"When You Say Nothing at All" is a country song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. It is among the best-known hit songs for three different performers: Keith Whitley, who took it to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on December 24, 1988; Alison Krauss, whose version became her first solo top-10 country hit in 1995; and Irish pop singer Ronan Keating, whose version was his first solo single and a chart-topper in the United Kingdom in 1999.
![You say it best when you say nothing at all[Day134]*](http://farm1.staticflickr.com/209/498540402_871af4e5ea_q.jpg)
| "When You Say Nothing at All" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Single by Keith Whitley | ||||
| from the album Don't Close Your Eyes | ||||
| B-side | "Lucky Dog" | |||
| Released | August 1988 | |||
| Format | 7" vinyl single | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Writer(s) | Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz | |||
| Producer | Garth Fundis, Keith Whitley | |||
| Keith Whitley singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"When You Say Nothing at All" is a country song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. It is among the best-known hit songs for three different performers: Keith Whitley, who took it to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on December 24, 1988; Alison Krauss, whose version became her first solo top-10 country hit in 1995; and Irish pop singer Ronan Keating, whose version was his first solo single and a chart-topper in the United Kingdom in 1999.
Contents |
Origin[edit]
Overstreet and Schlitz came up with "When You Say Nothing at All" at the end of an otherwise unproductive day. Strumming a guitar, trying to write their next song, they were coming up empty. "As we tried to find another way to say nothing, we came up with the song," Overstreet later told author Ace Collins. They thought the song was OK, but nothing special.[1] When Keith Whitley heard it, he loved it, and was not going to let it get away.[1] Earlier, he had recorded another Overstreet-Schlitz composition that became a No. 1 hit for another artist - Randy Travis' "On the Other Hand." Whitley did not plan to let "When You Say Nothing at All" meet the same fate.[1][2]
Keith Whitley[edit]
RCA released "When You Say Nothing at All" as the follow-up single to the title song of Whitley's Don't Close Your Eyes album. The former song already had hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, his first chart-topper after three prior singles made the top 10.[3] "When You Say Nothing at All" entered the Hot Country Singles chart on September 17, 1988, at No. 61, and gradually rose to the top, where it stayed for two weeks at the end of the year.[1][2] It was the second of five consecutive chart-topping singles for Whitley, who did not live to see the last two, as he died on May 9, 1989 of alcohol poisoning.[3] "Keith did a great job singin' that song," co-composer Schlitz told author Tom Roland. "He truly sang it from the heart."[2] In 2004, Whitley's original was ranked 12th among CMT's 100 Greatest Love Songs.[4] It was sung by Sara Evans on the show.
Tracklisting[edit]
- "When You Say Nothing At All"
- "Lucky Dog"
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Alison Krauss[edit]
Krauss, already a veteran bluegrass fiddler and vocalist at age 23, recorded "When You Say Nothing at All" with her group, Union Station, in 1994 for a tribute album to Whitley. After the song began to receive unsolicited airplay, BNA Records, the label that had released the album, issued Krauss' version to radio in January 1995.[6] That version, also featured on Krauss' compilation Now That I've Found You: A Collection, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and a commercial single reached No. 2 on the same magazine's Hot Country Singles Sales chart.[3] Its success, as well as that of the album, caught Krauss by surprise. "It's a freak thing," she told a Los Angeles Times reporter in March 1995. "It's kinda ticklin' us all. We haven't had anything really chart before. At all. Isn't it funny though? We don't know what's goin' on....The office said, 'Hey, it's charting,' and we're like, 'Huh?'"[7] While Krauss' version was on the charts, Mike Cromwell, then the production director at WMIL-FM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, concocted a duet merging elements of Krauss' version with Whitley's original hit version. The "duet" garnered national attention, and it spread from at least Philadelphia to Albuquerque,[8] and has been heard on radio stations in California as well. It was never officially serviced to radio and has never been available commercially. Krauss' recording won the 1995 CMA award for "Single of the Year". The song has been featured a couple of times in the soap opera The Young and the Restless. Krauss' version was also used in the 1999 motion picture "The Other Sister".
Tracklisting[edit]
- "When You Say Nothing at All"
- "Charlotte's In North Carolina"
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 7 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] | 91 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 53 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[11] | 3 |
Ronan Keating[edit]
| "When You Say Nothing at All" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Single by Ronan Keating | ||||
| from the album Ronan, Notting Hill and By Request | ||||
| Released | July 26, 1999 | |||
| Format | CD single, cassette single | |||
| Recorded | 1999; Metropolis and the Aquarium (London, United Kingdom) |
|||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Stephen Lipson | |||
| Ronan Keating singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"When You Say Nothing at All" is the debut solo single by Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating. The song was recorded in 1999 for the soundtrack of the film Notting Hill. It also appeared on Keating's debut solo album, Ronan. The song was released on July 26, 1999 in the United Kingdom. It peaked at number-one in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. In the UK, the single was certified gold. Keating has received a lot of bad press in recent years passing off the song as his own work when he, in fact, covered the original.
The Italian-Brazilian singer Deborah Blando recorded "When You Say Nothing at All" in English and Portuguese for the Brazilian version. The single reached the top 10 in the Latin charts. In 2003, Keating re-recorded the song as a duet with Mexican singer Paulina Rubio, which was released in Mexico and Latin America to promote Keating's second studio album, Destination.
Track listing[edit]
- UK CD single #1
- "When You Say Nothing at All" – 4:18
- "When You Say Nothing at All" (Acoustic Version) – 3:30
- "This Is Your Song" – 4:03
- "When You Say Nothing at All" (Music Video) – 4:25
- UK CD single #2
- "When You Say Nothing At All" – 4:18
- "At The End Of A Perfect Day" – 4:37
- "I Will Miss You" – 3:05
- UK Cassette single
- "When You Say Nothing at All" – 4:18
- "This Is Your Song" – 4:03
Charts and certifications[edit]
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[12] | 3 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] | 5 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15] | 38 |
| Denmark (IFPI)[16] | 6 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] | 5 |
| France (SNEP)[18] | 41 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[19] | 6 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[20] | 1 |
| Italy (FIMI)[21] | 6 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[22] | 5 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[23] | 1 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[24] | 5 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] | 2 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] | 4 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[27] | 1 |
Certifications[edit]
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Australia | Platinum[28] |
| Norway | Gold[29] |
| United Kingdom | Gold[30] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Collins, Ace (1996). The Stories Behind Country Music's All-Time Greatest 100 Songs. New York: Boulevard. p. 268. ISBN 1-57297-072-3.
- ^ a b c Roland, Tom (1991). The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits. New York: Billboard. p. 539. ISBN 0-8230-7553-2.
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2005). Top Country Songs 1944-2005. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 416. ISBN 0-89820-165-9.
- ^ CMT. "100 Greatest Love Songs". Retrieved 2007-05-22.
- ^ "Keith Whitley Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Country Songs for Keith Whitley. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ Horak, Terri (1995-01-21). "Rounder Goes All Out for Grammy-Nominated Krauss". Billboard. Accessed via ProQuest.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (1995-03-25). "A Hit from Country's Kinfolk / Bluegrass's most prominent figure makes her way into country music's Top 10. Even Alison Krauss can't explain it.". Los Angeles Times. p. F1. Accessed via ProQuest.
- ^ Cave, Kathy (1995-05-05). "Whitley, Krauss blend grabs national attention". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. B8. Accessed via ProQuest.
- ^ "Alison Krauss" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Alison Krauss Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Alison Krauss. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Alison Krauss Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Country Songs for Alison Krauss. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Australian-charts.com – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All" (in French). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ Billboard. Billboard September 25, 1999. Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ "Finnishcharts.com – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All". Suomen virallinen lista. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irish Recorded Music Association. Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All". Top Digital Download. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Ronan Keating search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Charts.org.nz – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All". VG-lista. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje – Trofeer" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. 1999. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ "British Phonographic Industry". British Phonographic Industry. 1999-07-30. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
External links[edit]
| Preceded by "A Tender Lie" by Restless Heart |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single (Keith Whitley) December 24, 1988 — December 31, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Hold Me" by K.T. Oslin |
| Preceded by "Livin' la Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin |
UK Singles Chart number one single (Ronan Keating) August 1, 1999 — August 14, 1999 |
Succeeded by "If I Let You Go" by Westlife |
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
- 1988 singles
- 1995 singles
- 1999 singles
- Alison Krauss & Union Station songs
- Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles
- Keith Whitley songs
- Number-one singles in Italy
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Number-one singles in New Zealand
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Paulina Rubio songs
- Ronan Keating songs
- Songs written by Don Schlitz
- Songs written by Paul Overstreet
- Boyzone songs
- Song recordings produced by Garth Fundis
- Song recordings produced by Stephen Lipson
- RCA Records singles
- Polydor Records singles
- Pop ballads
- Music videos directed by Xavier Gens
![Ronan Keating - When You Say Nothing At All [Lyrics in Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d3_AHSrR7z4/default.jpg)
![When You Say Nothing At All || Ronan Keating - Lyrics [HD Kara+Vietsub]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3OTJl2cS91k/default.jpg)
