About The Song
“A Letter to My Heart” was written by Cindy Walker and recorded by Jim Reeves in late 1961 or early 1962 under the production of Chet Atkins. RCA Victor released it in the spring of 1962 as the B-side of the single “Adios Amigo.” While the A-side became a major country hit, “A Letter to My Heart” also received attention of its own.
The track reached number twenty on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It later appeared on posthumous compilations, including material associated with the *Distant Drums* album, and continued to circulate on various collections of Reeves’ recordings in the years that followed.
The lyric takes the form of a direct address from the singer to his own heart. He explains that the woman he loved has left him for another man and that the heart has continued to hope for her return. The singer then asks the heart to stop beating for her; if it cannot do so, he says, it should stop beating for him. The idea of writing a letter to one’s own heart gives the song a quiet, internal quality.
Reeves delivers the lines in his familiar smooth, restrained style. The arrangement remains understated, consistent with the polished Nashville Sound approach that characterized much of his work in this period. The song sits comfortably alongside other Cindy Walker compositions that Reeves recorded, including the later posthumous hit “Distant Drums.”
By 1962 Reeves had already established a strong run of country and crossover successes. Pairing “A Letter to My Heart” with “Adios Amigo” on the same single offered two different perspectives on loss and resignation, both handled with the same measured delivery. The B-side’s independent chart entry showed that the material itself carried enough weight to attract radio play beyond the strength of the A-side.
Within Reeves’ catalogue the song remains a lesser-known but characteristic example of the quiet ballads he recorded in the early 1960s. It reflects both the quality of the material he was choosing at the time and the controlled, conversational style that had become his hallmark.
Video
Lyric
Dear heart, there is something I must tell you
Something sad and so hard for me to say
For I know how much you always loved her
And how you always hoped that she’d come back someday
But day after day my hopes grow dimmer
As I watched life and love passing me by
And the life I live is empty and so lonely
But you just lived for her and slowly let me die
You know she left me for another
So give her up, let her go, let it be
Dear heart, if you won’t stop beating for her
Then, dear heart, stop beating for me
You know she left me for another
So give her up, let her go, let it be
Dear heart, if you won’t stop beating for her
Then, dear heart, stop beating for me