Peak
6
Weeks
14
Score
2,408
Chart Year
1960
In this rockabilly hit, written by Jerry Reed, Brenda Lee is trying to hook her crush by promising to be there for him any time he's feeling low. Lee was just 15 years old when she recorded the tune and had never even gone on a date, let alone loved and squeezed and tried to please some lonesome dude. Decca Records was keenly aware of the singer's age and the label was not looking to promote her as a sex symbol. They thought the uptempo bop, in the vein of her previous hit, "Sweet Nothin's," was more appropriate than the mature heartache ballad "I'm Sorry," which was relegated to the B-side of "That's All You Gotta Do." But the single's fate was in the hands of radio DJs, who decided to spin "I'm Sorry" first and gave Lee her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The flipside also fared well, peaking at #6 and also going to #19 on the R&B chart. Reed became famous for songs like "Guitar Man," "A Thing Called Love," and "When You're Hot, You're Hot," and his appearances in the Smokey And The Bandit films - but none of that had happened yet when he wrote "That's All You Gotta Do." He was still serving in the US Army when he met Lee while she was on a layover in Atlanta. Lee recalled in her 2002 autobiography, Little Miss Dynamite: The Life And Times Of Brenda Lee: "He was in his Army uniform and introduced himself to me. Jerry said he was a writer and told me he had a song he thought I could really sing well. I said, 'Well, great, send it to me.' He did, and that's how I came to record 'That's All You Gotta Do.' Upon his discharge, he moved directly to Nashville to embark on his own hit-making career."
Anytime you're feeling low And you got no place to go You don't have to be blue Here is all you gotta do Call me on the telephone Tell me that you're all alone And I'll come a runnin' to you Baby that's all you gotta do All you gotta do when you're lonesome Is to call on me And I'll come a runnin' to you As a fast as I can I'll love and squeeze you, uh-huh-huh I'll try to please you 'Cause baby, I want you to be my lovin' man I've been waiting for the chance Needing you to start a romance And if you feel the same way too Here's all you gotta do Tell me just a how you feel Tell me that your love is real And I'll give my heart to you Baby, that's all you gotta do All you gotta do when you're lonesome Is to call on me And I'll come a runnin' to you As a fast as I can, uh-huh-huh I'll love and squeeze you, uh-huh-huh I'll try to please you 'Cause baby, I want you to be my lovin' man I've been waitin' for the chance Needing you to start a romance And if you feel the same way too Here's all you gotta do Tell me just a how you feel Tell me that your love is real And I'll give my heart to you Baby, that's all you gotta do
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 6, 1960 | 78 | 48 |
| 2 | Jun 13, 1960 | 55 | 71 |
| 3 | Jun 20, 1960 | 36 | 90 |
| 4 | Jun 27, 1960 | 17 | 109 |
| 5 | Jul 4, 1960 | 6 | 120 |
| 6 | Jul 11, 1960 | 7 | 119 |
| 7 | Jul 18, 1960 | 6 | 120 |
| 8 | Jul 25, 1960 | 10 | 116 |
| 9 | Aug 1, 1960 | 10 | 116 |
| 10 | Aug 8, 1960 | 33 | 93 |
| 11 | Aug 15, 1960 | 35 | 91 |
| 12 | Aug 22, 1960 | 42 | 84 |
| 13 | Aug 29, 1960 | 43 | 83 |
| 14 | Sep 5, 1960 | 63 | 63 |