"Let Me Down Easy" is a song first originally written and recorded by American singer–songwriter Lobo. The track first appeared on his 1972 album titled, '' Of a Simple Man''. In 1977, it was recorded by American

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer

Cristy Lane Cristy Lane (born Eleanor Johnston; January 8, 1940) is an American Christian and country music singer. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she had a series of hits on the North American country charts with songs like " Let Me Down Easy", " I Just ...

. It was released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

via

LS Records LS Records is an American record label. It was founded by Lee Stoller in 1975. The label is best known for distributing the works of country singer Cristy Lane, who is Stoller's wife. History In the mid 1970s, Lee Stoller chose to sign country mu ...

and became Lane's first major hit in the country music field. The song helped establish her career and would later be released on the 1977's ''

Cristy Lane Is the Name ''Cristy Lane Is the Name'' is a studio album by American country and Christian singer Cristy Lane. The album was released in February 1978 via LS Records and contained a total of 12 tracks. It was the second album issued in Lane's recording care ...

''. It received a positive response from writers and critics.

Lobo version

In the early 1970s, Lobo had several hits on the American

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

charts with songs like "

Me and You and a Dog Named Boo "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" is the 1971 debut single by Lobo (musician), Lobo. Written by Lobo under his real name Kent LaVoie, it appears on the ''Introducing Lobo'' album. Composition Lobo recalls: "I was working on several songs, includ ...

" and "

I'd Love You to Want Me "I'd Love You to Want Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lobo (musician), Lobo. It was released in September 1972 as the second single (music), single from his second album ''Of a Simple Man''. The song was Lobo's highest-charting hit o ...

". In 1972, he released his next album titled ''Of a Simple Man''. The album featured selections composed by Lobo, including "Let Me Down Easy", which was originally issued only as an album track on the project. The album was produced by

Phil Gernhard Phillip Arnold Gernhard (February 5, 1940 – February 22, 2008) was an American record producer, record label executive, and songwriter. He is best known for his successful collaborations in the 1960s and 1970s with Maurice Williams and the Zod ...

was released on

Big Tree Records Big Tree Records was a record label founded by Doug Morris in 1970. It was best known for releases by Lobo, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Brownsville Station, Johnny Rivers, Dave and Ansel Collins, Canadian band April Wine, pop/R&B vocal t ...

in October 1972 as a

vinyl LP The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specificati ...

Cristy Lane version

Background

After years attempting to launch his wife's country music singing career, Lee Stoller established his own recording label in the early 1970s titled

. The couple also moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

and Lane soon began recording exclusively for the label. By 1976, two Lane singles made the national country charts: "Tryin' to Forget About You" and "Sweet Deceiver". Stoller would later find Lane's next single release titled "Let Me Down Easy". The tune was composed by musician Lobo, along with Barry Sandlin and Barry Windslow. It was recorded in June 1977 at Stoller's LSI Studios, located in Nashville. The session was produced by Nashville songwriter

Charlie Black Charles Frank Black (November 23, 1949 – April 23, 2021) was an American country music songwriter and record producer. Biography Black graduated from University of Maryland in 1970 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee the same year. His first c ...

. Also recorded during the same session were the track "This Is The First Time (I've Seen The Last Time On Your Face)" and "I Sure Wear My Memory Well".

Release and reception

"Let Me Down Easy" was issued as a single in August 1977 on LS Records. It was backed on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

by "This Is The First Time (I've Seen The Last Time On Your Face)". The single spent multiple weeks on the ''

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 ...

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 and eventually reached number seven. It became Lane's first major hit as a country artist and her first of several top ten hit records. The track also peaked at number 28 on the Canadian ''

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 Songs chart, becoming her first single to chart there. "Let Me Down Easy" was included on Lane's second studio record, which was issued in 1978 titled ''

''. In their review of ''Cristy Lane Is the Name'', ''Billboard'' magazine named "Let Me Down Easy" among the record's "best cuts". In later years, Lindsay Planer of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

positively commented on the song, calling it a "hot-steppin' break-up song".

Track listing

7" vinyl single * "Let Me Down Easy" – 2:26 * "This Is The First Time (I've Seen The Last Time On Your Face)" – 3:24

Charts

References

{{Cristy Lane 1972 songs 1977 singles Cristy Lane songs LS Records singles Lobo (musician) songs Songs written by Lobo (musician)