The Lord Knows I'm Drinking

"The Lord Knows I'm Drinking"
Single by Cal Smith
from the album I've Found Someone of My Own
B-side	Sweet Things I Remember About You
Released	November 1972
Format	7"
Recorded	March 12, 1972 Bradley's Barn, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Genre	Country
Length	2:48
Label	Decca Records 33040
Writer(s)	Bill Anderson
Producer(s)	Walter Haynes
Cal Smith singles chronology
"For My Baby" (1972) "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" (1973) "I Can Feel the Leaving Coming On" (1973)

"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,^[1] "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.^[2] 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.

Chart performance

Chart (1972–1973)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	64
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

References

1. Manheim, James, "Cal Smith" at Allmusic. Retrieved 5-4-2010.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 317.