About The Song
“One by One” brought Kitty Wells and Red Foley together for a duet that became one of the biggest country records of 1954. Written by Johnnie Wright, Jack Anglin, and Jim Anglin, the song was recorded on October 1, 1953, at Castle Studio in Nashville’s Tulane Hotel. Decca released it in April 1954 as the flip side of “I’m a Stranger in My Home” on catalog number 29065. Although the A-side reached number twelve, “One by One” quickly overtook it and climbed the charts on its own strength.
The single debuted on Billboard’s country listings on May 22, 1954. It reached number one on the Most Played in Juke Boxes chart for one week dated July 31 and peaked at number two on both the Best Sellers in Stores and Most Played by Jockeys charts. Altogether it spent forty-one weeks on the country charts and finished the year ranked number two on Billboard’s year-end retail and jukebox lists, trailing only Hank Snow’s “I Don’t Hurt Anymore.” For Wells it marked her second number-one hit, following “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” two years earlier.
The lyric traces the slow collapse of a relationship built on broken promises. “One by one we’ve broke each vow we made / It was you who lied, it was me who paid,” the singers declare, moving through images of shattered dreams and the certainty that each false step will eventually demand payment. Wells’ clear, steady delivery pairs with Foley’s warm baritone, creating a conversation between two voices that sound equally weighed down by regret.
Wright, Wells’ husband, and the Anglin brothers were already established through the duo Johnnie & Jack. Their song gave Wells and Foley a vehicle that suited both artists at a pivotal moment. Foley, often called Mr. Country Music, was a major star with a string of hits behind him. Wells was still solidifying her place as the leading female country singer after her 1952 breakthrough. The duet’s success opened the door to further pairings, including “As Long as I Live,” which reached number three the following year.
The record also drew unexpected mail. Johnnie Wright later recalled that some listeners wrote to Wells urging her to stay home with her husband rather than “run around” with Foley on the road and in the studio. The reaction revealed how unusual it still was for a married woman to share the spotlight so openly with another male star. Yet the public kept buying the record, and the partnership continued for years.
Producer Paul Cohen oversaw the session, with musicians that included Jack Anglin and Johnnie Wright on guitar, Shot Jackson on steel, and Paul Warren on fiddle. The track later appeared on compilation albums such as Kitty Wells’ & Red Foley’s Golden Favorites. In the mid-1950s it stood as clear evidence that Wells could succeed not only as a solo voice of heartbreak but also as an equal partner in a major duet, helping to expand the possibilities open to women on the country charts.
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Lyric
One by one we’ve broke each vow we made
It was you who lied it was me who paid
As sure as there’s a heaven beyond the sun
We’ll pay for our lies one by one
My plans and hopes have tumbled down
My castle of dreams plunged to the ground
How can you face me after what you’ve done
You’ve shattered my dreams one by one
One by one we’ve broke each vow we made
It was you who lied it was me who paid
As sure as there’s a heaven beyond the sun
We’ll pay for our lies one by one
How can you go to sleep at night
Don’t know mem’ries make you long for daylight
You’ll pay the price after having your fun
You’ll regret each mistake one by one
The love I treasured you sold for gold
For wordly goods you left me cold
You’re happy now but the time will come
Your false love will lead you one by one
One by one we’ve broke each vow we made
It was you who lied it was me who paid
As sure as there’s a heaven beyond the sun
We’ll pay for our lies one by one…