About The Song
“A Dear John Letter” was written by Billy Barton, Fuzzy Owen, and Lewis Talley. Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky recorded the song on May 19, 1953, at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. Released in July of that year by Capitol Records, the single featured Shepard singing the main verses while Husky delivered a spoken recitation. It became the breakthrough hit that introduced both artists to a national audience.
The record topped the Billboard country chart and reached number four on the pop chart. It also performed strongly in other markets, including Australia. When the song hit number one on the country survey, Shepard, then nineteen years and nine months old, became the youngest female artist to achieve that distinction. She held the record for nearly two decades until Tanya Tucker topped the chart at an even younger age.
The lyric draws on the familiar “Dear John” letter motif and places it in the context of the Korean War. A soldier overseas receives a letter from his girlfriend explaining that her love has faded. She is marrying his brother Don and asks him to return her photograph because Don now wants it. The combination of sung and spoken sections heightens the emotional impact of the unexpected news.
Capitol producer Ken Nelson oversaw the session. The straightforward country arrangement and clear contrast between Shepard’s vocal and Husky’s spoken delivery helped the record stand out on both country and pop radio. The song’s timely wartime theme contributed to its broad appeal during a period when many listeners had personal connections to military service.
The success of “A Dear John Letter” led to a follow-up single, “Forgive Me, John,” which also charted well for the pair. Both artists went on to substantial careers of their own—Shepard as one of the pioneering female country stars of the 1950s and Husky as a major country hitmaker. Later covers, including a 1965 version by Bobby Bare and Skeeter Davis, kept the song in circulation.
Within the country music of the early 1950s, the Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky recording of “A Dear John Letter” remains a landmark. Its chart performance, role in launching two important careers, and status as a classic example of the wartime “Dear John” song have secured its place among the notable duets of the era.
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Lyric
Dear John, oh, how I hate to write
Dear John, I must let you know tonight
That my love for you has died away like grass upon the lawn
And tonight I wed another dear John
I was overseas in battle when the postman came to me
And he handed me a letter I was just as happy as I could be
For the fighting was all over and the battle have been won
Then I opened up the letter and that started, dear John
Dear John, oh, how I hate to write
Dear John, I must let you know tonight
That my love for you has died away like grass upon the lawn
And tonight I wed another dear John
Will you please send back my picture, my husband wants it now
And when I tell you who I’m wedding I know you won’t care, dear anyhow
Now the ceremony has just started and tonight I’ll wed your brother Don
Will you please wish us happiness forever, dear John?