"How Is He?" is a song written by Marijohn Wilkin that was originally recorded by American country artist Jeannie Seely. Released as a single by Monument Records, it reached the top 40 of the US country songs chart in 1968. It was given a positive review from music magazines following its release and was included on her studio album Little Things.
| "How Is He?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jeannie Seely | ||||
| from the album Little Things | ||||
| B-side | "A Little Unfair" | |||
| Released | June 1968 | |||
| Genre | Country[1] | |||
| Length | 2:00 | |||
| Label | Monument | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marijohn Wilkin | |||
| Producer(s) | Fred Foster | |||
| Jeannie Seely singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and recording
editJeannie Seely's 1966 single "Don't Touch Me" launched her country music career, becoming a top ten single and winning her an accolade from the Grammy Awards. A series of follow-up releases would follow on Monument Records[2] including the 1968 song "How Is He?".[3] The song featured orchestral production[1] and was described a ballad.[4] "How Is He?" was composed by Marijohn Wilkin, featured production by Fred Foster and string arrangements by Cam Mullins.[5]
Release, critical reception and chart performance
edit"How Is He?" was issued as a single by Monument Records in June 1968. It was distributed as a seven-inch vinyl record featuring a B-side titled "A Little Unfair".[5] The song received a positive response from Cash Box magazine who called it "perhaps the prettiest thing she's done yet."[1] Furthermore Billboard magazine thought the song had a lot of "heart and soul" and predicted it would make their country songs' top 20.[4] "How Is He?" debuted on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on June 22, 1968, and spent ten weeks on the chart. The song reached the top 30 on the chart, peaking at number 23 on August 3. It became her seventh top 40 single on the US country chart.[3] It was included on Seely's next studio album release Little Things.[6]
Track listing
edit7" vinyl single[5]
- "How Is He?" – 2:00
- "A Little Unfair" – 2:35
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Char (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 23 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Cash Box Country Reviews: Picks of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box. June 1, 1968. p. 52. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jeannie Seely Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research.
- ^ a b "Spotlight Singles: Top 20 Country" (PDF). Billboard. June 1, 1968. p. 77. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Seely, Jeannie (June 1968). ""How Is He?"/"A Little Unfair" (7" vinyl single)". Monument Records. Mn45-1075.
- ^ Seely, Jeannie (December 1968). "Little Things (Liner Notes)". Monument Records. SLP-18104.
- ^ "Jeannie Seely Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2024.