About The Song
“I Love” is a gentle, heartfelt country ballad by Tom T. Hall, released in November 1973 as the lead single from his Mercury Records album For the People in the Last Hard Town. Written by Hall, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for one week in January 1974, his sixth No. 1, and crossed over to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, a rare pop hit for Hall. The 2:07 track, with its simple, poetic list of cherished things—“I love little baby ducks / Old pickup trucks / Slow-moving trains and rain”—celebrates life’s small joys with childlike sincerity. Hall’s warm, conversational baritone, paired with sparse instrumentation, creates an intimate feel, as Rolling Stone noted: “It’s pure Tom T., turning everyday beauty into a universal hymn.” Hall told CMT in 1996, “I wrote it in 20 minutes, just listing what I love. It’s honest, and people felt that.” The song’s universal appeal made it a jukebox and radio staple, later featured in a 2004 Coors Light commercial, per Wikipedia.
Recorded in 1973 at Mercury Custom Recording Studio in Nashville, the track was produced by Jerry Kennedy, with uncredited Nashville A-Team players likely including Harold Bradley on guitar, Pete Drake on steel guitar, and Charlie McCoy on harmonica, per Discogs. The minimalist arrangement—soft acoustic guitar, light steel, and subtle percussion—lets Hall’s lyrics shine, as AllMusic praises: “It’s a deceptively simple masterpiece, disarming in its purity.” The album hit No. 12 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The G-C-D chord progression and “I love you too” closing line, per Chordify, gave it a singalong quality, boosting its crossover success. A 1997 live version on The Storyteller: Live and its inclusion in the 2018 tribute album King of the Road by Chris Stapleton kept it alive, per Spotify.
Tom T. Hall, born May 25, 1936, in Olive Hill, Kentucky, was known as “The Storyteller” for his vivid, relatable songs like “Harper Valley PTA” (1968) and “Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine” (1973). With 12 No. 1 country hits, he defined the 1970s singer-songwriter era, earning a 2008 Country Music Hall of Fame induction, per Wikipedia. “I Love” was a live favorite, performed on Hee Haw in 1974 and at his 1980 Grand Ole Opry shows, with a YouTube clip showcasing his folksy charm. Covers include Barbara Mandrell (1979), Alan Jackson (1993), and Heath Sanders (2020), per SecondHandSongs. Reddit fans on r/country call it “the sweetest country song ever,” with a 2022 post praising its “heartwarming simplicity.”
The song appeared in no major films but thrives on streaming platforms, with Shazam users tagging its nostalgic melody. No controversies surround it—just Hall’s gift for capturing life’s quiet joys, as No Depression notes: “Tom T. made love sound as easy as breathing.” Hall, who died August 20, 2021, left a legacy of lyrical warmth, and “I Love” remains a timeless ode to life’s everyday treasures.
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Lyric
I love little baby ducks
Old pickup trucks
Slow-moving trains and rain
I love little country streams
Sleep without dreams
Sunday school in May and hayAnd I love you too
I love leaves in the wind
Pictures of my friends
Birds of the world and squirrels
I love coffee in a cup
Little fuzzy pups
Bourbon in a glass and grassAnd I love you too
I love honest open smiles
Kisses from a child
Tomatoes on the vine and onions
I love winners when they cry
Losers when they try
Music when it’s good and lifeAnd I love you too