D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

Last updated
"D.I.V.O.R.C.E."
Single by Billy Connolly
B-side "Cuckoo" [1]
Released1975 [1]
Genre Novelty
Label Polydor Records [1]
Songwriter(s) Sheb Wooley Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman
Producer(s) Phil Coulter [1]

"D.I.V.O.R.C.E." is a 1975 UK number-one single by Scottish folk singer and comedian Billy Connolly. [2] A comedy song, it reached No. 1 for one week in November 1975, [3] and was one of the few songs of its genre to reach this milestone.

The song is a cover of Sheb Wooley's [4] parody of the Tammy Wynette song "D-I-V-O-R-C-E", [5] and Connolly's version to date has been his only No. 1 UK single, [3] though in the late 1970s he had a further two UK hits which parodied contemporary songs. He later dropped musical performances from his act.

"D.I.V.O.R.C.E." has a similar theme to Wynette's original in that the events in the song lead to a couple divorcing, however in the parody, the words are spelled out to withhold the truth from a dog rather than a child as in Wynette's version, and the divorce is sparked by a riotous visit to a veterinarian [6] that results in the husband being bitten by both the dog and his wife.

Some versions of the song, such as the live performance included on the album Get Right Intae Him!, are censored, with the letters "f'ing c" being bleeped.

Related Research Articles

Tammy Wynette American country musician (1942–1998)

Tammy Wynette was an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as an actress and author. Dubbed the "First Lady of Country Music", she is considered among country's most influential artists. Her characteristic vocal delivery has been acclaimed by critics, journalists and writers for conveying unique emotion. Wynette helped bring a woman's perspective to the male-dominated country music field that helped other women find representation in the genre. Her signature song, "Stand by Your Man", received both acclaim and criticism for its portrayal of women's loyalty towards their spouses.

Billy Connolly Scottish actor and comedian

Sir William Connolly is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin. Known for his idiosyncratic and often improvised observational comedy, frequently including strong language, Connolly has topped many UK polls as one of the greatest comedians of all time.

Stand by Your Man 1968 Tammy Wynette song

"Stand by Your Man" is a song recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette, co-written by Wynette with Billy Sherrill. It was released on September 20, 1968, as the first single and title track from the album Stand by Your Man. It proved to be the most successful record of Wynette's career, and is one of the most familiar songs in the history of country music. The song was placed at number one on CMT's list of the Top 100 Country Music Songs.

D.I.V.O.R.C.E may refer to:

Claude Putman Jr. professionally known as Curly Putman was an American songwriter.

No Charge 1974 single by Melba Montgomery

"No Charge" is a country music song, written by songwriter Harlan Howard. It was first recorded by country singer Melba Montgomery, whose 1974 version was a #1 country hit in both the US and Canada, as well as making #39 on the US pop charts. In the UK, the song is associated with J.J. Barrie, whose 1976 version was a #1 UK hit.

Robert Valentine Braddock is an American country songwriter and record producer. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Braddock has contributed numerous hit songs during more than 40 years in the industry, including 13 number-one hit singles.

Coat of Many Colors (song) Original song written and composed by Dolly Parton

"Coat of Many Colors" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Dolly Parton. It was released in September 1971 as the second single and title track from the album Coat of Many Colors.

<i>Golden Ring</i> (album) 1976 studio album by George Jones and Tammy Wynette

Golden Ring is the seventh studio album by American country music artists George Jones and Tammy Wynette, released in August 1976 on the Epic Records label. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album chart. The singles "Near You" and "Golden Ring" both reached No. 1 on the Country Singles chart.

Golden Ring (song) 1976 single by George Jones and Tammy Wynette

"Golden Ring" is a song written by Bobby Braddock and Rafe Van Hoy, and recorded by American country music singers George Jones and Tammy Wynette. It was released in May 1976 as the first single and title track to their duet album of the same name. It was a number-one hit on the Billboard country chart.

D-I-V-O-R-C-E 1968 single by Tammy Wynette

"D-I-V-O-R-C-E" is a song written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, and recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in May 1968 as the first single and title track from the album D-I-V-O-R-C-E. Wynette's version was a number one country hit in 1968 and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.

Tears (Ken Dodd song) 1965 single by Ken Dodd

"Tears" is a song written by lyricist Frank Capano and composer Billy Uhr, and was first recorded by Rudy Vallee in 1929. It was made famous in a version recorded by Ken Dodd, released as a 45 rpm single in 1965. It became a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart.

People Are Crazy 2009 single by Billy Currington

"People Are Crazy" is a song written by Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones and recorded by American country music singer Billy Currington. It was released in March 2009 as the second single from Currington’s 2008 album Little Bit of Everything. The song became Currington's third number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. On December 2, 2009, the song was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song. The song was also nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards.

<i>D-I-V-O-R-C-E</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Tammy Wynette

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.

Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage.

"Lonely Street" is a 1956 song written by Carl Belew, Kenny Sowder, and W.S. Stevenson, originally performed by Belew, and later by Dave Rich. Its most successful rendition was by Andy Williams, whose version reached #5 on the Billboard chart and #20 on the R&B chart in 1959. The song appeared on his 1959 album, Lonely Street. Archie Bleyer's Orchestra played on the song.

"Sitting in the Park" is a 1965 song written and performed by Billy Stewart. The single was Stewart's fourth and most successful entry on the soul chart in the United States. "Sitting in the Park" peaked at number four on the soul chart and number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was featured on his 1965 album, I Do Love You.

<i>Great Women of Country</i> 2014 studio album by Melinda Schneider and Beccy Cole

Great Women of Country is the studio album by Australian country music singers Melinda Schneider and Beccy Cole. It was released through Universal Music Australia in 7 November 2014 and peaked at number 9 on the ARIA Charts.

<i>Stand by Your Man</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Tammy Wynette

Stand by Your Man is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in January 1969 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. It was the fifth studio album of Wynette's career and was named for its title track. The title track became Wynette's signature song and most successful single of her career.

Apartment No. 9

"Apartment No. 9" is a song written by Fern Foley, Fuzzy Owen and Johnny Paycheck. It was originally recorded by American country musician Bobby Austin in 1966 and became a top 40 hit on the Billboard country songs chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Billy Connolly - D.I.V.O.R.C.E. (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 320. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  3. 1 2 "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  4. Braddock, Bobby (6 October 2015). Bobby Braddock: A Life on Nashville's Music Row. ISBN   9780826520845 . Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  5. "Rock and roll years: the 1970s". The Scotsman . 2003-10-16. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  6. Brian Beacom (2009-09-21). "The story of Billy Connolly in 11 and a half chapters". The Herald . Retrieved 2010-03-08.