''We Only Make Believe'' is the first collaborative studio album by

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

and

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

. It was released on February 1, 1971, by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

. This was the first of ten albums Twitty and Lynn would release. The album's first track is a cover of Twitty's solo hit "

It's Only Make Believe "It's Only Make Believe" is a song written by drummer Jack Nance and Mississippi-born singer Conway Twitty, while they were touring across Ontario, Canada, in 1958. Twitty was a relatively unknown rock n' roll singer at the time, and this song w ...

", which Twitty co-wrote with Jack Nance. Lynn wrote two tracks for the album, "Don't Tell Me You're Sorry" and "We Closed Our Eyes to Shame". "I'm So Used to Loving You", another of Twitty's compositions, also appears on the album.

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine's review of the album in the issue dated February 20, 1971, said, ""After the Fire Is Gone" on this LP is the hit, but Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn reveal that they've established themselves as a major country duo. Standout tunes include "It's Only Make Believe" and a very sparkling "Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries" that has definite hit appeal. Good LP. Bound to sell big." In the February 13, 1971 issue, '' Cashbox'' published a review on the album, which read, "Needless to say, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn are two of the most highly acclaimed country singers. Singularly, each has a string of hit records too numerous to name. Having already released a single together, "After the Fire Is Gone", which is currently on both the country and pop charts, ''We Only Make Believe'' is the duo's first album effort. Their first venture includes "We've Closed Our Eyes to Shame", "Don't Tell Me You're Sorry", "Take Me", "The One I Can't Live Without", and the Twitty classic now done with Loretta, "It's Only Make Believe". LP will establish Twitty and Lynn as one of the most popular and talented country duos of all time." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

s review of the album said, "This is the one everyone has been anticipating for weeks. The single, "After the Fire Is Gone," is already jumping into charts. Rock-a-billy fans will wig out over cut one, side two. Great album. "It's Only Make Believe", "Will You Visit Me on Sunday", "Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries", "Hangin' On", and "Working Girl"."

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 3 on the US ''

'' Hot Country LPs chart and No. 78 on the US ''Billboard'' Top LPs, the duo's highest-charting album on that chart. The album was also certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in 1988. The album's first and only single, "

After the Fire Is Gone "After the Fire Is Gone" is a song written by L. E. White, and recorded by American country music artists Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty as a duet. It was released in January 1971 as the only single from the LP '' We Only Make Believe''. "After t ...

", was released in January 1971 and peaked at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart at No. 56 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. In Canada, the single peaked at No. 4 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Country Singles chart.

Recording

Recording sessions for the album took place on November 9, 10 and 11, 1970, at

Bradley's Barn Bradley's Barn was a music recording studio founded in the mid-1960s by Owen Bradley. The studio was built in a converted barn on farmland in the Nashville suburb of Mount Juliet, and was the site of numerous notable recordings by artists includ ...

in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes and Decca recording session records. *Larry Barbier – photography *Harold Bradley – bass guitar *Owen Bradley – producer *Ray Edenton – acoustic guitar *John Hughey – steel guitar *Darrell Johnson – mastering *The Jordanaires – background vocals *Loretta Lynn – lead vocals *Tommy Markham – drums *Bob Moore – bass *Hargus Robbins – piano *Jerry Smith – piano *Conway Twitty – lead vocals * Herman Wade – electric guitar *Jim Williamson – engineer

Charts

Album Singles

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1971 albums Vocal duet albums Conway Twitty albums Loretta Lynn albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Decca Records albums