Once a Day

"Once a Day" is a song written by Bill Anderson and recorded as the debut single by American country artist Connie Smith. It was produced by Bob Ferguson for her self-titled debut album. The song was released in August 1964, topping the Billboard country music chart for eight weeks between late 1964 and early 1965. It was the first debut single by a female country artist to reach number one, and held the record for the most weeks spent at number one by a female country artist until it was surpassed by Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" in December 2012.

This song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for the week of November 28, 1964, and it stayed at number one for eight consecutive weeks.

Background and content

"Once a Day" was written by American country artist, Bill Anderson, especially for Connie Smith. Originally recorded by Smith as a demo, the song was officially recorded at her first session with RCA Victor Records on July 16, 1964 at Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. Produced by Bob Ferguson, the session was accompanied by Nashville's "A-Team" of musicians, which included members of Anderson's touring band, The Po' Boys. The song itself describes a woman who has not gotten over her previous lover. Although the woman explains that she has limited her grieving to "once a day," it is later found out that she is grieving, "once a day, every day, all day long." The song's chorus is repeated twice throughout the song and goes as follows: