I'm Leaving It Up To You

Album: I'm Leaving It Up To You (1963)
Charted: 42 1
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Songfacts®:

  • This was originally recorded in 1957 by composers Don F. Harris and Dewey Terry as "Don and Dewey," but the single didn't chart.
  • Dale Houston and Grace Broussard were teamed up specifically to record this as Dale's solo career fell flat.
  • This was #1 in the US on the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
  • Their followup song, "Stop and Think It Over," sung in a similar vein, peaked at #8.
  • In 1974, this was a #4 hit for Donny and Marie Osmond as "I'm Leaving It All up to You." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Brad Wind - Miami, FL, for all above

Comments: 9

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1974 {September 16th} Donny and Marie Osmond appeared as the week-long guest co-hosts on the nationally syndicated weekday-afternoon television program, 'The Mike Douglas Show'...
    At the time duo's covered version of "I'm Leaving It (All) Up To You" was at position #13 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart, the week before it had peaked at #4 and it spent fifteen weeks on the Top 100...
    And on August 25th, 1974 it reached #1 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
    In the United Kingdom on September 1st, 1974 the song peaked at #2 for one week, and the song at #1 was "Love Me for A Reason" by the Osmonds...
    Between 1974 and 1978 the brother/sister duo had seven records on the Top 100 chart, two made the Top 10, the above "I'm Leaving It (All) Up To You" and "Morning Side of the Mountain" {#8 in 1975}...
  • Babbling Babette from Tulsa OkI loved this song back in '63 in jr. high school. Back then, I thought it was a country cross-over hit, since it has all those cheesy fiddles that sounded like annoying mosquitoes! I don't think Dale & Grace ever performed in my state of Oklahoma during their heyday, even though "country & western music" (as it was known way back then) was big in The Sooner State. I love the vocals on this song. They really should've muted those fiddles though!
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn November 22nd 1963, Dale & Grace*, as one of the acts of the '1963 Caravan of Stars' touring show, were scheduled to perform at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas...
    The concert was canceled due to the assassination of Pres. Kennedy earlier in the day at Dealey Plaza, which is only three blocks from the Auditorium...
    At the time the duo's "I'm Leaving It to You" was in its first of two weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart...
    * The duo, along with fellow performers Bobby Vee, Brian Hyland, and Jimmy Clanton, waved to Pres. Kennedy as the Presidential motorcade passed the Dallas Memorial Auditorium.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn November 2nd 1963, Dale & Grace performed "I'm Leaving It Up to You" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand...
    At the time the song was at #11 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and fifteen days later on November 17th, 1963 it peaked at #1 {for 2 weeks}...
    {See next post below}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 29th 1963, "I'm Leaving It Up to You" by Dale and Grace entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #89; and on November 17th, 1963 it peaked at #1 {for 2 weeks} and spent 15 weeks on the Top 100...
    And on the same day it reached #1 on the Top 100 it also peaked at #1 {for 2 weeks} on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
    The first week it was at #1 on the Top 100 it prevented "Washington Square" by the Village Stompers from reaching #1; and on the Adult chart it was the record that bumped "Washington Square" out of the top spot...
    Dale Houston passed away on September 27th, 2007 at age 67 {heart failure}...
    May he R.I.P.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyAs stated above "Stop and Think It Over" was their follow-up hit; and on March 1st in 1964 it peaked at #8 (for 1 week) on Billboard's Hot Top chart; it entered the chart on January 19th at position #66 and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...
    The duo had one other Top 100 hit, "The Loneliest Night", it peaked at 64 in 1964 (its on You Tube)...
    In 1967 Perry Como released a record also titled "Stop and Think It Over"; it was a completely different song and it reached #92 (also on You Tube)...
    R.I.P. Dale Houston (1940 - 2007).
  • Martin from Fresno, CaGrace adds a lot to the song.She only sings the chorus of the song but her vocals add a lot to the song.
  • Teresa from Mechelen, BelgiumI have this song on a double cd with all famous duets from The Everly Brothers,The Righteous Brothers, Peter, Paul and Mary, Ike and Tina Turner... I love this song very much.
  • Ray from Spring, TxWe had this on a 45 when I was a kid and it had the worst B side I have ever heard. The song was titled "I've Been Carrying A Torch For You So Long (That I've Burnt a Great Big Hole In My Heart)" Pure cheese.
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