The song was composed by Mann and Weil, and it was a rare example of a Parton hit that she did not write herself. The songwriting duo originally composed "Here You Come Again" in 1975 as a potential comeback hit for Brenda Lee, but when Lee decided not to record it, the song made its way to Parton, who was looking for something to broaden her appeal. Her producer, Gary Klein, who had heard the song on B.J. Thomas's recently released self-titled album, reported that Parton had begged him to add a steel guitar to avoid sounding too pop, and he called in Al Perkins to fill that role. "She wanted people to be able to hear the steel guitar, so if someone said it isn't country, she could say it and prove it," Klein told journalist Tom Roland. "She was so relieved. It was like her life sentence was reprieved." The song modulates keys four times. The first two verses are set in G major, followed by A major for the first bridge, G major for the third verse, B major for the second bridge, and finally A major for the last verse and outro. The song moves at a swinging tempo of 106 beats per minute in common time, with Parton's vocals ranging from G3 to D5.
Reception
"Here You Come Again" was the centerpiece of her now famous pop crossover move in the late 1970s. The single spent five weeks at the top of the U.S Billboard country charts and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It earned Parton the award for "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" at the Grammy Awards. The song has sold 271,000 digital copies in the United States as of February 2019 since becoming available for digital download.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Covers and other versions
B.J. Thomas recorded the song for his self-titled 1977 album. Actually, this was the original version as it was recorded before Parton's hit, but never released as a single
Millie Jackson covered the song on her 1978 album Get It Out'cha System.
Patti LaBelle recorded the song for her 1981 album, The Spirit's In It.
Kikki Danielsson covered the song on her 1981 album Just Like a Woman, with lyrics written by herself in Swedish as Här är jag igen. It remains one of the few times the singer Kikki Danielsson was self-involved in songwriting.
Lesley Gore recorded a cover of the song in her 1982 album "The Canvas Can Do Miracles".
Maureen McGovern recorded a slower, sensual bluesy version for her 1988 CBS album, State of the Heart.
Sylkie Monoff covered this song in 1994 and it was re-released in 2013.
In 2006 Clay Aiken covered this song on his album A Thousand Different Ways.
In 2006, Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila performed the song on the Top 5 Country themed week.
In 2009, Swedish singer Jessica Andersson covered it on her album, Wake Up. This cover was featured in the 2008 Swedish movie Patrik, Age 1.5.
In 2010, Beccy Cole recorded a version for her album, Preloved.
On her episode of The Muppet Show, Leslie Uggams performed the song. Her singing was accompanied by Lew Zealand throwing boomerang fish. This was initially an annoyance for Leslie, but it got worse when Lew started throwing swordfish.
