"I'm Not Lisa" is a country music song written and recorded 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.

Content

"I'm Not Lisa" was written by Colter and describes the pain that comes with dating someone that has not gotten over their previous lover. Therefore the narrator of the song, Julie, laments the fact that her lover keeps mentioning his previous lover, named Lisa. The song's chorus is repeated twice throughout the song's length and goes as follows:

I'm not Lisa, my name is Julie

Lisa left you, years ago

My eyes are not blue

But mine won't leave you

Till the sunlight has touched your face

While singing on the recording of the original version of the song, Colter also played the song's piano accompaniment on the keyboards. 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. The song has since been covered by many artists, including Rosemary Clooney, Marianne Faithful, and Tanya Tucker. Most recently, Elizabeth Cook recorded a version for her 2002 album Hey, Y'all. 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.

Chart performance

"I'm Not Lisa" was released on Capitol Records January 6, 1975, making its debut on the country chart February 15. The song became Colter's commercial breakthrough as a solo artist, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while also becoming a major crossover Pop hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well. 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. The song earned Colter a Grammy award nomination in the category of Best Female Country Vocal Performance 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 later became Colter's signature tune and her only #1 single.

Charts

Chart (1975)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	4
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	16
Canadian RPM Country Singles	1
Canadian RPM Pop Singles	6
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Singles	1

References