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Peak: #3 on the Hot 100
Streams: 2 million
When she was only 18 years old, Barbara George strolled into an audition for a Louisiana record label, sang a song she’d written herself, and walked out with a hit.
63 years laters, it’s obvious why “I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More)” got people dancing. The groove is great, George’s vocals are spunky, and her point is clear. Namely, she realizes it’s useless to wait for a man who doesn’t love her, so she decides to hit the bricks.
I admire that this young woman pulled this off. Obviously people helped her make this record, but since she’s both the writer and the singer, there’s no question that “I Know” belongs to Barbara George.
And even though she never had another hit, she still made quite an impact. Sam Cooke referenced “I Know” in his song “Having a Party.” Bonnie Raitt did a fantastic cover. So did Fats Domino. So did Cher. It’s just one of those songs… simple enough to grasp in one listen, but textured enough to give musicians room to play around.
Barbara George exited public life shortly after this, but like The Bobbettes, who also wrote their one smash single, she did a hell of a lot with her three-minute contribution to pop music history. If nothing else, she became one of the first teenagers to write and perform a top ten song without help. Future hit-making teens like Debbie Gibson and Taylor Swift followed in her path.
I’ve always felt that even if you think you just have one good song/book/idea inside you- put it out there! Maybe you’ll be called a one hit wonder, but when you bravely put something amazing out there like Barbara George did, you’ve still made the world a better place.