Faded Love

"Faded Love"
Song

Faded Love was a song written by country singer Bob Wills and it became a hit for him as well. Just before Christmas in 1962, it was a modest hit for Jackie DeShannon. After that, in 1963, it became a hit for Patsy Cline.

Back in the 1950s, "Faded Love" was a hit song for Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. The song helped jumpstart Wills 's professional career in Coutry Music. The song was a hit for him in 1950 and became one of his signature songs. However, the song got its biggest success when Patsy Cline covered the song in 1963. The song became a hit for her as well, reaching #7 on the U.S. Country charts and it reached #96 on the Pop charts. Due to the private plane crash that ended Cline's life, it was never released on an album. Instead, it was released on a compilation album the following year entitled, 'A Portrait'.

Cover versions

Country music singer (Cline's friend), Dottie West recorded "Faded Love" for her 1968 album Country Girl.

Elvis Presley recorded this song in 1970.

In 1980, the song became popular again as a duet recording by Ray Price and Willie Nelson. Their duet version — which features Crystal Gayle singing harmony on the chorus — was the biggest hit version of "Faded Love," reaching No. 3 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in October 1980.

Predecessors and popular culture successors

The tune to Faded Love very closely approximates that of Darling Nellie Gray, written in 1856 by Benjamin Russell Hanby. Darling Nellie Gray can be heard on Johnny Gimble's CD, The Texas Fiddle Collection, cr 1989 by CMH Records, Inc.

The song was also mentioned in the 1984 Alabama song "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)".