“Pieces” had already been on release for more than two months when it finally made the country chart in early April 1961, and progressed to the Hot 100 in late May. But once she was recording, she got into the song and was all in favor of its release.Ĭountry radio, however, wasn’t - or at least not until Decca put some heavyweight promotion behind it and the track found an advocate at a pop station in Columbus, Ohio. Ironically, where Brenda Lee had thought “Pieces” too country for her pop style, Patsy viewed it the other way around, thinking it too pop for her audience. Patsy went into the studio to start taping it for Decca, but she had severe reservations about it at first, especially concerning the backing vocal role of the Jordanaires. Too country for pop, or too pop for country? Cline, who happened to be at the label offices at the same time, became aware of “I Fall To Pieces” and asked to record it.
Harlan pitched it to Decca Nashville producer Owen Bradley, who saw it turned down by Brenda Lee, Roy Drusky, and others. The demo had been recorded by Howard’s wife Jan, a very successful star in her own right who placed no fewer than 30 singles on the country chart. But then “I Fall To Pieces” is a song with an unusual history all around. In the 2020s, it’s not uncommon for a song to take a year to reach the country summit, but in those days, songs usually climbed to prominence much more quickly.
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