Only the Hits

Last updated
Only the Hits
Billie Jo Spears--Only the Hits.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 1981 (1981-02)
RecordedJuly 1980 (1980-07)
Studio Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Label Liberty
Producer Larry Butler
Billie Jo Spears chronology
Standing Tall
(1980)
Only the Hits
(1981)
Country Girl
(1981)
Singles from Only the Hits
  1. "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad"
    Released: November 1980
  2. "What the World Needs Now Is Love"
    Released: March 1981

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.

Contents

Background and recording

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]

Content

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]

Release, reception and singles

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]

Track listings

Only the Hits

Side one [4] [5] [6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
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 Williams3:07
4."Broken Lady" Larry Gatlin Larry Gatlin2:30
5."Everything Is Beautiful" Ray Stevens Ray Stevens4:13

Special Songs

Side one [8] [7] [5] [6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."What the World Needs Now Is Love"
  • Burt Bacharach
  • Hal David
Jackie DeShannon3:00
2."Snowbird"Gene MacLellanAnne Murray2:16
3."Lay Down Beside Me"Don WilliamsDon Williams3:07
4."Broken Lady"Larry GatlinLarry Gatlin2:30
5."Everything Is Beautiful"Ray StevensRay Stevens4:13
6."Heartbreak Hotel"Elvis Presley3:12
Side two [8] [7] [5] [6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Desperado"
  • Glenn Frey
  • Don Henley
Eagles3:06
2."Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad"
  • Billy Sherrill
  • Glenn Sutton
Tammy Wynette2:23
3."I Fall to Pieces"
  • Hank Cochran
  • Harlan Howard
Patsy Cline3:34
4."(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden"Joe SouthLynn Anderson2:52
5."Bridge Over Troubled Water"Paul SimonSimon and Garfunkel3:41
6."Lovin' Him Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" Kris Kristofferson Kris Kristofferson3:20

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Only the Hits. [4]

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
NetherlandsFebruary 1981Vinyl LPLiberty Records [7]
North America
  • Vinyl LP
  • cassette
[4]
United Kingdom [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Jo Spears</span> American country music singer (1938–2011)

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 ".

<i>Your Good Girls Gonna Go Bad</i> 1967 studio album by Tammy Wynette

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Jo Spears discography</span>

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.

<i>Blanket on the Ground</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>Billie Jo</i> 1975 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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>I Will Survive</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1979 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>Country Girl</i> (1970 Billie Jo Spears album) 1970 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>Just Singin</i> 1971 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>What Ive Got in Mind</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>If You Want Me</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1977 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>Lonely Hearts Club</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1978 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>Love Aint Gonna Wait for Us</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>The Billie Jo Spears Singles Album</i> 1979 compilation album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>Standing Tall</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1980 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

<i>Country Girl</i> (1981 Billie Jo Spears album) 1981 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Only the Hits: Billie Jo Spears: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Billboard's Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard . February 21, 1981. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  3. Huey, Steve. "Billie Jo Spears Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Spears, Billie Jo (February 1981). "Only the Hits (Disc Information)". Liberty Records . LT-1074 (LP); 4LT-1074 (Cassette).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. various.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Spears, Billie Jo (February 1981). "Special Songs (Netherlands)". Liberty Records . 1A-062-83052 (LP).
  8. 1 2 3 4 Spears, Billie Jo (February 1981). "Special Songs (United Kingdom)". Liberty Records . LBG-30333 (LP); OC-262-83 052 (Cassette).
  9. Spears, Billie Jo (November 1980). ""Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad"/"(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" (Single)". Liberty Records . 1395.
  10. "Billie Jo Spears chart history (Country Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  11. Spears, Billie Jo (March 1981). ""Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad"/"Snowbird" (Single)". Liberty Records . 1409.