In Casey's intro to "Young Love", the hook was that James had a current streak of 15 consecutive #1 hits on the country chart. (James' discography on Wikipedia does not agree with that count, but it's what Casey said.) While "Young Love" wasn't part of that streak, Casey identified it as James' biggest pop hit.
And the staff got that one wrong. At the time, James' No. 1 hit streak was at 12, with his most recent being "
Don't Keep Me Hangin' On," which spent four weeks at No. 1 in August (from Aug. 8-29), and was still within the top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart on Oct. 3. The song would go on to remain in the top 40 (the week of Oct. 10) for one more week before dropping off the chart.
Eventually (as in, a year later), James would notch his 16th straight No. 1 hit (with "
Here Comes Honey Again"), which set the new standard that remained until Alabama raised it even higher in 1985 with "
40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" (their 17th straight) and kept it going for another two years. Earl Thomas Conley also had 16 solo No. 1 hits in as many single releases from 1983-1989 (not counting a No. 2 duet hit with Anita Pointer on "
Too Many Times").
Incidentally, the prevailing country chart record in 1970 for most consecutive No. 1 songs in a row was held by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos – he had amassed a hit streak of 15 straight from 1963 to 1967, with the songs as follows:
1963• "
Act Naturally." Also recorded by the Beatles, and remade in 1989 as a duet between Buck Owens and Ringo Starr. The only time any of the four Beatles made the Hot Country Singles chart's top 40.
• "
Love's Gonna Live Here." The last song to spend 16 weeks at No. 1 – until Florida Georgia Line's "
Cruise" in 2013.
1964• "
My Heart Skips a Beat." A double-A sided hit with the below song.
• "
Together Again." The other half of the only double-A sided No. 1 hit. Remade in 1976 by Emmylou Harris, which also went to No. 1. The first Owens' ballad.
• "
I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)." Had a B-side that became a hit on its own, but going by the Joel Whitburn standard, it's not considered a streak breaker.
1965• "
I've Got a Tiger By the Tail." His only pop top 40 hit (peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100, and although it spent only seven weeks at No. 1, is often considered his definitive and biggest hit.
• "
Before You Go." Twin-tempoed song – starts off fast, goes slow for the refrain before repeating.
• "
Only You (Can Break My Heart)." Another Owens ballad.
• "
Buckaroo." An instrumental. In the entire history of the country chart (going back to 1944), this was the second and final instrumental to reach No. 1. (Incidentally, Owens' Christmas standard, "
Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" was in release at the time "Buckaroo" was No.1 – but did not chart; like B-sided and duet hits that fail to reach No. 1, the Whitburn standard does not consider this a streak-breaker.)
1966• "
Waitin' In Your Welfare Line."
• "
Think Of Me."
• "
Open Up Your Heart."
1967• "
Where Does the Good Times Go."
• "
Sam's Place." The shortest of all Owens' No. 1 songs, coming in at 1:57.
• "
Your Tender Loving Care." A ballad and the final song in the streak.
When "
It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)" peaked at No. 2 in January 1968 (held out by the Bill Anderson-Jan Howard duet "
For Loving You" and Merle Haggard's classic "
Sing Me Back Home"), Owens' fantastic streak was broken. The Buckaroos' leader would return to the top that April with "
How Long Will My Baby Be Gone," his 16th No. 1 hit, before stalling once again at No. 2 with the next single, "
Sweet Rosie Jones" (held out by Johnny Cash's legendary live performance of "
Folsom Prison Blues"); a duet with son Buddy Alan, "
Let the World Keep a' Turnin'," stalled at No. 7 but would not have counted against the streak had it remained intact. Finally, in late 1968, Owens had a song that decidedly was not a potential No. 1, although it did reach No. 5: "
I've Got You on My Mind Again," and a follow-up single did not even chart, so if not in early 1968, certainly now would have been the time for the streak to end.
Owens went on to have five more No. 1 hits, including three in 1969.
Brian