That's Why I Love You Like I Do
Encyclopedia
"That's Why I Love You Like I Do" is a song country music
song originally made famous by Sonny James
. The song had two runs of popularity for James, one in 1956 and the other in 1972, each under a different title and with a distinctive arrangement.
. An electric guitar-heavy, slow-tempoed song, "You're the Reason ..." was the B-side to the better-known "Young Love" (James' first major hit). While "Young Love" went on to be a massive country and pop
hit, "You're the Reason ..." concurrently fared well on country radio, reaching No. 6 of the Billboard magazine Most Played C&W by Jockeys
chart in early 1957.
, a run that had seen him score 16 consecutive No. 1 songs in as many single releases. In March 1972, his cover of Gene Pitney
's "Only Love Can Break a Heart
" stopped at No. 2 (held out by labelmate Freddie Hart
's "My Hangup is You"), the first James song that failed to reach the top of Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart since 1967.
James, meanwhile, had re-recorded "You're the Reason ..." in a faster-tempoed rendition, complete with a horn section. The new version was retitled "That's Why I Love You Like I Do" (for the last line in the refrain), and was released in April. By mid-June, James had returned to the top of the Billboard country chart.
The song became James' 22nd No. 1 hit; had "Only Love Can Break a Heart" reached the top, "That's Why I Love You ..." would have been his 18th straight No. 1 song. It was also James' final No. 1 hit — and major hit — for Capitol Records; during 1972, he signed a contract with Columbia Records
, where he had two more No. 1 hits (including the follow-up, "When the Snow is on the Roses
") and several more Top 10 hits.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song originally made famous by Sonny James
Sonny James
James Loden , known professionally as Sonny James, is an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love". Dubbed the Southern Gentleman, James had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983, including a five-year streak of 16 straight among his 23 No. 1...
. The song had two runs of popularity for James, one in 1956 and the other in 1972, each under a different title and with a distinctive arrangement.
1956 version
James' original version was recorded in 1956 as "You're the Reason I'm In Love," for the beginning line of the refrainRefrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
. An electric guitar-heavy, slow-tempoed song, "You're the Reason ..." was the B-side to the better-known "Young Love" (James' first major hit). While "Young Love" went on to be a massive country and pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
hit, "You're the Reason ..." concurrently fared well on country radio, reaching No. 6 of the Billboard magazine Most Played C&W by Jockeys
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in early 1957.
1972 version
In late 1971, James was about to wrap up a successful stay at Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, a run that had seen him score 16 consecutive No. 1 songs in as many single releases. In March 1972, his cover of Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
's "Only Love Can Break a Heart
Only Love Can Break a Heart
"Only Love Can Break a Heart" is the title of a popular song from 1962 by the American singer-songwriter Gene Pitney. The song was written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach and appears on Pitney's second album Only Love Can Break a Heart.Pitney had enjoyed some success as a songwriter prior to...
" stopped at No. 2 (held out by labelmate Freddie Hart
Freddie Hart (musician)
Frederick Segrest , known professionally as Freddie Hart, is an American country musician and songwriter best-known for his No. 1 hit "Easy Loving," which won the Country Music Association Song of the Year award in 1971 and 1972....
's "My Hangup is You"), the first James song that failed to reach the top of Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart since 1967.
James, meanwhile, had re-recorded "You're the Reason ..." in a faster-tempoed rendition, complete with a horn section. The new version was retitled "That's Why I Love You Like I Do" (for the last line in the refrain), and was released in April. By mid-June, James had returned to the top of the Billboard country chart.
The song became James' 22nd No. 1 hit; had "Only Love Can Break a Heart" reached the top, "That's Why I Love You ..." would have been his 18th straight No. 1 song. It was also James' final No. 1 hit — and major hit — for Capitol Records; during 1972, he signed a contract with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where he had two more No. 1 hits (including the follow-up, "When the Snow is on the Roses
When the Snow Is on the Roses
"When the Snow Is on the Roses" is a country music song made famous by Sonny James. The record became an Adult Contemporary hit for Ed Ames in 1967, spending four weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening chart, but only reached #98 on the Billboard Hot 100....
") and several more Top 10 hits.
Chart performance
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |