Released November 1972 Genre Country | Format 7" Length 2:48 | |
B-side Sweet Things I Remember About You Recorded March 12, 1972
Bradley's Barn,
Mount Juliet, Tennessee | ||
"The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" is a 1972 song written by Bill Anderson and made famous by country music singer Cal Smith.
Song background
Smith, who had first gained fame performing with Ernest Tubb's Texas Trubadors in the 1960s, released a series of minor hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It wasn't until 1972 when he hit the top 5 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart with "I've Found Someone of My Own" (a cover of the Free Movement pop hit). Later in 1972, he released what became his first No. 1 hit, the Anderson-penned "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking."
A sharp denunciation of small-town religious self-righteousness, "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" was his first No. 1 country hit in March, as part of a 15-week stay on in the Billboard country chart's top 40. The record was also Smith's only single to cross over to the pop chart, where it peaked at number 64.
"The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" was one of the last country music hits for the original Decca Records; in early 1973, the label was dropped in favor of MCA Records, where Smith continued recording and enjoying success.