View source for It's Only Make Believe

{{short description|Song by Jack Nance and Conway Twitty}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = It's Only Make Believe
| cover      = TwittyIOMB.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Conway Twitty]]
| album      = [[Sings (Conway Twitty album)|Conway Twitty Sings]]
| A-side     = I'll Try
| released   = July 14, 1958
| recorded   = May 7, 1958
| studio     = [[Bradley Studios]] (Nashville, Tennessee)<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLZz02EzmBYC&pg=pg=PA50 |title=The Encyclopedia of Country Music |author= The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum |date= 2012|isbn=9780199920839 |publisher=Oxford University Press|page=50}}</ref>
| venue      =
| genre      = 
* [[Rock and roll]]<ref name= "Breihan 2018">{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe" |website= [[Stereogum]] |date= January 22, 2018 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/1979391/the-number-ones-conway-twittys-its-only-make-believe/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= “It’s Only Make Believe” manages to be both a rock ‘n’ roll song and a country one...|access-date= June 3, 2023}}</ref>
* [[rockabilly]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j8lZAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA47 |page=47|title=The Band: Pioneers of Americana Music|first= Craig |last=Harris |date=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780810889057 }}</ref>
| length     = 2:10
| label      = [[MGM Records|MGM]]
| writer     = Jack Nance, Conway Twitty
| producer   = [[Jim Vienneau]]
| prev_title = I Need Your Lovin'
| prev_year  = 1957
| next_title = The Story of My Love
| next_year  = 1958
| misc       = {{Audio sample
 | type = single
 | file = Conway Twitty - It's Only Make Believe.ogg
}}
}}

"'''It's Only Make Believe'''" is a song written by drummer Jack Nance and Mississippi-born singer [[Conway Twitty]], while they were touring across Ontario, Canada, in 1958. Twitty was a relatively unknown [[rock n' roll]] singer at the time, and this song was his first hit, reaching No. 1 on the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] chart in November 1958 for two weeks. 

The song has been covered by a number of artists, including [[Billy Fury]], [[Child (band)|Child]],  and [[Ronnie McDowell]], whose recording features contributions from Twitty. [[Glen Campbell]] had a Top 10 hit with the song in 1970.

==Background==
The song was written mainly by Jack Nance, a member of Twitty's band, during an intermission in a show they were playing at the Flamingo Lounge in [[Hamilton, Ontario]], in Canada, with Conway Twitty providing the finishing touches to the song.<ref name=mcdowell>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aFdiCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |title=Dig That Beat! Interviews with Musicians at the Root of Rock 'n' Roll|first1= Sheree|last1= Homer|first2= Jay |last2=McDowell |date= 2015|isbn=9780786474462 |publisher=McFarland|pages=95&ndash;96}}</ref> They recorded a demo of the song, and sent it together with "I'll Try" to Twitty's manager, Don Seat.<ref name=mcdowell /> [[MGM Records]] became interested in the songs and arranged for these and other songs to be recorded at the [[Bradley Studios]] in Nashville on May 7, 1958. The song was recorded by Twitty with [[the Jordanaires]] on backing vocals.<ref name=bronson>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RVFLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA44 |title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits |first= Fred |last=Bronson |date= 1997|isbn=9780823076413 |publisher=Billboard Books|page=44}}</ref>  Musicians who played on the song included [[Floyd Cramer]] on piano, [[Grady Martin]] on guitar, and [[Floyd Chance|Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance]] on [[double bass]].<ref name=mcdowell /> The song was produced by [[Jim Vienneau]], who suggested that Twitty should keep the growl in his voice when recording. "It's Only Make Believe" was released by [[MGM Records]] on side B of "I'll Try" on July 14, 1958.<ref name=mcdowell />

The [[A-side]] "I'll Try" failed to catch on with the public in the States, and Twitty, believing that the record had failed, went home to work on the farm. However, a DJ in [[Columbus, Ohio]] took an interest in the B-side "It's Only Make Believe" and it became a hit in the city.<ref name=mcdowell /> It spread nationally and the song hit the ''Billboard'' chart in September, 1958, eventually reaching No. 1, on November 10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Hits for week of Nov 10 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1958-11-09 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media, LLC |access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> and 24.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Hits for week of Nov 24 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1958-11-22 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media, LLC |access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> The single topped both U.S.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=647}}</ref> and the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= [[British Hit Singles & Albums]]
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| pages= 92–3}}</ref> and became the only No. 1 pop single of his career. Twitty stated years later, on a segment of 'Pop Goes The Country',  that it was a hit in 22 countries, and had sold over 8 million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcJwh_pk1-A  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/zcJwh_pk1-A |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Conway Twitty on Pop Goes The Country |publisher=YouTube |date=2007-08-10 |access-date=2016-04-13}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He did not become a [[country music]] star until he crossed over in 1966.

Though Twitty recorded subsequent versions of "It's Only Make Believe", his original 1958 hit never entered the Country & Western charts. He recorded a 1970 [[duet]] with [[Loretta Lynn]], on their first collaborative album, ''[[We Only Make Believe]]''. Twitty joins in on the last verse in a 1988 uptempo cover by [[Ronnie McDowell]], which was a  No. 8 hit on the country music charts. Additionally, Twitty contributed to an alternative cover by McDowell.

==Charts==
;Conway Twitty version
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1958–1959)
! style="text-align:center;"|Peak<br />position
|-
|Australian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
|Canada ([[CHUM Chart|CHUM]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tsort.info/music/yr1958.htm|title=Songs from the Year 1958|website=Tsort.info|access-date=November 20, 2023}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|Italian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
{{singlechart|Norway|2|artist=Conway Twitty |song=It's Only Make Believe}}
|-
|UK Singles Chart<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=Conway Twitty}}
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B Best Sellers in Stores]]<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=595}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|12
|-
|US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/50s_files/19581115.html|title=The Cash Box Best-Selling Singles: Week ending November 15, 1958|website=Tropicalglen.com }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|}

===All-time charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1958-2018)
! Position
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 10, 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|307
|}

==Certifications==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United States|artist=Conway Twitty|title=It's Only Make Believe|award=Gold|relyear=1958|certyear=2024|access-date=March 19, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

==Glen Campbell version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = It's Only Make Believe
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Glen Campbell]]
| album      = [[The Glen Campbell Goodtime Album]]
| B-side     = Pave Your Way Into Tomorrow<ref name="aug29 billboard">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=likEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54|title=Top 20 Pop Spotlight |magazine=Billboard |page=54 |date=August 29, 1970  }}</ref>
| released   = August 25, 1970
| format     =
| recorded   = December 18, 1967
| studio     = [[Capitol Studios]], Hollywood, California
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Country music|Country]]
| length     = 2:21
| label      = [[Capitol Records]]
| writer     = Jack Nance, Conway Twitty
| producer   = [[Al De Lory]]
| prev_title = [[Everything a Man Could Ever Need]]
| prev_year  = 1970
| next_title = [[Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)]]
| next_year  = 1971
}}
[[Glen Campbell]] recorded "It's Only Make Believe" for his album ''[[The Glen Campbell Goodtime Album]]'', one of four albums he recorded in 1970. The song was arranged and produced by [[Al De Lory]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58|title=More Pressure, Challenge Now |magazine=Billboard |page=58 |date=October 10, 1970  }}</ref> The song was released as a single by [[Capitol Records]] backed with "Pave Your Way Into Tomorrow".<ref name="aug29 billboard" /> It became a top ten hit in both the United States and United Kingdom.

===Chart performance===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1970)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australian [[Kent Music Report|KMR]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1970/19701226.html |title=Go-Set Australian charts - 26 December 1970 |publisher=Poparchives.com.au |date=1970-12-26 |access-date=2013-02-14}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
{{singlechart|Wallonia|46|artist=Glen Campbell |song=It's Only Make Believe}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadacountry|4|artist=Glen Campbell|chartid=6964}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|5|artist=Glen Campbell|chartid=3717}}
|-
|Euro Hit 50
| style="text-align:center;"|10
|-
{{singlechart|Ireland2|3|artist=Glen Campbell |song=It's Only Make Believe|refname=ireland}}
|-
|New Zealand Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
{{singlechart|UKsinglesbyname|4|artist=Glen Campbell|artistid=13518 }}
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|10|artist=Glen Campbell}}
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|3|artist=Glen Campbell}}
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Easy Listening
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|}

=== Year-end chart ===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1970)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Top Records of 1970: Top 100 Singles |page=TA-30 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=1970-12-26 |volume=82 |issue=52 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1970/Billboard-1970-12-26.pdf }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|99
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|76|chartid=3740}}
|-
|U.S. ''Cashbox'' Top 100<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1970YESP.html |title=The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1970 |work=Tropical Glen }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|66
|}

==Other versions==
*[[The Hollies]] recorded the song for their 1964 release album [[Stay With The Hollies]]<ref name="Secondhandsongs">{{cite web|url=https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/124597 |title=Its Only Make Believe by The Hollies|website=SecondHandSongs }}</ref>
*In 1964, [[Billy Fury]] had a top 10 hit with his version in the UK and Ireland,<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SSAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29 |title=Hits of the World: Singapore |page=29 |magazine=Billboard |date=November 7, 1964 }}</ref><ref name=ireland /> which also went to No. 1 in Singapore.<ref name="auto"/>
* Brendan O'Brien and [[The Dixies]] recorded the song and it reached No. 4 on the Irish chart in 1964.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&search_type=artist&placement=Brendan+O%27Brien|title=Brendan O'Brien |work=Irish Charts}}</ref>
*[[Ronnie McDowell]] had a No. 8 single on the ''Billboard'' country chart in 1988 after recording the song as a duet with Twitty.
*The pop band [[Child (band)|Child]] released the song as a single in 1978, reaching the top ten in the UK Singles Chart.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16839/child/ |title=Child |work=The Official Charts Company }}</ref>
*The rockabilly revival singer [[Robert Gordon (singer)|Robert Gordon]] covered the song,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qpn4DQAAQBAJ&pg=PT128 |title=Memories from the Meadowbrook: America Through Time|first= Philip M.|last= Read |date=2017 |publisher=Fonthill Media }}</ref>  which reached No. 99 on the ''Billboard'' Country chart in 1979.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/robert-gordon/chart-history/csi/ |title=Robert Gordon : Hot Country Songs |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>
*Canadian country music singer [[Carroll Baker (singer)|Carroll Baker]] covered the song on her 1991 compilation ''Her Finest Collection''. It was released as the album's first single and peaked at number 28 on the ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Country Tracks chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.1446&type=1&interval=24|title=RPM Country Tracks|work=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|date=February 23, 1991|access-date=September 8, 2013}}</ref>
*R&B singer [[Sam Moore]] recorded a version with [[Mariah Carey]] and [[Vince Gill]] that appeared on Moore's 2006 ''[[Overnight Sensational]]'' album.
*Horror punk band [[Misfits (band)|The Misfits]] recorded a version that was included on their 2003 album "[[Project 1950.]]"

==See also==
*[[List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)#1958|List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)]]
*[[List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1958 (U.S.)#Hot 100|List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1958 (U.S.)]]
*[[List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{UK Christmas No. 1s in the 1950s|song}}
{{Conway Twitty}}
{{Billy Fury}}
{{Glen Campbell}}
{{Ronnie McDowell}}
{{Carroll Baker (singer)}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1958 singles]]
[[Category:1970 singles]]
[[Category:1987 singles]]
[[Category:Conway Twitty songs]]
[[Category:Glen Campbell songs]]
[[Category:Ronnie McDowell songs]]
[[Category:Carroll Baker songs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:Cashbox number-one singles]]
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Conway Twitty]]
[[Category:MGM Records singles]]
[[Category:Capitol Records singles]]
[[Category:Curb Records singles]]
[[Category:1958 songs]]
[[Category:Billy Fury songs]]
[[Category:Schlager songs]]
[[Category:Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1950s ballads]]