“I’ll Leave This World Loving You”
Ricky Van Shelton
Written by Wayne Kemp
Radio & Records
#1 (2 weeks)
October 28 – November 4, 1988
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
November 19 – November 26, 1988
After launching his career with a healthy balance of covers and new material, Ricky Van Shelton doubled down on that strategy with his sophomore set, Loving Proof.
The first three singles from this set were covers, and the lead off single was the only obscure one out of the three. Wayne Kemp wrote and recorded “I’ll Leave This World Loving You” for MCA in 1974, where it was relegated to B-side status. Six years later, he recorded it again for Mercury has a non-LP single, and it peaked outside the top forty.
Both Kemp versions are good and it’s easy to imagine that if his second take on the song had released outside the Urban Cowboy era, it might have gotten more traction. But Shelton’s elevation of the material should not be understated.
One of the most stubborn myths in popular music is that a song is more powerful when delivered by its writer, a take that makes less sense in country music than in any other format. Shelton takes a song with one emotional beat and expands it through the power of his interpretation. The best analog I can think of to what he does here is Whitney Houston’s take on “I Will Always Love You, ” where the singer builds up a crescendo of emotion by singing with increasing emotional intensity.
It’s subtle but it makes all of the difference: Shelton’s increasing emphasis of “I’ll” in the final line of the chorus transforms this from a ballad of resignation into one of increasing loneliness and desperation. It’s so controlled, yet so impactful. Shelton does with one syllable what most singers can’t do with an entire song.
“I’ll Leave This World Loving You” gets an A.
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Ricky Van Shelton keeps his streak and momentum alive with another expertly vocalized take on a sadboy ballad. I don’t know if Van Shelton was sweeping the award shows in the late 80s but after the year he had in 1988 I can’t think of anyone else more deserving. The song seems thematically similar, if less morbid, to George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today”, so I wonder if its re-release in 1980 was intended to piggyback on that song’s impact. I suppose it’s just as likely that it’s a coincidence. My only modest criticism is that I thought the lyrics could have used a couple more specific and differentiating references to make the heavy narrative stand out and give Van Shelton even more to work with.
Grade: B+
Virtually everything Shelton sang sounded good, reqardless of the strength of the material. I remember Wayne Kemp’s version – Kemp was an okay singer but he had his earliest success with songs pitched to Conway Twitty. Frankly, I’m surprised that Twitty didn’t record the song. Before Shelton recorded the song Ronnie Milsap and Mel Street recorded the song and cut tracks that could have served as singles. Song: B / Performance: A
The richness, depth, and warmth of his gentle vibrato still completely does me in and buckles my knees.
Was Van Shelton’s voice my generation’s gift to songwriters? He did sound great singing anything.
Sing on Ricky! Sing on! I am listening!