“I Don’t Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)” was written and recorded by Buck Owens, whose version reached number one on the country chart in 1964 — one of the long string of hits that made him a leader of the Bakersfield sound.
The song is a declaration of single-minded devotion. Whatever else may go wrong, whatever the world may say or do, the singer insists that none of it matters as long as he is loved in return.
The song’s bright, simple message carried it into bluegrass. The version heard here is by Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.