Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

For the 1989 song written by Van Morrison, see Have I Told You Lately.

"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" is a popular song written by Scotty Wiseman and published in 1945. It was the greatest hit of Wiseman and his wife and one of the first country music songs to attract major attention in the pop music field.

Lulu Belle and Scotty version

"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"
Single by Lulu Belle and Scotty
B-side	"In the Heart of a Fool"
Released	1956
Format	7"
Recorded	1956
Genre	Country music
Label	Mercury records 70824
Writer(s)	Scotty Wiseman

Lulu Belle and Scotty released their version in 1956 on a Mercury Records 45 rpm single.

Elvis Presley version

The earliest and easily most prominent recording of Have I Told You Lately That I Love You in the early Rock era was the one by Elvis Presley. According to the book of the CD-boxset "Elvis - The Complete 50's Masters" Presley cut his recording of it on Jan. 19, 1957 at RCA's Radio Recorders in Hollywood for inclusion on his Loving You album. Session musicians for the song included himself on rhythm guitar, his usual lead guitarist Scotty Moore, with Bill Black on bass, D.J. Fontana on drums, piano by Dudley Brooks, organ by Hoyt Hawkins, and background vocals were of course The Jordanaires. When the song was included on the Loving You album release in July 1957 it precipitated both Ricky Nelson and Eddie Cochran to rush to immediately record cover versions of the song. Nelson's was the "b" side of a hit single ("Be Bop Baby") released Sept. 16, 1957, while Cochran's (recorded in Aug. '57) was an album cut (released Nov. 1957). The impact of the Elvis version was felt across the Atlantic.

Eddie Cochran version

"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"
Song

Eddie Cochran recorded his version in the summer of 1957 and was released on the album Singin' to My Baby. Musicians on the session were:

• Eddie Cochran - guitars, ukelele, vocals
• Perry Botkin, Sr. - rhythm guitar
• Connie "Guybo" Smith - double bass
• The Johnny Mann Chorus - backing vocals

Other versions

• Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters
• Bob Hope with Bing Crosby
• Patti Page
• Rosalie Allen
• Gene Autry
• The Beau Marks
• The Blue Diamonds (Netherlands, 1961)
• Jim Ed Brown
• The Canadian Sweethearts
• Tommy Collins
• Jill Corey
• Floyd Cramer
• Curly Joe & his Knights of the Range (1946)
• Adrienne Davidsen
• Skeeter Davis and Porter Wagoner
• Don Edwards
• George Faith
• Red Foley (1947)
• Billy Fury
• Geraldine (1982 pop cover)
• Stonewall Jackson
• Kitten
• Jerry Lee Lewis
• Vera Lynn
• Susan McCann
• Moon Mullican
• Ricky Nelson (as the B-side to Be-Bop Baby)
• Willie Nelson (on his 1967 album Make Way for Willie Nelson)
• Jim Reeves
• Cliff Richard
• Riders in the Sky
• Riders of the Purple Sage
• Tex Ritter (1946)
• Marty Robbins
• Johnny Rodriguez
• The Sons of the Pioneers
• Sissy Spacek (on her 1983 album Hangin' Up My Heart)
• Ringo Starr (on his 1970 album Sentimental Journey)
• Hank Thompson
• Wesley Tuttle
• Greg Vail
• Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra
• Bobby Vinton
• Patrick Wall
• Slim Whitman
• Hank Williams
• Mac Wiseman
• Faron Young
• Michael Bublé
• Little Jimmy Dickens

Charting versions

Year	Artist	Chart Positions
		U.S. C&W	U.S.	CAN
1946	Red Foley	5	—	—
1946	Gene Autry	3	—	—
1946	Tex Ritter	3	—	—
1950	Bing Crosby & Andrews Sisters	—	24	—
1957	Ricky Nelson	—	29	—
1957	Elvis Presley	—	—	13
1968	Kitty Wells & Red Foley	74	—	—

References

• Scotty Wiseman i Nashville Songwriters' Foundation