"House of Cards" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Mary Chapin Carpenter | ||||
from the album Stones in the Road | ||||
B-side | "Jubilee" | |||
Released | March 25, 1995 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:45 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mary Chapin Carpenter | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Mary Chapin Carpenter singles chronology | ||||
|
"House of Cards" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. it was released in March 1995 as the third single from the album Stones in the Road . The song reached #21 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. [1]
The narrator sings of growing up in a small home in a small community, reflecting on knowing the “groan of every stair” in the house and the “name of every street” in the town. She reflects that while these small communities and homes seem perfect and ideal to an outsider, they hide their own secrets and perils, and that everyone’s greatest fear is that their “house of cards” will be discovered and everything will crash down around them.
The music video begins by showing a family smiling happily for a family photo. Once the photo is taken, the façade falls away and the fighting, despair, and turmoil of the family is revealed. The father is an alcoholic who is buried in his work and talking to a mistress on the phone, the mother is mentally overwhelmed trying to hold up the image of her "perfect" family and chain smokes as a way to escape her reality as she works on a stack of Christmas cards. The older child struggles with beauty and self-esteem issues, while the younger child, feeling like he is caught in the crossfire of the family turmoil, retreats to the attic of the home, where he builds a large house of playing cards which in the end crashes to the ground.
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [2] | 21 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 22 |
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American country and folk music singer-songwriter. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D. C.-area clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records. Carpenter's first album, 1987's Hometown Girl, did not produce any charting singles. She broke through with 1989's State of the Heart and 1990's Shooting Straight in the Dark.
Long Stretch of Lonesome is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless, released on September 30, 1997. Three singles charted in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Highlights are "High on Love," "To Have You Back Again" and the George Jones-backed "You Don't Seem to Miss Me," each of which both charted in the top 20. "High on Love" was co-written by Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The single "Like Water Into Wine" charted at number 57, the first of Loveless' singles since 1986 to not chart in the country top 40. The album went on to be certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies in the U.S.
Sweetheart's Dance is the fourth studio album by American country music singer Pam Tillis, released on April 26, 1994 via Arista Records. It is her highest ranking album on the Billboard charts, at number 6.
"He Thinks He'll Keep Her" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in December 1993 as the sixth single from the album Come On Come On. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was written by Carpenter and Don Schlitz.
Come On Come On is the fourth album by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Seven of its tracks became Billboard Hot Country Singles hits in 1992, 1993, and 1994. They were, chronologically, "I Feel Lucky" at #4, "Not Too Much to Ask" at #15, "Passionate Kisses" at #4, "The Hard Way" at #11, "The Bug" at #16, "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" at #2, and "I Take My Chances" also at #2. The album topped out at #6 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
State of the Heart is singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter's second album. It is much more country sounding than her preceding basically folk début Hometown Girl. State of the Heart eventually rose to the No. 28 position on the Billboard Country Albums chart, with four of its tracks finding places within the Hot Country Singles chart. Chronologically, they were "How Do" at No. 19, "Never Had It So Good" at No. 8, "Quittin' Time" at No. 7, and "Something of a Dreamer" at No. 14.
Stones in the Road is the fifth album by Mary Chapin Carpenter, and her first and only #1 Country Album on the Billboard charts. The album also contains her first and only #1 Hot Country Singles hit, "Shut Up and Kiss Me." Other charting singles were "Tender When I Want to Be" at #6, "House of Cards" at #21, and "Why Walk When You Can Fly?" at #45. The nostalgically themed title track was first recorded by folk singer Joan Baez for her 1992 studio album Play Me Backwards, to whom Carpenter first pitched the song during a joint concert appearance before she recorded it herself. It was also featured in the 1995 film Bye Bye Love.
A Place in the World is the sixth album by Mary Chapin Carpenter, and was a No. 3 Country Album on the Billboard charts. Album tracks that entered the Hot Country Singles chart were "Let Me into Your Heart" at No. 11, "I Want to Be Your Girlfriend" at No. 35, and "Keeping the Faith" at No. 58. Carpenter wrote all of the songs on the album singlehandedly.
Greatest Hits is a 1997 compilation album from American country music artist Pam Tillis. The album reached #6 on the Billboard country albums charts. It chronicles her greatest hits from her first four albums for Arista Nashville. The tracks "Land of the Living" and "All the Good Ones Are Gone" are new to this compilation. Both were released as singles, reaching Top Five on the Hot Country Songs charts in 1997. The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. This was the last of her albums to receive certification in sales. "Land of the Living" would also be Pam's last top 10 appearance in the Country Singles Charts.
Between Here and Gone is the eighth studio album by Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released April 27, 2004. The album reached number five on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, although the album itself produced no chart singles. The title track was written by Carpenter upon hearing of the death of singer-songwriter Dave Carter.
"Shut Up and Kiss Me" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in August 1994 as the first single from her album Stones in the Road. The song became her only number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts on November 19, 1994; it also peaked at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song features Lee Roy Parnell accompanying on slide guitar, Benmont Tench on piano, Don Dixon on bass, Kenny Aronoff on drums, and Trisha Yearwood providing backing vocals. The song also won Carpenter a Grammy Award in 1995 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Hometown Girl is the debut album from American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released on July 30, 1987 on Columbia Records. The album did not produce any chart singles. It was produced by John Jennings, except for the track "Come On Home", which was produced by Steve Buckingham.
Time* Sex* Love* is the seventh studio album from American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in 2001 on Columbia Records Nashville as her first studio album since A Place in the World five years previous. This album produced two singles in "Simple Life," which peaked at number 53 on Billboard's Hot Country chart, and "This Is Me Leaving You" which failed to chart. Despite its low airplay ranking, "Simple Life" spent 28 weeks on Billboard's Top 25 Country Singles Sales chart, peaking at number 8 on May 5, 2001.
The Calling is the ninth studio album released from country music singer Mary Chapin Carpenter. It is the follow-up album to her 2004 album, Between Here and Gone. The Calling was released on March 6, 2007 on Zoë Records. Carpenter had previously been on Columbia Nashville, this being her first release after leaving Columbia. Like her previous album, she wrote every track on the album.
The Age of Miracles is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter. The album was released on April 27, 2010 on Zoë Records and was produced by Carpenter and Matt Rollings.
"Tender When I Want to Be" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in December 1994 as the second single from her album Stones in the Road. The song reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in February 1995.
"I Take My Chances" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in April 1994 as the seventh and final single from her album Come On Come On. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in July 1994. It was written by Carpenter and Don Schlitz.
"Down at the Twist and Shout" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It celebrates the Bethesda, Maryland, dance and music venue Twist & Shout. It was released in June 1991 as the third single from the album Shooting Straight in the Dark. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on September 14, 1991. The Cajun-themed song features backing from members of BeauSoleil, who are also name-dropped in the lyrics. Carpenter performed the song pregame at Super Bowl XXXI.
"I Feel Lucky" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in May 1992 as the first single from the album Come On Come On. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The Chipettes recorded a cover of this song for the 1992 album Chipmunks in Low Places. It was written by Carpenter and Don Schlitz.
"Almost Home" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in April 1999 as the first single from her compilation album, Party Doll and Other Favorites. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and is her last Top 40 country hit.