1959 single by Guy Mitchell
"Heartaches by the Number" is a popular country song written by Harlan Howard,[2] and published in 1959. The sheet music was a best seller in both the US and Britain in January 1960.[3]
Background
The song mentions three heartaches, listed by the narrator:
The first one is when the narrator's lover leaves him. The lover returns, but never means to stay, and this causes the second round of anguish. Thirdly, the lover calls stating they plan to return but the narrator waits in vain for the knock on his door and suggests that the object of his affection has lost their way.
The chorus tells how the lover loves the narrator "less every day"; however, the narrator declares, "Each day I love you more." Although it is apparent that he has "heartaches by the number" and "a love that I can't win", the narrator asserts that the day he stops counting is the "day my world would end".
Guy Mitchell version
The biggest hit version was recorded by Guy Mitchell on August 24, 1959. It reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the weeks of December 14 and December 21, 1959.[4] The recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 41476. This would be Mitchell's second pop chart topper (after "Singing the Blues"); it was also his last top-40 single in the Billboard charts. Columbia first issued a mono recording by Mitchell as a 7" 45 rpm single, which became the hit. Columbia later issued a stereo version of the song, also by Mitchell; however, the mono and stereo issues are in fact two completely different recordings. The hit version has never appeared in stereo and has appeared on only a lone compact disc release (Hit Parade Records 12311, Hard to Find Jukebox Classics 1959: Pop Gold.) The video game Fallout: New Vegas does not feature his original Columbia Records version; rather it is a 1980 re-recording made for K-Tel records. Mitchell's version featured a whistler who plays during the intro as well as the instrumental break on the song.
