“It’s Only Make Believe,” a quintessential rock and roll ballad, remains Conway Twitty’s signature hit, forever etching his name into the annals of music history. Released in 1958, the song catapulted Twitty, then known as Harold Jenkins, to international fame. While he later became a country music icon with a record-breaking number of number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, “It’s Only Make Believe” marked his initial foray into the rock and roll scene and remains arguably his most globally recognized work.
The song, co-written by Twitty and drummer Jack Nance, tells a bittersweet tale of unrequited love masked by performance. The singer portrays a man deeply in love who pretends not to care, putting on a façade to hide his true feelings from the object of his affection. The lyrics delve into the internal conflict of suppressing genuine emotions, highlighting the pain and vulnerability hidden beneath the surface of manufactured indifference. Lines like “People see us together, they think you love me too / Show them how wrong they can be, ’cause that’s the thing to do” poignantly capture the essence of this charade.
“It’s Only Make Believe” resonated powerfully with audiences worldwide. Its raw emotion, combined with Twitty’s soaring vocals and the song’s simple yet effective arrangement, catapulted it to the top of the charts, reaching number one in the US Billboard Hot 100. The song’s immediate success cemented Twitty’s place as a rising star and garnered significant positive feedback from fans. Its themes of longing and suppressed emotions have ensured its enduring appeal, continuing to resonate with listeners across generations who have experienced the complexities of love and relationships. The song remains a timeless classic, a testament to Twitty’s talent and the universal power of relatable storytelling through music.