My 100 Favorite Charted Country Songs: The Three Bells

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Now is this fair? Today’s country song was a #1 pop song! That’s okay, I’ll make up for it tomorrow with the pop song. One of the best-known songs of older country music, and the defining song of this group’s career…and definitely a top ten song on my list. The Three Bells - The Browns I will tell you, as someone who saw it two or three times late in their lives, there was NOTHING as spine-tingling as those three siblings launching into this song at a concert. I saw Jim Ed Brown do it solo a number of times, but with his sisters Bonnie and Maxine, it was just magical. This song began in French, and Edith Piaf recorded it. Other versions were recorded by Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters. But who remembers any of them? The funny thing was — as frequently happens in life — the Browns were frustrated with the business after rock and roll took over and their success plummeted. They told their producer, Chet Atkins, this was their last session. The girls wanted to get on with married life and Jim Ed was poised for a solo career. After the song was recorded Atkins told them, “I just recorded you a million-seller.” Chet was right. This topped the country chart, the pop chart, made the top ten on the R&B chart, was #1 in Australia and Canada, and made the top ten in other countries as well. This song defined the Browns’ career, and is one of the high-water marks of the early “Nashville Sound” era. The Three Bells (Originally “Les Trois Cloches”) Written by Jean Villard and Bert Reisfeld Recorded by the Browns Released as a single, 1959 Peak chart position: #1 (also charted #1 pop and #10 R&B) Today’s rock song: “Tempted” Just a lonely bell was ringing: