"Act Naturally" is a song written by Johnny Russell, with a writing credit given to Voni Morrison and publishing rights transferred to Buck Owens.

It was originally recorded by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, whose version reached number one on the Billboard Country Singles chart in 1963,[1] his first chart-topper.

[3] The song tells the tale of someone who has been jilted and, because of that, can play a film part of someone sad and lonely without knowing anything about acting.

It has been recorded by many other artists, including Loretta Lynn, Dwight Yoakam, Kidsongs (Debbie Lytton), and Mrs.

[5] Russell then wanted to record it himself, but his then-producer turned it down, claiming that songs about the movies were not hit material.

But Buckaroo band leader Don Rich heard Russell's demo version and liked it, and eventually, the song grew on Owens.

"[7] Owens recorded "Act Naturally" at the Capitol Studios in Hollywood on February 12, 1963, and the song was released on March 11 as a non-album single.

The Beatles recorded the song in 1965 for the United Kingdom version of their album Help!, with drummer Ringo Starr on vocals – his fifth with the band.

[15] The Beatles performed the song during an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show which was taped on August 14, 1965, and broadcast on September 12, 1965.

According to author John C. Winn:[17] Twenty-four years after the Beatles released their famous cover version of "Act Naturally", Owens and Ringo Starr teamed up for a duet remake.

[20] A music video was filmed for the song depicting the duo playing bumbling versions of themselves acting as cowboys on a western movie set.

[21] Released on Capitol Records (B-44409), on July 29, 1989,[20] the duet peaked at number 27 and spent 11 weeks on the Billboard country chart in the summer of 1989.