About The Song
“Hello Darlin'” is a country song written and recorded by American country music artist Conway Twitty. It was released as a single on March 23, 1970, by Decca Records under catalog number 32661. The track served as the first single and title song from Twitty’s album Hello Darlin’, also issued in 1970. Produced by Owen Bradley, the single features the B-side “Girl at the Bar.” The recording runs 2:29 in length and was cut on November 18, 1969, at Bradley’s Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
Twitty composed the song himself. Sources indicate he wrote it during his earlier rock and roll period in the late 1950s or around 1960 and stored the unfinished material. After transitioning fully to country music in the late 1960s, he retrieved the song and presented it to producer Owen Bradley. During the 1969 session, Twitty was dissatisfied with the sung delivery of the opening line. Bradley suggested speaking the words “Hello darlin’, nice to see you” instead of singing them. This spoken introduction became a defining feature of the recording. Session personnel included Grady Martin on electric guitar, Ray Edenton on acoustic guitar, John Hughey on steel guitar, Larry Butler on piano, Harold Bradley on electric bass guitar, Bob Moore on bass, Tommy Markham on drums, and background vocals by Joe E. Lewis and The Anita Kerr Singers.
The single entered the Billboard charts in 1970. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and held the top position for four consecutive weeks during the summer of 1970 (beginning in early June). It was later named the number-one country song of 1970 by Billboard. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 60. It also reached number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. This marked Twitty’s fourth number-one single on the Billboard country chart. The original 1970 release later received RIAA Platinum certification for one million units, with an additional Gold Mastertone certification for ringtone sales.
The parent album Hello Darlin’ contains eleven tracks and includes covers such as “Rocky Top,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” and original material written or co-written by Twitty. The album continued Twitty’s series of releases under Owen Bradley’s production following his move to Decca Records. “Hello Darlin'” became Twitty’s standard concert opener and his signature song. When performing with Loretta Lynn, he frequently directed the song toward her. The recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 1975, as part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, American astronauts played a Russian-language version of the song titled “Privet Radost” to Soviet cosmonauts as a goodwill gesture. Twitty recorded the phonetic Russian version with assistance from a University of Oklahoma language professor; it was issued as a special single that year and later included in the box set The Conway Twitty Collection.
Cover versions include recordings by Loretta Lynn (on her 1971 album Coal Miner’s Daughter), George Jones (1972 and again in 1993 on High Tech Redneck), Lynn Anderson, Charlie Rich, Wanda Jackson, Charley Pride, Faron Young, and others. The song has appeared on numerous Twitty compilations and greatest-hits collections issued by Decca, MCA, and Universal labels over subsequent decades.
Chart documentation confirms the single’s primary success on country formats with modest pop crossover. The spoken opening line and structure distinguish the recording within Twitty’s catalog of the period. Publishing credits list Twitty as the sole writer. The track formed part of the sequence of Decca releases that established Twitty as a consistent commercial presence on the country charts in the early 1970s. No significant additional U.S. chart peaks beyond the documented positions are recorded for the original single.
Later catalog editions preserve the 1969 masters. Session details align with standard Nashville practices under Owen Bradley. The song remains documented as Twitty’s fourth country number one and the top country single of 1970 according to Billboard year-end rankings. International chart activity beyond Canada is limited in primary sources for this release.
The album and single helped solidify Twitty’s transition from his earlier rock and roll recordings of the late 1950s and early 1960s to a sustained country career. Subsequent singles from the same period included additional chart entries such as “Fifteen Years Ago.” Catalog reissues continue to feature the track across various formats.
Video
Lyric
Hello darlin’, nice to see you
It’s been a long time
You’re just as lovely as you used to be
How’s your new love?
Are you happy?
Hope you’re doin’ fine
Just to know it means so much to meWhat’s that, darlin’?
How am I doin’?
I’m doin’ alright
Except I can’t sleep and I cry all night ’til dawn
What I’m trying to say is I love you and I miss you
And I’m so sorry that I did you wrongLook up, darlin’
Let me kiss you just for old times’ sake
Let me hold you in my arms one more time
Thank you, darlin’
May God bless you
And each step you take
Bring you closer to the things you seek to findGoodbye, darlin’
Gotta go now
Gotta try to find a way
To lose these memories of a love so warm and true
And if you should ever find it in your heart to forgive me
Come back, darlin’
I’ll be waitin’ for you