Please Don't Hurt Me

Please Don't Hurt Me
Studio album by
Norma Jean
ReleasedMay 1966 (1966-05)
StudioNashville Sound Studio
GenreCountry[1]
LabelRCA Victor
Producers
Norma Jean chronology
Pretty Miss Norma Jean
(1965)		 Please Don't Hurt Me
(1966)		 Norma Jean Sings a Tribute to Kitty Wells
(1966)
Singles from Please Don't Hurt Me
  1. "You're Driving Me Out of My Mind"/"Then Go Home to Her"
    Released: November 1965
  2. "The Shirt"
    Released: March 1966

Please Don't Hurt Me is a studio album by American singer, Norma Jean. It was released by RCA Victor in May 1966 and was the third studio disc of her career. The 12-track country collection included her singles from that time period: "The Shirt" and "You're Driving Me Out of Mind". Both reached the US Hot Country Songs chart in 1966 while the album itself made the US Top Country Albums top-10. It was given a positive reception by music magazines.

Background, recording and content

Norma Jean found country music success in the 1960s as a member of The Porter Wagoner Show and with solo singles that reflected working class romantic values.[2] Among her popular recordings from this period was a song called "The Shirt", which would become part of the track listing for the studio album, Please Don't Hurt Me.[3] The album was co-produced by Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson. According to the liner notes, it was made at "RCA Victor's Nashville Sound Studio", which was also located in Nashville, Tennessee.[4] Please Don't Hurt Me consisted of 12 tracks in total,[1] including several "heartachers" (according to Billboard) like "The Box It Came In", "Then Go Home to Her" and the title track.[3]

Critical reception

Music publications positively commented that Please Don't Hurt Me had sales potential within it. Billboard magazine believed the disc would sell well with listeners, writing that she "has another sales winner in this LP".[3] Cash Box magazine similarly spoke of it being a high-selling album and wrote, "Pretty miss Norma Jean should score well in the country markets with this potent album session." The publication further wrote, "The album is bound to appeal to many of the lark’s fans, who could well carve a niche for the set on the c&w best seller lists."[5] AllMusic did not write a formal review but gave it four out of five stars.[1]

Release, chart performance and singles

Please Don't Hurt Me was released by RCA Victor in May 1966[6] and was her third studio album in total. It was offered as a vinyl LP either in monaural or stereo formats.[4] The album placed within the top-10 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 1966. It became her second album to make the chart and the second to make the top-10.[7] A total of two singles were included on Please Don't Hurt Me. Its earliest single offering was "You're Driving Me Out of My Mind", which RCA first released in November 1965.[8] The song reached number 41 on the US Hot Country Songs chart in early 1966, while the single's B-side ("Then Go Home to Her") reached number 48.[9] "The Shirt" was issued originally as a single in March 1966[10] and reached number 28 on the US country chart.[9]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You're Driving Me Out of My Mind"Gayle Smith2:23
2."The Shirt"
3:00
3."Will You Be Here Tomorrow"Vic McAlpin2:33
4."A Woman's Gotta Make a Stand"
2:11
5."A-11"Hank Cochran2:08
6."Crying Time"Buck Owens2:11
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Right or Wrong (I'll Be with You)"Wanda Jackson2:23
2."Then Go Home to Her"
2:20
3."Watch Where You're Going"Don Gibson2:02
4."Here We Go Again"Dusty Rose2:00
5."The Box It Came In"McAlpin2:13
6."Please Don't Hurt Me"Harlan Howard2:21

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Please Don't Hurt Me.[4]

  • Chet Atkins – Producer
  • Bob Ferguson – Producer
  • Harlan Howard – Sleeve notes
  • Check Seitz – Engineer

Charts

Chart (1966) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[7] 8

Release history

Release history and formats for Please Don't Hurt Me
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various November 1964
  • Vinyl LP (mono)
  • vinyl LP (stereo)
 RCA Victor [4]
Circa 2020
  • Music download
  • streaming
 Sony Music Entertainment [11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Norma Jean: Please Don't Hurt Me: Tracks and reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Manheim, James. "Norma Jean Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Album Reviews: Country Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard. May 28, 1966. p. 96. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Please Don't Hurt Me (Liner Notes)". RCA Victor. U.S./Canada/Germany. May 1966. LPM-3541 (LP mono); LSP-3541 (LP stereo).
  5. ↑ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 14, 1966. p. 42. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Victor to Offer 25 LP's in May" (PDF). Cash Box. April 30, 1966. p. 28. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (1997). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Albums: 1967-1997. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0898201241.
  8. ↑ ""You're Driving Me Out of My Mind"/"Then Go Home to Her" (7" vinyl single)". RCA Victor. U.S. November 1965. 47-8720.
  9. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  10. ↑ ""The Shirt"/"Please Don't Hurt Me" (7" vinyl single)". RCA Victor. U.S. March 1966. 447-8790.
  11. ↑ "Please Don't Hurt Me - Album by Norma Jean". Apple Music. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
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