Keep Your Hands to Yourself

"Keep Your Hands to Yourself"
Single by The Georgia Satellites
from the album Georgia Satellites
Released 1986
Format 7" single
Genre Southern rock
Length 3:26
Label Elektra
Writer(s) Dan Baird
Producer(s) Jeff Glixman
The Georgia Satellites singles chronology
"Keep Your Hands to Yourself"
(1986)		 "Battleship Chains"
(1986)

"Keep Your Hands to Yourself" is a song by the American southern rock group The Georgia Satellites. The song was written by the group's lead singer, Dan Baird, and was released in 1986 as their debut single. The single reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of February 14, 1987, kept off the top spot by "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi.

Content

The song is in the key of A major with a moderate tempo of about 112 beats per minute. It follows the chord pattern A-D-A-E-A, with vocals ranging from D4 to A5.[1]

The lyrics tell the story of a woman who refuses to become more intimate with her boyfriend until he marries her.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that the song "rocked as hard as an old Chuck Berry song, as well as being almost as clever."[2] In the book 99 Red Balloons: And 100 All-Time One-Hit Wonders, Brent Mann wrote that "it's just a timeless, kick-out-the-jams rock 'n' roll number. Dan Baird digs into the song's vocals with a no-holds-barred zest straight out of a Texas honky-tonk."[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1986) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 2
US Billboard Album Rock Tracks[5] 2

Cover versions

Several cover versions of the song exist. A year after its release, Hank Williams, Jr. covered it on his album Born to Boogie.[6] John Anderson covered the song in 1994 for his album Country 'til I Die,[7] and released it as the B-side to that album's single "Bend It Until It Breaks". Sawyer Brown released a version from their 2005 album Mission Temple Fireworks Stand. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed a version of the song during their 1989 tour, As well as Garth Brooks on the This is Garth DVD. Because of its simplicity and popularity, the song has been a favorite of bar-bands for many years.

References

  1. ↑ "'Keep Your Hands to Yourself' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Georgia Satellites biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Mann, Brent (2003). 99 Red Balloons: And 100 All-Time One-Hit Wonders. Citadel Press. pp. 164–166.
  4. ↑ "The Georgia Satellites Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for The Georgia Satellites.
  5. ↑ "Georgia Satellites chart history". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "Born to Boogie". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Country 'Til I Die review". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2013.