Here You Come Again (song)

"Here You Come Again" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and recorded by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released as a single in September 1977 as the title track from Parton's album of the same name, topped the U.S. country singles chart for five weeks, and won the 1979 Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance; it also reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, representing Parton's first significant pop crossover hit.

"Here You Come Again"
Single by Dolly Parton
from the album Here You Come Again
B-side	"Me and Little Andy"
Released	September 26, 1977
Recorded	June 1977
Genre	Country pop
Length	2:59
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil
Producer(s)	Gary Klein
Dolly Parton singles chronology
"Light of a Clear Blue Morning" (1977) "Here You Come Again" (1977) "Two Doors Down" (1978)

Composition and recording

The song was composed by Mann and Weil, and it was a rare example of a Parton hit that she did not write herself. The songwriting duo originally composed "Here You Come Again" in 1975 as a potential comeback hit for Brenda Lee, but when Lee decided not to record it, the song made its way to Parton, who was looking for something to broaden her appeal. Her producer, Gary Klein, who had heard the song on B.J. Thomas's recently released self-titled album,[1] reported that Parton had begged him to add a steel guitar to avoid sounding too pop, and he called in Al Perkins to fill that role. "She wanted people to be able to hear the steel guitar, so if someone said it isn't country, she could say it and prove it," Klein told journalist Tom Roland. "She was so relieved. It was like her life sentence was reprieved."[2]

The song modulates keys four times. The first two verses are set in G♭ major, followed by A major for the first bridge, G major for the third verse, B♭ major for the second bridge, and finally A♭ major for the last verse and outro. The song moves at a swinging tempo of 106 beats per minute in common time, with Parton's vocals ranging from G♭₃ to D₅.[3][4]

Reception

"Here You Come Again" was the centerpiece of Parton's pop crossover in the late 1970s. The single spent five weeks at the top of the U.S Billboard country charts[1] and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It earned Parton the award for "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" at the Grammy Awards.[5] The song has sold 271,000 digital copies in the United States as of February 2019 since becoming available for digital download.[6]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1977–78) Peak position Australian Kent Music Report[7] 10 Canadian RPM Country 1 Canadian RPM Top Singles 7 Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary 1 New Zealand[8] 12 UK Singles Chart 75 U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[9] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 3 U.S. Billboard Easy Listening[11] 2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [12] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1978) Rank Australia[13] 71 Canada [14] 49 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[15] 60 U.S. Cash Box[16] 40 U.S. Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 2 U.S. Adult Contemporary Songs (Billboard)[18] 24

Covers and other versions

• B.J. Thomas recorded the song for his self-titled 1977 album. This version was released before Parton's.[1]
• Kikki Danielsson covered the song on her 1981 album Just Like a Woman, with lyrics written by herself in Swedish as Här är jag igen (translated: "Here I am again").[19] It remains one of the few times the singer Kikki Danielsson was self-involved in songwriting.
• In 2014, this song was covered by Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves on a June 13, 2014 episode of CMT Crossroads. They also performed it on 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year event honoring Dolly Parton on February 8, 2019 and during the tribute performance for Parton on the 61st Annual Grammy Awards two days later.

References

1. Betts, Stephen L. (December 3, 2015). "Flashback: See Dolly Parton's Twinkling 'Come Again' in 1978 | Rolling Stone". rollingstone.com. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
2. Roland, Tom, The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2), p. 204.
3. Mann, Barry; Weil, Cynthia (March 20, 2008). "Here You Come Again". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
4. "Key & BPM for Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton | Tunebat". tunebat.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
5. Grammy Awards 1979, Grammy Awards.
6. Bjorke, Matt (February 20, 2019). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Sales Chart: February 20, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
7. Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
8. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. February 12, 1978. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
9. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 261.
10. "Dolly Parton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 190.
12. "Top 100 1978-01-28". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
13. Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
14. "Top 200 Singles of '78 – Volume 30, No. 14, December 30, 1978". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
15. "Top 100 Hits of 1978/Top 100 Songs of 1978". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
16. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1978". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
17. "Billboard Hot Country Songs - Year-End Charts (1978)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
18. "Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs - Year-End Charts (1978)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
19. Information at Svensk mediedatabas

External links

• Here You Come Again lyrics at Dolly Parton On-Line
• Listen to "Here You Come Again" on YouTube