"I Fall to Pieces" is a single released by
Patsy Cline in 1961, and was featured on her 1961 studio
album,
Patsy Cline Showcase. "I Fall to Pieces" was Cline's
first #1 hit on the Country charts, and her second hit
single to cross over onto the Pop charts. It was the first
of a string of songs that would be written by
Hank Cochran and
Harlan Howard (not always collaborating) for Cline.
"I
Fall to Pieces" became one of Cline's most-recognizable hit
singles. It has also been classified as a country music
standard. "I Fall to Pieces" was released 30
January 1961. Upon its release, it was virtually ignored by
radio stations. However, Hal Smith of Pamper Music, who had
faith in the song's songwriters hired a promotion man, Pat
Nelson to promote the single. Nelson's strategy was to
attempt to explain to DJs that "I Fall to Pieces" was a
departure from any of Cline's previous singles. Soon a Pop
radio station in
Columbus, Ohio began playing the single. After finding
this out, Bradley saw that the song was being fanned by
record distibutors across the country. Within four months,
momentum was building on both the Country and Pop charts. On
April 3, the song debuted on the
Billboard Country Chart and began its ascent. By August
1961, "I Fall to Pieces" peaked at number one on the
Billboard Country Chart. and reached number twelve on the
Billboard Pop Chart. It would be one of several
Country-pop crossover hits that Cline was to have over the
next couple of years Cline was able to prove that a solo
female artist could have major hits on both the country and
pop charts. That year, she was acclaimed as one of the
nation's leading recording artists, along with
Jimmy Darren and
Bobby Vee.
However, due to a major car accident in June 1961, Cline
was kept in the hospital for two months, which cut into
promoting "I Fall to Pieces". Therefore, by the time Cline
had left the hospital, "I Fall to Pieces'" popularity began
to decrease. The success of the song helped get Cline a
invitation to become a regular cast member the
Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2004,
Rolling Stone Magazine ranked "I Fall to Pieces" at
#238 on their list of the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was also ranked
at #7 on
CMT's television special of the 100 Greatest Songs in
Country Music. Another Patsy Cline song, "Crazy" was
ranked four positions higher at #3 on the countdown. It was
also ranked at #107 on
RIAA's list of the
Songs of the Century.