"Simple Little Words" is a song written by Douglas Johnson that was originally 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, ...

music 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 in 1979 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 a top ten hit single on the country charts. The song was later released on Lane's 1979 album of the same name. It received positive reviews from writers and critics.

Background and recording

In the late 1970s, Cristy Lane rose to commercial success in country music after her husband formed his own record label. Her 1977 release titled " Let Me Down Easy" went into the top ten of the country charts and it was followed by several more major hits during the latter half of the decade. Lane recorded her next single release in February 1979 at the LSI Studio located in

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 ...

. "Simple Little Words" was composed by Douglas Johnson. The session was produced by

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 ...

who had been producing Lane's music since the mid 1970s. During the same session, she also recorded the track "He Believes in Me".

Release and reception

"Simple Little Words" was issued as a single on LS Records in March 1979. It was backed on the flip side by the song "He Believes in Me". It spent multiple weeks charting 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 ...

'' country songs survey and peaked at number ten. It became Lane's fifth top ten hit on the chart. On Canada's ''

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, the track reached the top 40, peaking at number 26. Lane then signed a recording contract with the later

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

in 1979, which released her 1979

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

of the same name. "Simple Little Words" received a positive review from ''Billboard'' magazine, who named it among its "Top Single Picks". Critics praised Lane's "soft delivery", which added a "nice effect" to the track's "electronic instrumentation".

Track listing

7" vinyl single * "Simple Little Words" – 3:22 * "He Believes in Me" – 3:42

Charts

References

{{Cristy Lane 1979 singles Cristy Lane songs LS Records singles Songs written by Doug Johnson (record producer)