The Story Behind Patsy Cline’s Heartbreaking Hit, ‘She’s Got You’

Written by Hank Cochran in 1962, “She’s Got You” inspired Patsy Cline in a way that no other song had before. Here’s how it happened.

Recorded and released as a single in 1962, Patsy Cline solidified her status as an American icon with “She’s Got You”, the terribly lonesome hit that punches you in the gut any time you hear it.

As the story goes, Cochran called Cline up as soon as he was finished writing the song to let her know that he had indeed written her next No. 1 hit. Her friend Dottie West, singer of “Here Comes My Baby Back Again”, was visiting, and Cline told Cochran to bring a bottle of liquor and the song to her house for an impromptu listening session.

Cochran later revealed that Cline was so moved by the song that she learned it on the spot, in love with the lyrics. She recorded it at her very next studio session and fell in line nicely with her previous hit, “Crazy”. When Cline released the song, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 track at No. 14.

However, in 1977, Loretta Lynn released a remake of the song that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart. Below is a video of the original songstress, Patsy Cline, putting her all into this incredible song.