Top Ten Songs by Conway Twitty
Harold Jenkins needed a stage name. He saw a road sign for Conway, Arkansas and Twitty Texas. That’s when Conway Twitty was born. He started out in rock and roll and had some success. He converted to country music with “It’s Only
Make Believe.” It became an instant hit, and many, many other hits followed. When Conway died in 1993, he more #1 than any artist in any genre of music.
1. Hello Darlin’. This was Conway’s signature song. Most of his concerts were opened with this song. The delivery of the song’s opening line made people take notice. Conway had #1 hits before “Hello Darlin'” but many believe this is the song that made him a star. Also, Conway learned Russian and recorded the song in Russian as a gift for those in the Russian space station.
2. I’d Love To Lay You Down. Perhaps one of the most romantic songs ever recorded. These are the words every woman longs to hear from their man. Conway had a way to deliver songs like this. It’s one reason he was a superstar.
3. You’ve Never Been This Far Before. When it was released, it was called “porno-country” and some radio stations refused to play it. People took issue with a line that mentioned touching the woman’s “forbidden places.” Conway once said that it wasn’t meant to be dirty at all, insisting that he was referring to touching the woman’s left hand, on which she wore her wedding ring.
4. It’s Only Make Believe. Conway’s first country hit. His rock and roll influences are clear in this song. His incredible performance and vocal control make this song memorable.
5. Tight Fittin’ Jeans. A song about a man meeting a woman in a bar. It’s Conway’s class that makes this song stand out. The lyrics (not written by Conway) imply that they sleep together but insist, “In my mind she’s still a lady/That’s all I’m going to say/ And I knew I’d been broken/ By the time we parted ways.”
6. Louisiana Woman/ Mississippi Man w/ Loretta Lynn. Conway recorded many duets with Loretta Lynn and several of them became #1 hits. This is one of the most recognizable of those duets. Some people thought that Conway and Loretta were married and had children together because of the number of love songs they recorded together. According to statements from the singers, they were never involved in a relationship.
7. Who Did They Think He Was? This was song with a powerful message that Conway recorded a couple years before he died. The song talks about how President Kennedy and Elvis were worshipped like gods and how people mourned their deaths, but how there were only a few people that were there crying when Jesus was crucified. It really is a powerful song. It makes me wonder, though, if Conway would have approved on how he was remembered after his death. Something tells me he would have preferred a simpler passing.
8. Linda On My Mind. One of Conway’s biggest hits. It was one of many songs
that Conway wrote. It’s the honesty and simplicity of songs like this that made Conway a household name. He was easy to listen to, easy to understand and easy to realate with.
9. Slow Hand. This song was one of the few covers Conway ever did. His version of the Pointer Sisters’ song gave the song a whole new depth. A few words were changed to make it fit a male singer.
10. Rainy Night In Georgia w/ Sam Moore. This is the last tune Conway every recorded before his 1993 death. It was recorded about a month before he died on the special Rhythm, Country and Blues CD. There was a video made for the song. This song was never a big hit, but it did show the versatility of Conway Twitty.
