D.I.V.O.R.C.E.
| "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." | |
|---|---|
| Single by Billy Connolly | |
| B-side | "Cuckoo"[1] |
| Released | 1975[1] |
| Genre | |
| Label | Polydor Records[1] |
| Songwriters | Sheb Wooley Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman |
| Producer | Phil Coulter[1] |
"D.I.V.O.R.C.E." is a song originally recorded in 1969 by Sheb Wooley under the pseudonym Ben Colder.[3] It is a parody of the Tammy Wynette song "D-I-V-O-R-C-E", released the previous year.[4] A 1975 recording by the Scottish folk singer and comedian Billy Connolly reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart for one week in November 1975,[5] and is one of the few songs of its genre to reach this milestone. It also peaked at No. 16 in New Zealand..[6] Connolly's version to date has been his only No. 1 UK single,[5] though in the late 1970s he had a further two UK hits which parodied contemporary songs. He later dropped musical performances from his act.
"D.I.V.O.R.C.E." has a similar theme to Wynette's original in that the events in the song lead to a couple divorcing, however in the parody, the words are spelled out to withhold the truth from a dog rather than a child as in Wynette's version, and the divorce is sparked by a riotous visit to a veterinarian[7] that results in the husband being bitten by both the dog and his wife.
Some versions of the song, such as the live performance included on the album Get Right Intae Him! which was released as the single, are censored, with the letters "f'ing c" being bleeped.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Billy Connolly - D.I.V.O.R.C.E. (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1975. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- ↑ "Record World Singing Picks" (PDF). Record World: 14. March 6, 1976. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- ↑ Braddock, Bobby (6 October 2015). Bobby Braddock: A Life on Nashville's Music Row. ISBN 9780826520845. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ↑ "Rock and roll years: the 1970s". The Scotsman. 2003-10-16. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- 1 2 "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 320. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Brian Beacom (2009-09-21). "The story of Billy Connolly in 11 and a half chapters". The Herald. Retrieved 2010-03-08.