| Heartaches by the Number | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Guy Mitchell |
| B-Side: | Two |
| Released: | August 31, 1959 |
| Recorded: | August 24, 1959 |
| Studio: | Columbia Recording Studio A, New York City |
| Genre: | Country[1] |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Producer: | Joe Sherman |
| Prev Title: | I'm Gonna Leave You Now |
| Prev Year: | 1959 |
| Next Title: | The Same Old Me |
| Next Year: | 1960 |
"Heartaches by the Number" is a popular country song written by Harlan Howard,[2] and published in 1959. The sheet music was a best seller in both the US and Britain in January 1960.
The song mentions three heartaches, listed by the narrator:
The first one is when the narrator's lover leaves him. The lover returns, but never means to stay, and this causes the second round of anguish. Thirdly, the lover calls stating they plan to return but the narrator waits in vain for the knock on his door and suggests that the object of his affection has lost their way.
The chorus tells how the lover loves the narrator "less every day"; however, the narrator declares, "Each day I love you more." Although it is apparent that he has "heartaches by the number" and "a love that I can't win", the narrator asserts that the day he stops counting is the "day my world would end".
The biggest hit version was recorded by Guy Mitchell on August 24, 1959. The recording was released by Columbia Records on August 31, 1959, as catalog number 41476. It spent the weeks of December 14 and December 21, 1959 at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[3] After "Singing the Blues", this was Mitchell's second pop chart topper; it was also his last top-40 single on the Billboard charts. Columbia first issued a mono recording by Mitchell as a 7" 45 rpm single, which became the hit. Columbia later issued a stereo version of the song, also by Mitchell; however, the mono and stereo issues are two different recordings. In fact, the hit version has never appeared in stereo and only has appeared on a lone compact disc release (Hit Parade Records 12311, Hard to Find Jukebox Classics 1959: Pop Gold.) The video game does not feature his original Columbia Records version nor the later stereo version; rather, it is a 1980 re-recording made for K-Tel records.
| Chart (1959) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 | |
| U.K. Singles Charts | 5 | |
| U.S. Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles | 19 | |
| Norway VG-Lista[7] | 3 | |
| German Singles Charts | 2 |
| Chart (1965) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 35 | |
| U.S. Easy Listening | 4 | |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 14 |