Flashback: See George Jones Sing ‘She Thinks I Still Care’ in Vintage Clip
By 1962, Mercury Records artist George Jones had left that label for United Artists. He’d had two long-running Number One hits with the former label – “White Lightning” (five weeks at Number One) and “Tender Years” (seven weeks on top) – and “She Thinks I Still Care,” which reached the chart pinnacle 55 years ago today, on May 19th, 1962, would split the difference, spending six weeks at Number One. The Dickey Lee-Steve Duffy- penned weeper would become one of the longest-lived country hits of all-time on the strength of Jones’ memorable performance, mixing pain and heartache with an ironic sense of denial and a dash of self pity.
Recorded
Twelve years after it reached Number One on the country chart, the tune returned to the top in a distaff version, “He Thinks I Still Care,” recorded by Anne Murray. Closer in time to the original, female artists including Cher and Connie Francis also put the female perspective on it, while later versions included ones by Elvis Presley, Little Willie John, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a 1970 cut by Glen Campbell. The song is among those
Days after the Possum died in April 2014, several artists paid homage to him with performances of this song and others at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival at
In 1998, Jones’ recording of “She Thinks I Still Care” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.