About The Song
During 1975, Earl Thomas Conley and his future record producer Nelson Larkin still lived in Huntsville, Alabama. They frequently headed over to Muscle Shoals to hang out with some of the local musicians. The two formed a friendship with songwriter Tommy Brasfield. Despite the camaraderie, Brasfield never pitched a song to Conley until 1983. It was the time when he finally felt he had written one suited to Earl’s musical personality, “Holding Her And Loving You.”
Brasfield and his songwriting buddy Walt Aldridge, composed the song about a friend of theirs who was going through the difficult situation described in the song’s storyline.
They were talking about this guy one night, trying to put themselves in his place. They imagined what it must be like to be in that sad predicament. That’s how the song “Holding Her And Loving You” was born.
“Holding Her And Loving You” sailed to No. 1 on Billboard’s country singles chart November 26, 1983. It became Conley’s fourth of his eighteen career chart-toppers. Also, it is one of the hits included in Earl’s string of sixteen number ones in a row. This achievement ties Sonny James for second place on the list of consecutive number one singles. After reaching the summit, “Holding Her And Loving You” earned respect for Aldridge and Brasfield from their peers when the Nashville Songwriters Association named it the “Song of the Year”.
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Lyrics
It’s the third-hardest thing I’ll ever do
Leavin’ here without you
And the second-hardest thing I’ll ever do
Is tellin’ her about you
She’s been good to me when things were goin’ rough
How can I tell her now, good ain’t good enough
Oh, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do
Is holding her, and loving you
If she’d give me one good reason, I’d be gone
She ain’t done one thing wrong
So don’t expect me just to walk out of the door
I still love her, but I love you more
She’s been good to me when things weren’t goin’ right
She made my days long before you made my nights
So the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do
Is holding her, and loving you
Yeah, the hardest thing I’ve ever have to do
Is holding her, and loving you
Girl, the hardest thing I’ve ever have to do
Is holding her, and loving you