Once You've Had the Best

"Once You've Had the Best"
"Once You've Had the Best"
Song by Johnny Paycheck
from the album Mr. Lovemaker
Released	June 1973
Studio	Columbia Recording Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	2:42
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Johnny Paycheck
Producer(s)	Billy Sherrill

ReleasedJune 1973

StudioColumbia Recording Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)

GenreCountry

Length2:42

"Once You've Had the Best" is a country ballad written by Johnny Paycheck. It was recorded by Paycheck on his 1973 album Mr. Lovemaker. The song was popularized in a more optimistic tone by George Jones, who released it as a single for his album The Grand Tour, with the single reaching number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Chart (1973–1974)	Peak position
Canada Country (Billboard)	65
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[3]	3

v t e George Jones singles
Albums Singles Discography with Tammy Wynette Awards
1950s	"No Money in This Deal" "Play It Cool, Man" "You All Goodnight" "Why Baby Why" "What Am I Worth" "I'm Ragged But I'm Right" "Rock It" "You Gotta Be My Baby" "Just One More" "Don't Stop the Music" "Too Much Water" "Tall, Tall Trees" "Seasons of My Heart" "Too Much Water" "Treasure of Love" "White Lightning" "Who Shot Sam" "Big Harlan Taylor"
1960s	"Accidentally on Purpose" "Out of Control" "The Window Up Above" "Family Bible" "Tender Years" "Aching, Breaking Heart" "She Thinks I Still Care" "Open Pit Mine" "A Girl I Used to Know" "Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was on the Right)" "I'll Share My World with You "The Race Is On" "Love Bug" "Take Me" "I'm a People" "Walk Through This World with Me" "I Can't Get There from Here" "If My Heart Had Windows" "Say It's Not You" "Small Time Laboring Man" "As Long as I Live" "Milwaukee, Here I Come" (with Brenda Carter) "When the Grass Grows Over Me" "I'll Share My World with You" "If Not for You" "She's Mine"
1970s	"Where Grass Won't Grow" "Tell Me My Lying Eyes Are Wrong" "A Good Year for the Roses" "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" "Right Won't Touch a Hand" "I'll Follow You (Up to Our Cloud)" "We Can Make It" "Loving You Could Never Be Better" "A Picture of Me (Without You)" "What My Woman Can't Do" "Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You)" "Once You've Had the Best" "The Grand Tour" "The Door" "These Days (I Barely Get By)" "Memories of Us" "The Battle" "You Always Look Your Best (Here in My Arms)" "Her Name Is" "Old King Kong" "If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You)" "Bartender's Blues" "I'll Just Take It Out in Love" "Someday My Day Will Come"
1980s	"He Stopped Loving Her Today" "I'm Not Ready Yet" "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)" "Still Doin' Time" "Same Ole Me" "Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love on Me)" "I Always Get Lucky with You" "Tennessee Whiskey" "You've Still Got a Place in My Heart" "She's My Rock" "Hallelujah, I Love You So" (with Brenda Lee) "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" (with Lacy J. Dalton) "The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)" "Somebody Wants Me Out of the Way" "Wine Colored Roses" "The Right Left Hand" "I Turn to You" "The Bird" "I'm a Survivor" "The Old Man No One Loves" "If I Could Bottle This Up" (with Shelby Lynne) "I'm a One Woman Man" "The King Is Gone (So Are You)" "Writing on the Wall" "Radio Lover"
1990s	"You Couldn't Get the Picture" "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" "Honky Tonk Song" "Choices"
As a collaborative artist	"Yearning" (with Jeanette Hicks) "Did I Ever Tell You" (with Margie Singleton) "Waltz of the Angels" (with Margie Singleton) "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds" (with Melba Montgomery) "Let's Invite Them Over" (with Melba Montgomery) "Please Be My Love" (with Melba Montgomery) "What's in Our Heart" (with Melba Montgomery) "Things Have Gone to Pieces" (with Gene Pitney) "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night" (with Gene Pitney) "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (with Melba Montgomery) "That's All It Took (with Gene Pitney) "Maybellene" (with Johnny Paycheck) "You Can Have Her" (with Johnny Paycheck) "When You're Ugly Like Us (You Just Naturally Got to Be Cool)" (with Johnny Paycheck) "You Better Move On" (with Johnny Paycheck) "Yesterday's Wine" (with Merle Haggard) "C.C. Waterback" (with Merle Haggard)
As a featured artist	"We Didn't See a Thing" (Ray Charles with Chet Atkins and George Jones) "A Few Ole Country Boys" (Randy Travis featuring George Jones) "You Don't Seem to Miss Me" (Patty Loveless with George Jones) "A Country Boy Can Survive (Y2K version)" (Chad Brock featuring George Jones and Hank Williams, Jr.) "Country Boy" (Aaron Lewis featuring Charlie Daniels and George Jones)
Promotional singles	"Wrong Number"
Other charted songs	"Money to Burn" "Big Fool of the Year" "I Saw Me" "What's in Our Heart" (with Melba Montgomery) "My Tears Are Overdue" "I Just Don't Give a Damn" "He Stopped Loving Her Today"

v t e Johnny Paycheck
Discography
Studio albums	At Carnegie Hall The Lovin' Machine Gospeltime in My Fashion Jukebox Charlie Country Soul Wherever You Are Again She's All I Got Someone to Give My Love To Somebody Loves Me Mr. Lovemaker Song and Dance Man Loving You Beats All I've Ever Seen 11 Months and 29 Days Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets Take This Job and Shove It Armed and Crazy Everybody's Got a Family... Meet Mine Double Trouble (with George Jones) Mr. Hag Told My Story Lovers and Losers Modern Times
Compilation albums	Johnny Paycheck's Greatest Hits (1968) Johnny Paycheck's Greatest Hits (1974) Johnny Paycheck's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Live albums	New York Town
Singles	"A-11" "Heartbreak Tennessee" "The Lovin' Machine" "Ballad of the Green Berets" "Motel Time Again" "Jukebox Charlie" "She's All I Got" "Let's All Go Down to the River" (with Jody Miller) "Take This Job and Shove It" "Maybellene" "You Can Have Her" "When You're Ugly Like Us (You Just Naturally Got to Be Cool)" "You Better Move On" "Old Violin"
Other songs	"Apartment No. 9" "Touch My Heart" "Once You've Had the Best"

Once You've Had the Best

George Jones version

Charts

Other versions

References

Related Articles

"Once You've Had the Best"
Song by Johnny Paycheck
from the album Mr. Lovemaker
Released	June 1973
Studio	Columbia Recording Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	2:42
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Johnny Paycheck
Producer(s)	Billy Sherrill