"Queen of the House" | ||||
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Single by Jody Miller | ||||
from the album Queen of the House | ||||
B-side | "The Greatest Actor" | |||
Released | April 1965 | |||
Recorded | March 1965 | |||
Studio | Capitol Studios | |||
Genre | Country pop [1] | |||
Length | 2:18 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Steve Douglas | |||
Jody Miller singles chronology | ||||
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"Queen of the House" is a song originally recorded and made commercially successful by American singer Jody Miller. It was an answer song to Roger Miller's "King of the Road". It featured lyrics written by Mary Taylor, with credit also given to Roger Miller. The song describes the day-to-day domestic duties of a housewife. It was released as a single on the coattails of "King of the Road"'s success, becoming a crossover single on the country, pop and adult contemporary charts. It led to Miller becoming the second female artist to win a country music Grammy award. An album of the same name appeared in 1965, which also featured the single.
In 1965, Roger Miller recorded his self-penned song called "King of the Road". It described the lifestyle of a hobo and it became a number one country song and top five pop song. It would become one of his signature tunes and would be recorded by many other artists. In its wake would come an answer song called "Queen of the House". [2] Answer songs were songs written in reply (or response) to another song made popular by another artist. [3]
"Queen of the House" described a housewives domestic duties, including taking care of four children, dirty floors and bathtubs. [4] [5] Mary Taylor was a singer–songwriter signed to Capitol Records at the time. After hearing "King of the Road", she composed "Queen of the House". A friend of Roger Miller's, Taylor called Miller on the phone after composing it. Miller insisted that she cut the song herself, but she was unable to because she already had a single out on the national charts. [6]
Mary Taylor's producer brought the song to the attention of Jody Miller's producer, Steve Douglas. Douglas had not achieved much production success and was encouraged to cut the track with Jody Miller (no relation to Roger Miller). [6] Up to that point, Jody Miller had been a folk artist at the Capitol label. She had one single make the American pop charts called "He Walks Like a Man". However, it was only a minor success and she had yet to achieve stardom. [7] At first, [Jody] Miller did not believe the song was right for her. Its characteristic finger snaps evoked the jazz style of singer Peggy Lee (who was also at Capitol). However, she eventually succumb to recording the song. [6] "Queen of the House" was recorded by Miller at Capitol Studios, located in Hollywood, California. The session was held in March 1965, with Steve Douglas producing the track. [8]
"Queen of the House" was released as a seven-inch vinyl single by Capitol Records in April 1965. The North American version included "The Greatest Actor" on its B-side". Equal credit was given to Roger Miller and Mary Taylor for the song's composition. [8] According to Jody Miller, "Queen of the House" received "instant airplay" from radio stations and the record could not be made "fast enough". [9] The song climbed to the number 12 position on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart, her highest peak on that chart in her career. [10] It became her first single to make the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, climbing to the number five position there. [11] It also reached number four on the Billboard adult contemporary charts. [12] The single was included on Miller's second studio album which was also titled Queen of the House . [13]
The country crossover success of "Queen of the House" led to a new career path for Miller. [14] She would end up recording as a country artist as the decade progressed, having success at Epic Records in the 1970s with several more popular country songs. [6] Miller's recording led to her winning Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 8th Annual Grammy Awards in 1966. [9] The same night, Roger Miller took home five Grammy awards, including two for "King of the Road". [2]
7" vinyl single (North America) [8]
7" vinyl single (Greece) [15]
Chart (1965) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia ( Kent Music Report ) [16] | 68 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [17] | 4 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [18] | 12 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [19] | 5 |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | 8th Annual Grammy Awards | Best Country Vocal Performance, Female | Won | [20] |
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1965.
Myrna Joy "Jody" Miller was an American singer, who had commercial success in the genres of country, folk and pop. She was the second female artist to win a country music accolade from the Grammy Awards, which came off the success of her 1965 song "Queen of the House". By blending multiple genres together, Miller's music was considered influential for other music artists.
"King of the Road" is a song written by country singer Roger Miller, who first recorded it in November 1964. The lyrics tell of the day-to-day life of a traveling hobo who, despite having little money, revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously and cynically as the "king of the road". It was Miller's fifth single for Smash Records. The song won Miller 5 Grammy Awards in 1966.
The discography of American singer Jody Miller contains 21 studio albums, five compilation albums, one video album, one album appearance, one extended play (EP) and 57 singles. Of her 57 singles, 47 were issued with Miller as the lead artist, two were released as a collaboration, two were promotional singles and five were internationally-released singles.
Wanda Jackson Sings Country Songs is a studio album by American recording artist Wanda Jackson. It was released in December 1965 via Capitol Records and contained 12 tracks. The album was Jackson's eighth studio record of her career and consisted of traditional country songs. Seven of these songs were released as singles between 1961 and 1965. Both "Slippin'" and "The Violet and the Rose" reached charting positions on the American country songs survey. The album received a positive review following its original release.
Queen of the House is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in June 1965 via Capitol Records and contained 12 tracks. It was named for the title track, which became a top 20 single on the pop charts and a top ten single on the country charts. The remaining tracks were mostly covers of popular songs from the era. Queen of the House was met with positive reviews since its release. The album itself would also make both the American country and pop charts.
"Home of the Brave" is a song recorded and made successful by American singer Jody Miller. It was composed by songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Released as a single by Capitol Records in 1965, "Home of the Brave" reached the pop charts in the United States, Canada and Australia. It was characterized as a protest song for its discussion of social issues during the sixties decade. It was among Miller's most commercially successful recordings in her career despite being banned from radio stations. "Home of the Brave" was released on an album of the same name in 1965.
Home of the Brave is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in October 1965 via Capitol Records and contained 11 tracks. The material mixed pop with country songs. Its title track reached the pop charts in several countries including Australia, Canada and the United States. The disc was Miller's third studio album in her career and received a positive review from Billboard following its release.
Jody Miller Sings the Great Hits of Buck Owens is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in March 1966 via Capitol Records and contained 12 tracks. The album was a collection of songs originally recorded and made successful by country singer–songwriter Buck Owens. It was the fourth studio album in Miller's career and received a positive response from Billboard magazine in 1966.
The Nashville Sound of Jody Miller is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in November 1968 via Capitol Records and contained 12 tracks. The album was Miller's second to complete feature country material and her first to be recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. Of its two singles, Miller's interpretation of "Long Black Limousine" made the American country chart. The album itself also charted on the American country LP's chart in 1968. It was met with a favorable review from Billboard magazine in 1968.
Look at Mine is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in December 1970 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. It was the sixth studio album of Miller's career and her first to be marketed for the country music market. Its tracks were covers and new material. Two singles were featured on the disc: the title track and "If You Think I Love You Now ". The songs reached top 40 positions on the North American country charts. Look at Mine received a negative review from AllMusic.
"Look at Mine" is a song originally recorded by American singer Jody Miller. Composed by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent, it was released as a single on Epic Records in 1970. It reached the top 40 on the North American country charts, setting forth a series of commercially successful singles for Miller in the country genre. It received a positive response from Cashbox magazine shortly after its release.
"If You Think I Love You Now (I've Just Started)" is a song originally recorded by American singer Jody Miller. Composed by Curly Putman and Billy Sherrill, it was released as a single on Epic Records in 1970. It reached the top 20 on the American country chart and the top 30 of the Canadian country chart. It received a positive response from Billboard magazine shortly after its release.
He's So Fine is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in August 1971 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. A majority of the album's material were covers of country and pop songs. Two of its covers were originally released as singles: the title track and "Baby I'm Yours". Both reached the top ten of the North American country charts and reaches other chart positions. The album itself reached the top 20 of the American country chart in 1971.
"Let's All Go Down to the River" is a song originally recorded as a duet by American singers Jody Miller and Johnny Paycheck. It was written by Earl Montgomery and Sue Richards. The song reached the top 20 of the American and Canadian country charts after being released as a single in 1972.
There's a Party Goin' On is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in September 1972 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. The album blended country and pop songs. A series of popular country and pop cover recordings were included, along with some new material. There's a Party Goin' On reached the top 30 of the American country albums chart. A total of four singles were included on the album: "Be My Baby", "Let's All Go Down to the River", "There's a Party Goin' On" and "To Know Him is to Love Him". The title track was the most successful single from the album. The disc received positive reviews from publications following its release.
Good News! is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in July 1973 on Epic Records and featured 11 tracks. The ninth studio album of her career, Good News! was a country-themed album mixing cover tunes with original material. Among its original songs were the singles "Good News" and "Darling, You Can Always Come Back Home". Both singles reached the top ten of the North American country charts in 1973. The album itself reached the top 20 on the American country chart in 1973. It was followed by a positive review from Billboard the same year.
"Darling, You Can Always Come Back Home" is a song originally recorded by American singer Jody Miller. It was written by Jerry Foster and Bill Rice. It was released as a single on Epic Records in 1973. It was one of six singles by Miller to reach the top ten on the North American country music charts. It appeared on Miller's 1973 album Good News!.
House of the Rising Sun is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in January 1974 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. Marketed as a country album, its 11 songs mixed covers with original material. Among its covers was the title track, which was among the album's three charting singles. The album itself reached the American country chart in 1974. It received positive reviews from Billboard and Cashbox following its release.
Country Girl is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in February 1975 via Epic Records and contained ten tracks of material. It was the eleventh studio album of Miller's career and was an album of country recordings. Among the recordings were two singles that reached the American country songs chart: the title track and "The Best in Me". Country Girl was met with favorable reviews from critics.