1970 No. 1 Hit, Once Named Best Country Song of the Year, Turns 56

It’s been exactly 56 years since Conway Twitty released one of his biggest hits.

On March 23, 1970, the iconic country music singer released what would become a career-defining smash hit: his beloved track, “Hello Darlin.'”

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“Hello Darlin'” was the lead single off Twitty’s 1970 album of the same name, and it would go down in history as one of the most popular songs of his career.

The signature track soared to the top of the music charts shortly after its release, before earning the No. 1 spot on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart in June 1970. It spent four weeks at the top, and was later crowned the #1 country single of the year, according to Billboard’s 1970 year-end charts (Dec. 26, 1970 issue).

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“Hello Darlin'” was Twitty’s fourth No. 1 song, following “It’s Only Make Believe,” which topped the Hot 100 chart for 2 weeks in 1958, plus the 1968 country chart topper “Next in Line,” and 1969’s “To See My Angel Cry” and “I Love You More Today.”

Even decades after its initial release, Twitty’s “Hello Darlin'” continues to be a fan-favorite country track, and has been included on a number of lists ranking “best country songs of all time.”

In 2025, “Hello Darlin'” was ranked #44 on Billboard‘s list of the 100 Best Country Songs of All Time. It also earned the #18 spot on Taste of Country‘s Top 100 Country Songs, published in 2012.

Parade has “Hello Darlin’ ranked at #76 on the 101 Best Country Songs of All Time list, published in 2026. It also includes Twitty’s 1973 hit “You’ve Never Been This Far Before,” ranked at #63.

Related: On This Day in 1957, Elvis Presley Released One of His Biggest No. 1 Hits