Only the Hits | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 1981 | |||
Recorded | July 1980 | |||
Studio | Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | Liberty | |||
Producer | Larry Butler | |||
Billie Jo Spears chronology | ||||
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Singles from Only the Hits | ||||
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Only the Hits is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1981 on Liberty Records and contained ten tracks. The project was a collection of cover tunes, which mixed both country and pop songs. Of its tracks were two singles: "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" and "What the World Needs Now Is Love". Spears's version of "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" reached the top 20 of the American country songs chart. Billboard magazine gave the album an unfavorable review following its release.
Billie Jo Spears had a series of top ten and top 20 songs on the North American country charts. This included the chart-topping "Blanket on the Ground", along with "What I've Got in Mind" and "If You Want Me". Her singles would find popularity in the United Kingdom, where Spears often devoted more of her career towards. Her final top 20 single was "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad", [3] which was included on Only the Hits. The album would be Spears's final with her long-time record label. The project was recorded at Sound Emporium, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Sessions were held in July 1980 and were produced by Larry Butler. [4]
Only the Hits consisted of ten cover songs. [1] The album was named for the fact the original recordings had been hits for other music artists. [4] Seven of the project's songs had originally had been top ten or number one singles on the Billboard country chart: Anne Murray's "Snowbird", Don Williams's "Lay Down Beside Me", Larry Gatlin's "Broken Lady", Tammy Wynette's "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad", Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" and Lynn Anderson's "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden". [5] Also featured were songs that had originally been top ten Billboard pop singles: the Eagles's "Desperado", Ray Stevens's "Everything Is Beautiful", Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Jackie DeShannon's "What the World Needs Now Is Love". [6]
Only the Hits was released in February 1981 on Liberty Records. It would be Spears's final album with the label. It was distributed as a vinyl LP and a cassette. [4] In Europe, it was titled as Special Songs and included two additional songs previously released on Spears's earlier studio albums. [7] [8] The album was given a negative review from Billboard magazine in 1981. "What a remarkable voice like Spears' is doing amid this garland of pop perennials is a mystery. It's like using a chainsaw to slice white bread," they remarked. [2] Two singles were included on the album. The first was Spears's cover of "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad", which was released as a single in November 1980. [9] It spent 13 weeks on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs, reaching number 13 in March 1981. It was Spears's final top 20 single there. [10] Spears's cover of "What the World Needs Now Is Love" was released as the second single in March 1981. [11] The song reached number 58 on the Billboard country chart later that year. [5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
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1. | "What the World Needs Now Is Love" | Jackie DeShannon | 3:00 | |
2. | "Snowbird" | Gene MacLellan | Anne Murray | 2:16 |
3. | "Lay Down Beside Me" | Don Williams | Don Williams | 3:07 |
4. | "Broken Lady" | Larry Gatlin | Larry Gatlin | 2:30 |
5. | "Everything Is Beautiful" | Ray Stevens | Ray Stevens | 4:13 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
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1. | "Desperado" | Eagles | 3:06 | |
2. | "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" | Tammy Wynette | 2:23 | |
3. | "I Fall to Pieces" | Patsy Cline | 3:34 | |
4. | "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" | Joe South | Lynn Anderson | 2:52 |
5. | "Bridge Over Troubled Water"" | Paul Simon | Simon and Garfunkel | 3:41 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
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1. | "What the World Needs Now Is Love" |
| Jackie DeShannon | 3:00 |
2. | "Snowbird" | Gene MacLellan | Anne Murray | 2:16 |
3. | "Lay Down Beside Me" | Don Williams | Don Williams | 3:07 |
4. | "Broken Lady" | Larry Gatlin | Larry Gatlin | 2:30 |
5. | "Everything Is Beautiful" | Ray Stevens | Ray Stevens | 4:13 |
6. | "Heartbreak Hotel" | Elvis Presley | 3:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Desperado" |
| Eagles | 3:06 |
2. | "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" |
| Tammy Wynette | 2:23 |
3. | "I Fall to Pieces" |
| Patsy Cline | 3:34 |
4. | "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" | Joe South | Lynn Anderson | 2:52 |
5. | "Bridge Over Troubled Water" | Paul Simon | Simon and Garfunkel | 3:41 |
6. | "Lovin' Him Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" | Kris Kristofferson | Kris Kristofferson | 3:20 |
All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Only the Hits. [4]
Musical personnel
| Technical personnel
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Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
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Netherlands | February 1981 | Vinyl LP | Liberty Records | [7] |
North America |
| [4] | ||
United Kingdom | [8] | |||
Billie Jo Spears was an American country music singer. She was known for a series of singles whose characters often represented women in assertive positions. Among these recordings was a song about sexual harassment, and a song about rekindling sexual desire ".
Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in May 1967 and contained ten tracks. The majority of the album was a collection of cover tunes Wynette recorded, including songs by George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Jeannie Seely. Several new songs were also part of the project. It was the debut studio album of Wynette's career and included two singles: "Apartment No. 9" and "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad". The latter became Wynette's first chart success, climbing into the top five of the American country chart. The album itself reached the American country LP's chart in 1967. The album later received a positive review from AllMusic, which gave it a five-star rating.
The discography of American country artist, Billie Jo Spears, contains 24 studio albums, 14 compilation albums, one video album, 53 singles, one charting song and has appeared on one album. Spears's first singles were issued at United Artists Records before switching to Capitol Records. The 1969 single, "Mr. Walker, It's All Over", reached the top ten on the American and Canadian country songs charts. An album of the same name followed that reached the top 30 on the American country albums chart. Her remaining years with Capitol Records failed to prove any further commercial success. The label issued four more studio albums by Spears through 1971, along with four more top 40 singles.
Blanket on the Ground is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1975 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. It was the seventh studio album of Spears's music career and her first with the United Artists label. The disc featured mostly ballads, many of which were cover tunes. The album was anchored by its title track, which topped the American country chart and became a pop commercial success in several countries. The disc itself reached the top five of the American country albums chart as well. AllMusic later gave the disc four out of five stars.
Billie Jo is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in October 1975 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. A mixture of new recordings and cover tunes were featured on the disc. Among them were the singles, "Stay Away from the Apple Tree" and "Silver Wings and Golden Rings". Both singles reached the top 20 of the North American country charts in 1975. The album itself reached the top 50 of the American country albums chart. It was the eighth studio album of Spears's career and her second with the United Artists label.
I Will Survive is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in May 1979 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. It was the fifteenth studio album of her career. The album project was contained new recordings, along with several cover tunes. Among these covers was Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". Spears's version was released as the album's lead single, reaching the top 50 of the UK pop chart, the top 30 of the American country chart and the top ten of the Canadian country chart. It was followed by two more singles that year. The album was given positive reviews by critics.
"Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" is a song written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton, and recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in February 1967 as the first single and title track from the album Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad.
"I Stayed Long Enough" is a song written and originally recorded by American country artist, Tammy Wynette. It first appeared as an album track on Wynette's 1969 album, Stand by Your Man. It was then recorded and released as a single by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. Her version reached the top 40 of the American country chart in 1970.
Country Girl is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released on Capitol Records in August 1970 and contained ten tracks. It was the fifth studio album of Spears's career and featured original material along with cover tunes. Among its new recordings was the top 20 country single, "Marty Gray". The album received positive reviews from critics following its release.
Just Singin is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1971 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. The album featured mostly cover recordings of popular country songs from the time period. Just Singin' was met with mixed reviews from critics following its release. It was her final album with the Capitol label.
What I've Got in Mind is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in June 1976 via United Artists Records and was the ninth studio album of her career. The disc contained a total of ten tracks, mixing both original recordings with cover tunes. Among its tracks were three singles: the title track, "Misty Blue" and "Sing Me an Old Fashioned Song". Both the title song and "Misty Blue" reached the top five of the North American country charts. "Sing Me an Old Fashioned Song" was released overseas where it made chart positions internationally. The album itself reached the top ten on the American country albums chart and the top 50 of the UK Albums chart. Country Music People gave the disc a positive review.
If You Want Me is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. In the United Kingdom, the album was titled as Every Time I Sing a Love Song It was released on United Artists Records in June 1977 and contained ten tracks. Most of the album's material were new recordings, along with some cover tunes. It was the twelfth studio album of her career. Two singles were included on the disc: the title track and "Too Much Is Not Enough". Both reached the top ten and top 20 of the North American country charts in 1977. The album itself also charted on the American country albums survey. It received mixed reviews from critics.
Lonely Hearts Club is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1978 via United Artists Records and contained 11 tracks. The album featured mostly new recordings, which included three singles: the title track, "I've Got to Go" "'57 Chevrolet". All three recordings reached the top 20 of the American country chart, while also reaching top positions in Canada. The album itself reached the American country albums chart. Lonely Hearts Club was met with positive reviews from critics.
"Love Ain't Gonna Wait for Us" is a song originally recorded by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. Written by Larry Butler and Ben Peters, the song was released as a single by United Artists Records in October 1978. It reached the top 30 of the American country chart later in the year and served as the title track for Spears's 1978 studio LP. It was given a positive review from Record World magazine.
"Livin' Our Love Together" is a song written by Ben Peters that was originally recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released as a single by United Artists Records in 1979 and reached the top 40 of the North American country charts. It was included on Spears's 1979 studio album I Will Survive. The track was given favorable reviews following its release.
Love Ain't Gonna Wait for Us is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in October 1978 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. The disc featured mostly new recordings, along with several cover tunes. It featured a country pop production, overseen by Larry Butler. Two singles were spawned from the album: the title track and a cover of "Yesterday". It received a positive reception from Cashbox magazine.
"Standing Tall" is a song co-written by Larry Butler and Ben Peters. It was originally recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette on her 1978 album Womanhood. One of its most notable version is a version recorded by Billie Jo Spears shortly afterward. It was first cut for Spears's 1978 album and was re-recorded and released as a single in 1980. Spears's second version reached the top 20 of the American country chart and the top ten of the Canadian country chart. "Standing Tall" would later be re-recorded by several artists, notably Lorrie Morgan, who released her version as a single in 1995.
The Billie Jo Spears Singles Album is a compilation album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1979 via United Artists Records. Two versions of the album were issued with different track listings. A North American version with ten tracks and an international version with 14 tracks were both distributed. The international version charted on the UK Albums Chart and later certified gold from the British Phonographic Industry.
Standing Tall is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1980 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. The collection contained cover songs along with new material. Of its new recordings were two singles: the title track and "Natural Attraction". The title tune was a top 20 single on the American country chart and a top ten single on the Canadian country chart. The album reached the top 70 of the American country albums chart and received positive reviews from critics.
Country Girl is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in 1981 via Warwick Records and contained 20 songs. The majority of the album's material were new recordings, along with three previously released songs. Most of the tracks were covers of previously cut material. It was later certified gold in the United Kingdom, where it was primarily sold. It would reach the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart.