Stand by Your Man

"Stand by Your Man" is a song co-written by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill and originally recorded by Tammy Wynette, released as a single in the United States in September 1968. 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. The song was placed at number one on CMT's list of the Top 100 Country Music Songs.

Released as a single in late 1968, the song reached number one on the U.S. country charts in late 1968 for three weeks.^[1] "Stand by Your Man" also crossed over to the U.S. pop charts peaking at number nineteen,^[2] 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.

The song was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[3]

Background and writing

"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.

Content

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 (and in fact, the last line in the final verse says "after all, he's just a man"). 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."

In popular culture

The song appeared at the beginning of the Academy-Award nominated 1970 film Five Easy Pieces, starring Jack Nicholson and Karen Black, in The Blues Brothers (1980), where it was sung by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and it appeared at the end of the Academy-Award-winning 1992 film The Crying Game, sung by Lyle Lovett. The song resurfaced again in a string of other early 1990s films, including Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and GoldenEye (1995).

The song is referenced in songs by British punk rock groups The Slits ("Typical Girls") and The Clash ("Train in Vain").

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

The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Country.

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.

In 1968 Italian singer Palma Calderoni recorded this song with Italian text, written by Mogol and Claudio Daiano (title is Io voglio te).

The song was spoofed on Sesame Street as "Stand By Your Can", performed by Hammy Swinette, a porcine parody of Wynette who, with the help of a Muppet trash can, urges people to put their trash in a trash can.

Chart performance

Certifications

Cover versions

• In 1968, Patti Page covered the song and released it as an easy listening single, peaking at #20.
• In 1971, Candi Staton covered the song in 1970, peaking at #4 on the Billboard R&B chart.^[7]
• Swedish pop and country singer Kikki Danielsson covered the song on her 1981 album Just Like a Woman.^[8] It remains one of her most famous country recordings.^[9]
• In 1981, David Allan Coe released a cover version as the sixth track on his Invictus (Means) Unconquered album.
• In 1982, Lemmy and Wendy O. Williams recorded a cover version for their EP of the same name.
• In 1992, The Chipettes covered the song for the album Chipmunks in Low Places featuring Tammy Wynette herself.
• In 1992, Erasure covered the song during their Phantasmagorical Entertainment tour.
• In 2000, The Dixie Chicks covered the song and released it as the B-Side of the CD Single Goodbye Earl.
• In 2001, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes covered the song on their album Blow In The Wind.

References