About The Song
“Once a Day” was written by Bill Anderson and recorded by Connie Smith as her debut single for RCA Victor. The session took place on July 16, 1964, at RCA Studio B in Nashville under the production of Bob Ferguson. Released on August 1, 1964, with “The Threshold” as the B-side, the record quickly climbed the charts and became Smith’s signature song. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the week of November 28, 1964, and remained there for eight consecutive weeks.
The achievement marked the first time a female artist had topped the country chart with a debut single. The eight-week run at number one also stood as the longest by a female solo country artist for nearly fifty years, until it was surpassed in 2012. The single appeared on Smith’s self-titled debut album, released in March 1965, which itself reached number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Bill Anderson had discovered Smith after she won a talent contest in Ohio in 1963. He helped secure her recording contract with RCA and later provided the song that launched her career. Anderson originally wrote “Once a Day” with a male singer in mind, but when Smith expressed interest he encouraged her to record it. The lyric describes a woman trying to recover from a broken relationship, claiming she only cries once a day—yet that once lasts all day long, and again from dusk until dawn.
Smith’s clear, distinctive voice and the polished Nashville Sound arrangement gave the record immediate appeal. Chet Atkins, who oversaw RCA’s Nashville operations, assigned Ferguson to produce because his own schedule was full. The result introduced a new artist who would go on to place a string of top-ten country singles through the rest of the decade.
Although “Once a Day” remained Smith’s only solo number-one hit, it established her as one of the leading female country voices of the 1960s. Follow-up singles such as “Then and Only Then” continued her presence in the upper ranks of the charts. The song has stayed closely identified with her throughout a long career that later included gospel recordings and continued performances.
Within the history of country music, “Once a Day” stands as both a commercial milestone and a defining introduction. Its combination of strong songwriting, careful production, and an unexpected length of time at the top of the chart helped open the door for Smith’s subsequent success and left a lasting mark on the genre’s record books.
Video
Lyric
When you found somebody new
I thought I never would
Forget you for I thought then I never could
But time has taken all the pains away
Until now, I’m down to hurtin’ once a day
Once a day (once a day)
All-day long (all day long)
And once a night (once a night)
From dusk ’til dawn (dusk ’til dawn)
The only time
I wish you weren’t gone
Is once a day, every day, all day long
I’m so glad that I’m not like a girl I knew one time
She lost the one she loved then slowly lost her mind
She sat around and cried her life away
Lucky me, I’m only cryin’ once a day
Once a day (once a day)
All-day long (all day long)
And once a night (once a night)
From dusk ’til dawn (dusk ’til dawn)
The only time
I wish you weren’t gone
Is once a day, every day, all day long
Once a day, every day, all day long