"Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" is a song written by H.B. Hall that has been recorded multiple times. It was originally recorded and 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 ...

by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

singer

Johnny Rodriguez Juan Raoul Davis "Johnny" Rodriguez (born December 10, 1951) is an American country music singer. He is a Tejano and Texas country music singer, infusing his music with Latin sounds, and even singing verses of songs in Spanish. In the 1970s and ...

. His version of the song became a top ten in North America. In 1980, it was released as a single by American country artist

Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen singles in the top ten of the ''Billboard'' ...

, whose version reached the top 40 in North America.

Background and recording

Johnny Rodriguez was discovered in Texas by

Bobby Bare Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs " Marie Laveau", "Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Early ...

and

Tom T. Hall Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "the Storyteller," was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more ...

. In a short period of time, Rodriguez signed a recording contract with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

and started releasing music shortly afterward. In his first recording sessions, Rodriguez cut "Pass Me (If You're Only Passing Through)", a song composed by H.B. Hall. Along with two other selections, the song was cut at the Mercury Custom Studio in Nashville by producer

Jerry Kennedy Jerry Glenn Kennedy (born 10 August 1940)Cusic, Don. (1998) "Jerry Kennedy". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 277–278. is an American record producer, songwriter and guitar pl ...

. The session was held in September 1972.

Release and chart performance

A month after his recording session, Mercury released "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" as a single in October 1972. It was backed on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

by a cover of the song "

Jealous Heart "Jealous Heart" is a classic C&W song written by American country music singer-songwriter Jenny Lou Carson. In the mid 1940s it spent nearly six months on the Country & Western charts. It was subsequently recorded by several pop singers. E ...

". The single was originally issued as a seven inch vinyl record. The single spent 18 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 Songs chart, peaking at number nine in January 1973. In Canada, the single also reached the top ten of the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimension ...

'' Country chart, climbing to number seven. Rodriguez's commercial success made him the first Latin-American person to have a top ten hit single on the country charts. "Pass Me By" was released on his debut studio album on Mercury called ''Introducing Johnny Rodriguez'' (1973).

Track listing

7" vinyl single * "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" – 2:30 * "

" – 2:06

Chart performance

Other versions

"Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" has been covered by multiple artists since its original release. In 1973,

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

recorded a version that appeared on her studio album '' Keep Me in Mind''. The same year, versions were cut by several more artists including

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...

and

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity ...

. In 1974, it was recorded by

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

for his studio album ''

The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and Andy Wilman, made for Amazon exclusively for its online streaming service Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November ...

'' Among other cover versions was by Canadian artist

Paul Brandt Paul Rennée Belobersycky (born July 21, 1972), known professionally as Paul Brandt, is a Canadian country music artist. Growing up in Calgary, he was a pediatric RN at the time of his big break. In 1996, he made his mark on the country music c ...

whose version appeared on his 1996 album '' Calm Before the Storm''.

Janie Fricke version

Janie Fricke would later become among the most commercially successful female artists in country music during the 1980s. Yet in the 1970s, she was still trying to find her musical identify after signing a contract with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1977. Among her early singles was a cover of "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)". It was produced by

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner G ...

at the Columbia Studio in August 1979. Fricke's version of the song was released as a single on Columbia Records in January 1980. It was backed on the

by "This Ain't Tennessee and He Ain't You". It was issued as a seven inch vinyl single and reached number 22 on America's ''

'' Hot Country Songs chart after 12 weeks on the list. On Canada's ''RPM'' Country Songs chart, it reached the top 20, peaking at number 19. The song was later included on Fricke's third studio album ''From the Heart'' (1979). Track listing 7" vinyl single * "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" – 2:58 * "This Ain't Tennessee and He Ain't You" – 3:57 Charts

References

{{Johnny Rodriguez 1972 songs 1972 debut singles 1980 singles Columbia Records singles Janie Fricke songs Johnny Rodriguez songs Mercury Records singles Song recordings produced by Jerry Kennedy Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill