The Door (George Jones song)

Last updated
"The Door"
Single by George Jones
from the album The Best of George Jones
B-side "Wean Me"
ReleasedOctober 1974
Genre Country
Length2:42
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Billy Sherrill
Norro Wilson
Producer(s) Billy Sherrill
George Jones singles chronology
"The Grand Tour"
(1974)
"The Door"
(1974)
"These Days (I Barely Get By)"
(1974)

"The Door" is a song written by Billy Sherrill and Norro Wilson, and recorded by American country music artist George Jones. It was released in October 1974 as the first single from the album The Best of George Jones. "The Door" was George Jones' sixth number one on the country chart as a solo artist. The single stayed a single week at number one and would spend a total of ten weeks on the country chart. [1]

Contents

Recording and composition

Jones had scored his first solo #1 hit single in seven years with "The Grand Tour" in 1974, the first of several extraordinary performances producer Billy Sherrill would coax out of the temperamental singer in the long years ahead. "The Door" tells the story of a former soldier who, despite being haunted by the sights and sounds he endured in battle, confesses that he was most traumatized by the sound of the door closing when the woman he loved walked out on him:

And of earthquakes, storms and guns and war
Lord, nothin' has ever hurt me more
Than that lonely sound
The closing of the door

In the liner notes to the Jones retrospective Anniversary – 10 Years of Hits , Sherrill divulges that it was his office door that was used for the sound effect on the recording, since no other door produced the appropriate sound. The song went to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart, but Jones speculated later that it might have been bigger had it not been for its touchy subject matter in light of the Vietnam War, recalling in the 1994 video release Golden Hits:

"I don't think it quite got to the whole entire public because of the type of song that it was. It was a number one song, but...a lot of it was about the war...It was the type of song people didn't wanna really talk about that much."

The song displays Sherrill's countrypolitan approach to recording, laden with strings and dramatic crescendos which add drama to the despairing vocal. As Rich Kienzle states in his essay for the 1994 Sony retrospective The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country, "Not even the symphonic strings that Billy Sherrill, his Epic Records producer, often added to George's records could submerge the voice. It still held the listener captive." Despite a shaky start with Sherrill at Epic, Jones was back on top in 1974, recalling in his 1995 autobiography, "That year I had three records that together spent forty-two weeks on the Billboard country chart, including 'The Telephone Call.' 'The Grand Tour' and 'The Door' went to number one. Tammy (Wynette) and I released two more songs that together spent twenty-five weeks on the chart. My career was red-hot, and our duet career was pretty warm." [2]

Chart performance

Chart (1974–1975)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks1

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Jones</span> American country musician (1931–2013)

George Glenn Jones was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and his distinctive voice and phrasing. For the last two decades of his life, Jones was frequently referred to as "the greatest living country singer". Jones has been called "The Rolls-Royce of Country Music" and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013.

Billy Norris Sherrill was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger associated with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Glenn Sutton are regarded as the defining influences of the countrypolitan sound, a smooth amalgamation of pop and country music that was popular during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Sherrill also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Stand by Your Man" and "The Most Beautiful Girl".

"He Stopped Loving Her Today" is a song recorded by American country music artist George Jones. It has been named in several surveys as the greatest country song of all time. It was released in April 1980 as the lead single from the album I Am What I Am. The song was Jones's first solo No. 1 single in six years. It was written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman. The week after Jones' death in 2013, the song re-entered the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 21. As of November 13, 2013, the single has sold 521,000 copies in the United States. Since 2008 it has been preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry. The song was ranked no. 142 on Rolling Stone's 2021 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ranking.

<i>I Am What I Am</i> (George Jones album) 1980 studio album by George Jones

I Am What I Am is an album by American country music artist George Jones, released in 1980 on Epic Records label. On July 4, 2000, the CD version was reissued with four previously unreleased bonus tracks on the Legacy Recordings label.

<i>Anniversary – 10 Years of Hits</i> 1982 compilation album by George Jones

Anniversary – 10 Years of Hits is an album by American country music artist George Jones released on October 30, 1982, on the Epic Records label. It went gold in 1989. The CD edition was issued in 1990.

<i>The Gospel Collection</i> 2003 studio album by George Jones

The Gospel Collection is the 58th studio album by American country music singer George Jones, released on April 4, 2003 on the Bandit Records label, and the first single, "I Know A Man Who Can" was released through Rick Hendrix Company.

<i>You Oughta Be Here with Me</i> 1990 studio album by George Jones

You Oughta Be Here with Me is an album by American country music singer George Jones. This album was released in 1990 on Epic Records. It includes the singles "Hell Stays Open " and "Six Foot Deep, Six Foot Down", neither of which charted.

<i>Together Again</i> (George Jones and Tammy Wynette album) 1980 album by George Jones and Tammy Wynette

Together Again is a studio album by country music artists George Jones and Tammy Wynette, released in 1980 on Epic Records. It was their first album since their 1976 hit album Golden Ring; their next album would not come until 1995 with One.

<i>Memories of Us</i> 1975 studio album by George Jones

Memories of Us is an album by American country music artist George Jones, released in 1975 on the Epic Records label. It peaked at #43 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It is Jones’ 51st Album Release.

<i>George & Tammy & Tina</i> 1975 studio album by George Jones and Tammy Wynette

George & Tammy & Tina is the sixth studio album by American country music artists George Jones and Tammy Wynette. The "Tina" in the title refers to Tina Byrd Jones, Tammy Wynette's then eight-year-old daughter from her marriage to Euple Byrd. George Jones adopted Tina and her sisters shortly after the birth of their daughter, Georgette. The album was released in 1975 on the Epic Records label. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard country albums chart. The opening track, "We Loved It Away", reached number 8 on the Billboard country singles chart. Another single released that year, "God's Gonna Get'cha ", peaked at number 25 on the Billboard country singles chart. In March 1974, a single was issued with two songs that ended up on the album, "No Charge", a collaboration between Tammy and her daughter, Tina, and the flip-side, "The Telephone Call", which is a collaboration between George and Tina and peaked as at number 25 on the Billboard country singles chart in 1974.

<i>The Grand Tour</i> (album) 1974 studio album by George Jones

The Grand Tour is an album by the American country music artist George Jones, released in 1974 as his fifth album for Epic Records. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and contained the hit title track, which reached a peak of #1 in August 1974. It is Jones’ 50th Album Release.

<i>Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You)</i> 1973 studio album by George Jones

Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You) is an album by country music artist George Jones released in 1973, on the Epic Records label. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It is Jones’ 48th Album Release.

<i>A Picture of Me (Without You)</i> 1972 studio album by George Jones

A Picture of Me (Without You) is an album by American country music singer George Jones. It was released in 1972 on the Epic Records label. The release was Jones' 47th studio album release Jones's second solo recording on Epic is one of five albums released by the singer in 1972 (three of his own and two duet albums with his wife Tammy Wynette) as producer Billy Sherrill wasted no time in flooding the market with new recordings by "the Possum". Jones's first album, George Jones (We Can Make It), made it to number 10 on the country albums charts but his second effort did better, rising to number three and featuring songs with a wider range of themes than those found on his Epic debut, which celebrated the happiness of new love. The album's title track was the only single release from it, peaking at #5 on the Billboard country singles charts.

<i>We Go Together</i> 1971 studio album by George Jones and Tammy Wynette

We Go Together is the first studio album by American country music artists George Jones and Tammy Wynette. This album was released on October 18, 1971 on the Epic Records label. This is Jones' first album with Epic and his then wife Tammy Wynette. This is also Jones' first album with producer Billy Sherrill.

<i>Take Me to Your World / I Dont Wanna Play House</i> 1968 studio album by Tammy Wynette

Take Me to Your World / I Don't Wanna Play House is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in January 1968 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. It was the third studio album of Wynette's career. The album featured several new recordings as well as covers of previously-recorded material. Among the new recordings were two singles, which both topped the American country chart: "I Don't Wanna Play House" and "Take Me to Your World". The album itself reached the top five of the American country LP's chart in 1968. It received positive reviews from several publications following its release.

"I Always Get Lucky With You" is a song written by Merle Haggard, Freddy Powers, Gary Church, and Tex Whitson. It was first recorded by Haggard on his 1981 album Big City and then covered by American country music artist George Jones in April 1983 as the second single from the album Shine On. The song was Jones' ninth and final number one on the country chart as a solo artist. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent thirteen weeks on the country chart.

<i>Friendship</i> (Ray Charles album) 1984 studio album by Ray Charles

Friendship is a studio album by American singer and pianist Ray Charles. It was produced by Billy Sherrill and released in August 1984 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

"Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love on Me)" is a song written by Johnny MacRae and Bob Morrison, and recorded by American country music artist George Jones. It was released in January 1983 as the first single from his album Shine On. The song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. "Shine On" was Jones' sixth Top 10 solo hit in less than three years. The song also displayed some of the pop elements that producer Billy Sherrill would introduce into George's sound over the course of his next few albums.

"We Can Make It" is a song by George Jones. It was his first solo single with Epic Records in 1972 after leaving Musicor.

<i>The Ways to Love a Man</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Tammy Wynette

The Ways to Love a Man is a studio album by American country artist, Tammy Wynette. It was released on January 26, 1970, via Epic Records and was the seventh studio album in Wynette's career. The disc consisted of 11 tracks which included both original material and cover recordings. Its title track was the album's only single included. It became a number one song on the North American country charts while also reaching chart positions in other musical genres as well. The album itself also reached chart positions on the country albums chart following its release. Critics and journalists gave the album a positive reception in the years that followed.

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 181.
  2. Jones, George; Carter, Tom (1996). I Lived to Tell it All. Villard. p. 171. ISBN   978-0679438694.