry Wayne was released by Rondo Records as catalog number
228. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on April 2, 1948 staying at #1 for seven weeks. The instrumental recording by Ken Griffin
was released by Rondo Records as catalog number 128. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 2, 1948 peaking at #2. Both the vocal and solo organ versions charted for 23 weeks and sold an estimated 3,500,000 copies. Note that this version was recorded and released first, but charted after the vocal version.
A number of other versions were also recorded that year.
The recording by Dick Haymes
with The Song Spinners was released by Decca Records
as catalog number 24439. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 28, 1948 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at #9. Both sides of this recording were cover version
s of bigger hits, but both charted; the flip side was "Nature Boy
", a major hit for Nat King Cole
.
The recording by The Sportsmen was released by Capitol Records
as catalog number 15077. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 28, 1948 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at #11. The flip side, "Toolie Oolie Doolie," also charted.
The recording by The Marlin Sisters was released by Columbia Records
as catalog number 38211. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 4, 1948 and lasted 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #19. The flip side, "Toolie Oolie Doolie," also charted (oddly enough, in both The Sportsmen's and the Marlin Sisters' version, the same song was the flip side and in both cases, both sides made the charts).
The recording by Dick James
was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-2944. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 25, 1948 and lasted 2 weeks on the chart, peaking at #19. This was his only charting hit.
Two artists in the United Kingdom
also recorded the song at about the same time. Vera Lynn
recorded the song on March 10, 1948, which was released by the UK Decca label under catalog number
F-8883, and Dolores Gray made a recording on August 13, 1948, released by the UK Columbia
label under catalog number DB 2451.
Vera Lynn's recording also charted in the United States. This recording was released by London Records
as catalog number 202. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 21, 1948 and lasted 7 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14.
A revival of the song by Patti Page
(Columbia Records
catalog number 4-44345) became popular in 1965
, spending 8 weeks on the Billboard Easy listening music chart, peaking at #11.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
.
It was originally written as a German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
song, "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein," by composer Hans Otten and lyricist Gerhard Ebeler. English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics and title were written by Hal Cotten.
In 1948
1948 in music
-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
, Ken Griffin
Ken Griffin
Kenneth W. "Ken" Griffin was an American organist.-Biography:Griffin was born in Columbia, Missouri. His biggest hit was "You Can't Be True, Dear" , which was first released as an instrumental, and later that year re-released with a vocal by Jerry Wayne dubbed in. Both versions became popular,...
recorded the song, first released as an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
and later with vocalist Jerry Wayne dubbing the lyrics, both of which became popular in releases by an independent company, Rondo Records. A number of other versions were also recorded that year.
The recording by Ken Griffin
Ken Griffin
Kenneth W. "Ken" Griffin was an American organist.-Biography:Griffin was born in Columbia, Missouri. His biggest hit was "You Can't Be True, Dear" , which was first released as an instrumental, and later that year re-released with a vocal by Jerry Wayne dubbed in. Both versions became popular,...
and Jerry Wayne was released by Rondo Records as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
228. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on April 2, 1948 staying at #1 for seven weeks. The instrumental recording by Ken Griffin
Ken Griffin
Kenneth W. "Ken" Griffin was an American organist.-Biography:Griffin was born in Columbia, Missouri. His biggest hit was "You Can't Be True, Dear" , which was first released as an instrumental, and later that year re-released with a vocal by Jerry Wayne dubbed in. Both versions became popular,...
was released by Rondo Records as catalog number 128. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 2, 1948 peaking at #2. Both the vocal and solo organ versions charted for 23 weeks and sold an estimated 3,500,000 copies. Note that this version was recorded and released first, but charted after the vocal version.
A number of other versions were also recorded that year.
The recording by Dick Haymes
Dick Haymes
Richard Benjamin "Dick" Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, who was an actor, television host, and songwriter....
with The Song Spinners was released by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as catalog number 24439. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 28, 1948 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at #9. Both sides of this recording were cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of bigger hits, but both charted; the flip side was "Nature Boy
Nature Boy (song)
"Nature Boy" is a song by eden ahbez, published in 1947. The song tells a fantasy of a "strange enchanted boy... who wandered very far" only to learn that "the greatest thing... was just to love and be loved in return"...
", a major hit for Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
.
The recording by The Sportsmen was released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as catalog number 15077. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 28, 1948 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at #11. The flip side, "Toolie Oolie Doolie," also charted.
The recording by The Marlin Sisters was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number 38211. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 4, 1948 and lasted 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #19. The flip side, "Toolie Oolie Doolie," also charted (oddly enough, in both The Sportsmen's and the Marlin Sisters' version, the same song was the flip side and in both cases, both sides made the charts).
The recording by Dick James
Dick James
Dick James , born Reginald Leon Isaac Vapnick, was a music publisher and the founder of the DJM record label and recording studios, as well as The Beatles' publisher Northern Songs.-Early life:...
was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-2944. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 25, 1948 and lasted 2 weeks on the chart, peaking at #19. This was his only charting hit.
Two artists in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
also recorded the song at about the same time. Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
recorded the song on March 10, 1948, which was released by the UK Decca label under catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
F-8883, and Dolores Gray made a recording on August 13, 1948, released by the UK Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
label under catalog number DB 2451.
Vera Lynn's recording also charted in the United States. This recording was released by London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
as catalog number 202. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 21, 1948 and lasted 7 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14.
A revival of the song by Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
(Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
catalog number 4-44345) became popular in 1965
1965 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.*January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein...
, spending 8 weeks on the Billboard Easy listening music chart, peaking at #11.
Recorded versions
- Eddy ArnoldEddy ArnoldRichard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
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) - Pat BoonePat BooneCharles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
(19591959 in music-Events:*January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held.*January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan....
) - Carol ChanningCarol ChanningCarol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
and Webb PierceWebb PierceWebb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one...
(19761976 in music-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
) - Connie FrancisConnie FrancisConnie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
(1963) - Will GlaheWill GlahéWill Glahé , was a German accordionist, composer, and bandleader.Glahé was born at Elberfeld. In the 1930s, he was, along with Heinz Munsonius and Albert Vossen, one of the most successful accordionists in Germany...
(19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - Ken GriffinKen GriffinKenneth W. "Ken" Griffin was an American organist.-Biography:Griffin was born in Columbia, Missouri. His biggest hit was "You Can't Be True, Dear" , which was first released as an instrumental, and later that year re-released with a vocal by Jerry Wayne dubbed in. Both versions became popular,...
(vocal: Jerry Wayne) (19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - Ken GriffinKen GriffinKenneth W. "Ken" Griffin was an American organist.-Biography:Griffin was born in Columbia, Missouri. His biggest hit was "You Can't Be True, Dear" , which was first released as an instrumental, and later that year re-released with a vocal by Jerry Wayne dubbed in. Both versions became popular,...
(Instr.) (19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - Dick HaymesDick HaymesRichard Benjamin "Dick" Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, who was an actor, television host, and songwriter....
and The Song Spinners (19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - Dick JamesDick JamesDick James , born Reginald Leon Isaac Vapnick, was a music publisher and the founder of the DJM record label and recording studios, as well as The Beatles' publisher Northern Songs.-Early life:...
(19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - Die Lustige München Musikanten (under the title "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein")
- Henry Lindblom with Stig Holm's "Rhythm Masters". Swedish lyrics written by Fritz-Gustaf, entitled "Som vind om våren". Recorded in Stockholm on December 28, 1948. It was released on the 78 rpm record His Master's Voice X 7464.
- Vera LynnVera LynnDame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
(19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - The Marlin Sisters with Eddie FisherEddie Fisher (singer)Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
(19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - Mary Kaye TrioMary KayeMary Kaye , sometimes called the "First Lady of Rock and Roll", was a guitarist and performer who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. Mary Kaye descended from Hawaiian royalty in the line of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch, and was born into a show business family...
(19591959 in music-Events:*January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held.*January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan....
) - Patti PagePatti PageClara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
(19651965 in music-Events:*January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.*January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein...
) - Bob RalstonBob RalstonRobert Ralston is an American pianist and organist who performed on television's The Lawrence Welk Show from 1963 to 1982....
- Somethin' Smith and the RedheadsSomethin' Smith and the RedheadsSomethin' Smith and the Redheads were an American vocal group doing mostly pop standards in the 1950s. Their biggest hit single was "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" in 1955, which reached #7 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart....
- The Sportsmen (19481948 in music-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
) - Gale StormGale StormGale Storm was an American actress and singer who starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show.-Early life:...
- Billy VaughnBilly VaughnRichard "Billy" Vaughn was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records....
- Lawrence WelkLawrence WelkLawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...