I'm Not Lisa

"I'm Not Lisa" is a country song recorded and written by American country artist Jessi Colter. It was released as a single on January 16, 1975, by Capitol Records. "I'm Not Lisa" would become Colter's first major hit as a solo artist.

"I'm Not Lisa"
Single by Jessi Colter
from the album I'm Jessi Colter
B-side"For the First Time"
ReleasedJanuary 16, 1975
Recorded1974
GenreCountry
Length3:19
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Jessi Colter
Producer(s)Ken Mansfield
Waylon Jennings
Jessi Colter singles chronology
"Under Your Spell Again"
(1971)		 "I'm Not Lisa"
(1975)		 "What's Happened to Blue Eyes"
(1975)

Content

"I'm Not Lisa" was written by Colter and describes the pain that comes with dating someone who has not gotten over a previous lover. The previous lover, named Lisa, was taken away by "His hand", which implies that she died or left with another man. The song is sung from the perspective of the man's current lover named Julie who laments the fact that he can't get over Lisa.[1]

While singing on the recording of the original version of the song, Colter also played the song's piano accompaniment on the keyboards.[2] The song was produced by Ken Mansfield and Colter's husband, Waylon Jennings. Both men would also produce Colter's 1975 album, as well as her further releases for Capitol records.[3]

Chart performance

"I'm Not Lisa" was released on Capitol Records on January 16, 1975, making its debut on the country chart February 15, 1975.[4] The song became Colter's commercial breakthrough as a solo artist, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.[5] It also was a major crossover Pop hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and subsequently ranking as the 40th most popular song on Billboard's Year-End chart for 1975.[6] In addition, the song also reached #16 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and was released on Colter's debut Capitol album, I'm Jessi Colter.[7] The song earned Colter a Grammy award nomination in the category of Best Female Country Vocal Performance[1] and a Country Music Association Awards nomination.

Colter's follow-up single "What's Happened to Blue Eyes" became a Top 10 country hit. However, none of her subsequent releases for Capitol in the 1970s came close to the success of "I'm Not Lisa", which became Colter's signature tune and her only #1 single.[8]

Weekly charts

Cover versions

The song has since been covered by many artists, including Killdozer, Lynn Anderson, Rosemary Clooney, Marianne Faithfull, Tanya Tucker, Faith Hill and Nana Mouskouri in a French version. Elizabeth Cook recorded a version for her 2002 album Hey, Y'all. Robert L. Doerschuk of AllMusic praised Cook's cover for "affirm[ing] the power of unadulterated old-time country and Cook's complete command of this idiom".[13] In 2005, Erika Jo recorded a version for her self-titled debut album, and also released it as single to country radio, but it failed to chart. Deana Carter performed a cover of the song with Colter for her 2007 album, The Chain.[4] The rock band Killdozer also covered "I'm Not Lisa" on their 1986 release Burl.

References
  1. Coyne, Kevin J. (April 14, 2008). "Country Universe - 100 Greatest Women, #80 - Jessi Colter". Country Universe.net. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  2. ""I'm Not Lisa" - lyrics and description". deenotes.homestead.com. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  3. "Jessi Colter - "Im Not Lisa" (7)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  4. Zimmerman, Keith and Kent (2003). "The Very Best of Jessi Colter: An Outlaw...a Lady (CD liner notes)". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 86.
  6. "Top 100 Songs of 1975 - Billboard Year End Charts". Bobborst.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  7. Ankeny, Jason. "Jessi Colter > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  8. Wolff, Kurt. "Ch. 9 - Dreaming My Dreams: The Outlaws Hit Town". In Orla Duane (ed.). London, England, UK: Rough Guides Ltd. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  11. "Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27, 1975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  12. "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". musicoutfitters.com.
  13. Doerschuk, Robert L. "AllMusic Review by Robert L. Doerschuk". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017.
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