D-I-V-O-R-C-E (album)

D-I-V-O-R-C-E
Studio album by Tammy Wynette
Released	July 1968
Recorded	March 22 – 25, 1968
Studio	Columbia Studio B (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country [1] Nashville Sound [1]
Label	Epic
Producer	Billy Sherrill
Tammy Wynette chronology
Take Me to Your World / I Don't Wanna Play House (1968) D-I-V-O-R-C-E (1968) Stand by Your Man (1969)
Singles from D-I-V-O-R-C-E
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E" Released: April 1968

D-I-V-O-R-C-E is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in July 1968 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. Several recordings were cover tunes, including songs by Merle Haggard and The Beatles. Several new selections were also part of the collection, including the title track. Released as a single, the title track became Wynette's fourth number one song on the North American country charts in 1968. The album itself would also top the American country LP's chart in 1968. D-I-V-O-R-C-E received positive reviews from critics following its release.

Background, recording and content

Tammy Wynette signed a recording contract with Epic Records in 1966 and her success began to grow over the next several years. By 1968, Wynette was having a series of number one singles on the country music charts, including "My Elusive Dreams", "I Don't Wanna Play House" and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E". ^[2] The latter track, written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, was brought to Wynette's attention by her producer, Billy Sherrill. "I hated myself for not writing that song. It fit my life completely," Wynette later commented. ^[3] Her fourth studio album would be named for the song. ^[3] The project was recorded at the Columbia Studio B, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Sessions took place between March 22 and March 25, 1968 and were all produced by Billy Sherrill. ^[4]

The album consisted of 11 tracks. ^[1] Including the title track, five songs on the album were new recordings. These included "All Night Long", "Come on Home", "When There's a Fire in Your Heart" and an answer song to Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey". ^[4] Remaining songs on the album were cover tunes originally made commercially-successful as pop and country singles. The covers included a remake of The Beatles's "Yesterday", Ronnie Dove's "Kiss Away", Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams", Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind" and Andy Williams's "Lonely Street". ^{[5] [6]}

Release, reception and singles

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

D-I-V-O-R-C-E was originally released in July 1968 on Epic Records. It was the fourth studio album of Wynette's career. Epic distributed the album as a vinyl LP, with six songs on "side A" and five songs on "side B". ^[4] It was re-released as a compact disc by eOne and Koch Records in 1998. ^[7] It was then released digitally several years later. ^[8] The album received a positive review from Billboard magazine in 1968. Reviewers praised her vocal delivery: "Tammy Wynette sings with feeling and power like no other, and this latest LP offering is sure to be much in demand by her numerous fans." ^[9] Years later, Greg Adams of AllMusic gave it a 4.5 star-rating. "The vocal performances are excellent even on the more disposable material, and although nothing here approaches the level of the title track, the album is ultimately rewarding for those whose interest in Wynette extends beyond her greatest hits," he concluded. ^[1]

Three months after its original release, the album reached the number one spot on the American Billboard Country LP's chart. It became Wynette's first album in her career to top the chart. ^[10] The title track was the album's only single. Epic issued the single in April 1968. ^[11] Two months later, it topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. ^[12] It became Wynette's fourth song number one country single. ^[6] It also reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 ^[13] and topped Canada's RPM Country chart. ^[14]

Track listings

Vinyl version

Side one ^[4]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gentle on My Mind"	John Hartford	3:12
2.	"Honey (I Miss You)"	Bobby Russell	3:10
3.	"Legend of Bonnie and Clyde"	Merle Haggard Bonnie Owens	2:02
4.	"All Night Long"	Don Chapel	2:24
5.	"Sweet Dreams"	Don Gibson	2:29
6.	"Yesterday"	Lennon–McCartney	1:56

Side two ^[4]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"D-I-V-O-R-C-E"	Bobby Braddock Curly Putman	2:54
2.	"Come On Home"	George Richey Jack Rhodes	2:27
3.	"When There's a Fire in Your Heart"	Merle Kilgore Sonny Williams	2:39
4.	"Kiss Away"	Billy Sherrill Glenn Sutton	2:25
5.	"Lonely Street"	Carl Belew Kenny Sowder W.S. Stevenson	2:08

CD and digital versions

D-I-V-O-R-C-E (compact disc and digital) ^{[7] [8]}

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gentle on My Mind"	Hartford	3:14
2.	"Honey (I Miss You)"	Russell	4:13
3.	"Legend of Bonnie and Clyde"	Haggard Owens	2:03
4.	"All Night Long"	Chapel	2:25
5.	"Sweet Dreams"	Gibson	2:29
6.	"Yesterday"	Lennon–McCartney	1:58
7.	"D-I-V-O-R-C-E"	Braddock Putman	2:57
8.	"Come On Home"	Richey Rhodes	2:30
9.	"When There's a Fire in Your Heart"	Kilgore Williams	2:41
10.	"Kiss Away"	Sherrill Sutton	2:28
11.	"Lonely Street"	Belew Sowder Stevenson	2:18

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the original liner notes of D-I-V-O-R-C-E ^[4] and the re-issued version of the album in 1998. ^[7]

Technical personnel

• Barry Feldman – Executive producer (1998 version)
• Bill Grimes – Photography
• Michael Mendel – Design
• Thomas Molesky – Design (1998 version)
• Dave Nives – Reissue inspiration (1998 version)
• Don Richardson, Sr. – Liner notes
• Billy Sherrill – Producer

Chart performance

Chart (1968)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [15]	147
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [16]	1

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Japan	July 1968	Vinyl	CBS Records International Sony Music	[17]
North America			Epic Records	[4]
	February 17, 1998	Compact disc	eOne Koch Records	[7]
	2010s	Music download streaming	Sony Music	[8]

References

1. Adams, Greg. "D-I-V-O-R-C-E: Tammy Wynette: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 July 2022.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tammy Wynette Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 July 2022.
3. McDonough, Jimmy (2010). Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN   9781101189955.
4. Wynette, Tammy (July 1968). "D-I-V-O-R-C-E (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Epic Records . BN-26392.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN   978-0-89820-188-8.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
7. Wynette, Tammy (August 19, 1997). "D-I-V-O-R-C-E (CD Liner Notes and Album Information)". EOne/Koch Records. 379452.
8. "D-I-V-O-R-C-E by Tammy Wynette". Apple Music . Retrieved 5 July 2022.
9. "Album Reviews: Country Spotlight". Billboard . Vol. 80, no. 28. July 13, 1968. p. 77. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
10. "Billboard Magazine - September 21, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
11. Wynette, Tammy (April 1968). ""D-I-V-O-R-C-E" / Don't Make Me Now" (7" vinyl single)". Epic Records . 5-10315.
12. "Billboard Magazine - June 29, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
13. "Billboard Magazine - June 29, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
14. "Search results for "Tammy Wynette" under Country Singles". RPM . Retrieved 8 December 2019.
15. "Tammy Wynette Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
16. "Tammy Wynette Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
17. Wynette, Tammy (July 1968). "D-I-V-O-R-C-E (CD Liner Notes and Album Information)". CBS Records International/Sony Music. SONP-50041.