Stand by Your Man

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Stand by Your Man”
Single by Tammy Wynette from the album Stand by Your Man
Released	September 1968 (U.S.)
Format	7"
Recorded	July 28, 1968
Genre	Country
Length	02:38
Label	Epic Records 10398
Writer(s)	Billy Sherrill, Tammy Wynette
Producer	Billy Sherrill
Tammy Wynette singles chronology
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E" (1968) "Stand by Your Man" (1968) "Singing My Song" (1969)

"Stand by Your Man" is a 1968 song cowritten by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill and sung by Tammy Wynette. It proved to be the most successful record of Wynette's career and is one of the most covered songs in the history of country music.

[edit] About the song

Released as a single in late 1968, the song reached number one on the U.S. country charts in late 1968 for three weeks (November 23 - December 7, 1968); it also crossed over to the U.S. pop charts (peaking at No. 19) and elevated Wynette, then one of many somewhat successful female country recording artists, to superstar status. It reached number one in the UK when the record was finally released in Britain in 1975. An album of the same name, which was also quite successful was released in 1968.

"Stand by Your Man" was reportedly written in the Epic studios in 1968 in all of 15 minutes, from an idea that came from Wynette's producer, Billy Sherrill, one of the two writers who wrote the song, Wynette was the other writer. Sherrill originally stated that before "Stand by Your Man"'s release, he thought that Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" would be Wynette's career hit, however, after witnessing how successful the song came to be in America during that time, Sherrill then stated that "Stand by Your Man" was definitely Wynette's career hit.

Derided by the Feminist movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Wynette in later years defended the song as not a call for women to place themselves second to men, but rather a suggestion that women attempt to overlook their husbands' shortcomings and faults if they truly love them. Wynette always defended her signature song. The song remained contentious into the early 1990s, when soon-to-be First Lady Hillary Clinton told CBS' 60 Minutes during an interview that she "wasn't some little woman 'standing by my man' like Tammy Wynette." The irony of this statement became apparent during Clinton's impeachment.[1]

The song appeared at the beginning of the Academy-Award nominated 1970 film Five Easy Pieces, starring Jack Nicholson and Karen Black, as well as The Blues Brothers (1980), in which it was sung by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and in Sleepless in Seattle (1993).

Stand by Your Man is the title song of the German comedy show Dittsche.

In 2003, "Stand by Your Man" was rated number one on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. In 2004, "Stand by Your Man" was rated number sixteen on CMT's 100 Greatest Country Love Songs.

[edit] Covers

• Patricia from Springs Karaoke (2007)
• In the movie The Blues Brothers (1980), Jake and Elwood Blues sing this song in a country music bar (Bob's Country Bunker), under the guise of another band (The Good Ol' Boys).
• Swedish pop and country singer Kikki Danielsson covered the song on her 1981 album Just Like a Woman.
• Lemmy and Wendy O. Williams covered the song in a punk version, in 1982 on an EP of the same name. Coincidentally, Wendy O. Williams died the very same day as Tammy Wynette.
• In 1989, Québécoise singer Carole Laure covered the song on her album Western Shadows.
• Lyle Lovett covered the song for his 1989 album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. Later, his version was included in the soundtrack of The Crying Game.
• Elton John covered the song for the 1998 tribute album Tammy Wynette Remembered.
• Actress Minnie Driver, playing the character Irina in the James Bond film GoldenEye, sings an off-key version
• The song was covered on the album Chipmunks in Low Places by The Chipmunks.
• Other covers: Mandaryna, The Dixie Chicks, Tina Turner, Candi Staton, Bettye Swann, Lynn Anderson, Clodagh Rodgers, The Dresden Dolls, The Plasmatics, James Last, Wanda Jackson, The Waltons and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, David Allan Coe .
• Canadian country singer Lisa Brokop covered the song in 1994. This version peaked at #88 on the RPM Country chart.
• Kristy Lee Cook covered the song on her debut studio album Devoted

[edit] Succession boxes

Preceded by "I'll Walk Alone" by Marty Robbins	Billboard Hot Country Songs Number-One Single November 23, 1968	Succeeded by "Born to Be With You" by Sonny James
Preceded by "Oh Boy" by Mud	UK number-one single May 11, 1975	Succeeded by "Whispering Grass" by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle