If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')

"If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')"
Single by Faron Young
from the album This Is Faron Young
B-side"If That's the Fashion"
Released1954
GenreCountry
Length2:34
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Tommy Collins
Faron Young singles chronology
"A Place for Girls Like You"
(1954) 		"If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')"
(1954) 		"Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young"
(1955)

"If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" is a song written by Tommy Collins and originally recorded by country music artist Faron Young.

George Strait version

"If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')"
Single by George Strait
from the album If You Ain't Lovin', You Ain't Livin'
B-side"Is It That Time Again"
ReleasedAugust 22, 1988
RecordedSeptember 30, 1987
GenreHonky-tonk[1]
Length2:17
LabelMCA 53400
Songwriter(s)Tommy Collins
Producer(s)Jimmy Bowen & George Strait
George Strait singles chronology
"Baby Blue"
(1988) 		"If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')"
(1988) 		"Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye"
(1988)

It was also covered by George Strait on his 1988 album If You Ain't Lovin', You Ain't Livin'. His version became his 15th number 1 single in the U.S.

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B− grade, saying that it "features Strait singing in such an exaggerated twang that the entire proceedings feel more campy than country."[2]

Chart performance

"If You Ain't Lovin'" reached number two for three weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for Faron Young in 1954.[3]

George Strait's version was a chart topper in 1988, his eighth consecutive single to do so.[4]

Faron Young

Chart (1954–1955) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 2

George Strait

Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks[7] 1

References

  1. ^ ""If You Ain't Lovin' You Ain't Livin'"". Apple Music. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  2. ^ CountryUniverse.net Song review
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 404.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 336.
  5. ^ "Faron Young Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "RPM 100 Country Singles" (PDF). RPM. December 24, 1988.