356:
no secret of the fact that he still carried a torch for his ex-wife, later addressed the issue of re-teaming with
Wynette in his 1996 memoir by insisting, "That wasn't my idea. In fact, I hated to work with her. It brought back too many unpleasant memories, and when some fans saw us together, they got it in their heads that we were going to get back together romantically." It was precisely this romantic titillation that sparked their record sales, however, and they would record again at various times throughout the rest of the decade.
36:
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later on that afternoon. In the third verse, the couple has been fighting and, with the marriage clearly in trouble, the man accuses his wife of planning to leave town. Shortly afterward, the woman retorts by telling her husband that she does not love him anymore, throws the ring down and leaves. The
355:
Like many of the duets that the two recorded when they were still husband and wife, "Golden Ring" resonated with an authentic sense of romantic tragedy and irresolution that was hauntingly similar to the real-life timbre of their troubled, on-again-off-again love affair. Jones, who at the time made
302:
tell about the meaning of the ring through its life cycle with the couple. The first refrain speaks of the promise of love shown in the glittering ring; the second verse talks about how "at last, it's found a home", and the finale tells of how the ring has been cast aside "like the love that's dead
339:
chart that August. With its tale of a young couple's engagement, marriage, and bitter break-up, the song is arguably the one that is most closely identified with Jones and
Wynette, whose tumultuous six-year marriage had ended in bitter recrimination. Country audiences, however, remained more
278:. The story showed the gun changing hands several times, with a hunter, police officer, criminal and a father of a 2-year-old child all owning the gun at one point, with the consequences played out in each segment. Braddock applied the same concept to a song about the life of a wedding ring.
289:
to shop for a ring for their upcoming wedding. The man (both characters are unnamed in the song) laments that he is unable to pick out a more expensive band, but he is willing to buy it to show how much he loves his bride-to-be, whom - in the song's second verse - he marries in a small
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and gone". Each refrain ends with how a wedding band is meaningless without love ("By itself, it's just a cold metallic thing / Only love can make a golden wedding ring").
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observing, "The chemistry that develops between partners in a male and female country music duo can sometimes be based on fantasy, as was obviously the case with
352:, who no country listener even imagined for a moment were romantically involved. Tammy Wynette and George Jones, on the other hand, did have a relationship."
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Roland, Tom, "The
Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits" (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991
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bluegrass band. Ashton
Shepherd and Daryle Singletary also covered it for Ashton's third album "This Is America" (2013).
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on acoustic guitars and drummer Jerry
Carrigan playing a snare drum with his hands, as instructed by producer
365:, an album which comprised re-recordings of Jones's material in duet form. A cover version was recorded by
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final verse features the ring, once again in a pawn shop, waiting for its next owners.
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330:– "Golden Ring" was the second George Jones-Tammy Wynette duet to reach No. 1 on the
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248:. It was released in May 1976 as the first single and title track to their duet
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ranked the song at #63 on its 200 Greatest
Country Songs of All Time ranking.
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The
Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition
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fascinated with the couple than ever, with Eugene
Chadbourne of
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Jones and
Wynette re-recorded the song on Jones's 1994 album
326:. Released in May 1976 – 14 months after their real-life
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George Jones: The Life and Times of a Honky Tonk Legend
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312:The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country
593:"George Jones Chart History (Hot Country Songs)"
306:According to Rich Kienzle's essay for the 1994
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23:1976 single by George Jones and Tammy Wynette
8:
574:"The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time"
462:. The song was included on Sellers' 1999 LP
285:- apparently very much in love - goes to a
236:and Rafe Van Hoy, and recorded by American
943:Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill
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266:The song was conceived by songwriter
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18:"Golden Ring" (song by Eric Clapton)
548:Jones, George; Carter, Tom (1996).
379:. It has also been recorded by the
527:. St Martin's Press. p. 246.
14:
281:In the song, a young couple from
252:. It was a number-one hit on the
75:"We're Putting It Back Together"
938:Songs written by Bobby Braddock
512:. Record Research. p. 182.
196:God's Gonna Get'cha (For That)
1:
953:Songs written by Rafe Van Hoy
731:George & Tammy & Tina
454:"Golden Ring" was covered by
815:Let's Build a World Together
715:Let's Build a World Together
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782:George and Tammy Super Hits
707:We Love to Sing About Jesus
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362:The Bradley Barn Sessions
314:, the recording features
262:Recording and composition
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552:. Villard. p. 268.
16:Not to be confused with
933:Male–female vocal duets
829:(We're Not) The Jet Set
373:on Sellers' 1998 album
232:" is a song written by
871:A Pair of Old Sneakers
550:I Lived to Tell it All
250:album of the same name
699:Me and the First Lady
674:Tammy Wynette singles
381:Dry Branch Fire Squad
948:Epic Records singles
669:Tammy Wynette albums
664:George Jones singles
274:about the life of a
958:Songs about divorce
923:Jason Sellers songs
918:Tammy Wynette songs
857:Southern California
822:We're Gonna Hold On
723:We're Gonna Hold On
659:George Jones albums
523:Allen, Bob (1996).
337:Hot Country Singles
913:George Jones songs
886:George & Tammy
766:Compilation albums
387:Critical reception
185:singles chronology
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420:Hot Country Songs
270:, who had seen a
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369:as a duet with
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179:George Jones
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48:George Jones
843:Golden Ring
739:Golden Ring
654:Discography
350:Ernest Tubb
230:Golden Ring
205:Golden Ring
166:Producer(s)
61:Golden Ring
963:1976 songs
902:Categories
472:References
460:Pam Tillis
371:Pam Tillis
598:Billboard
495:), p. 103
436:Canadian
425:Billboard
413:position
391:In 2024,
333:Billboard
316:Pete Wade
287:pawn shop
255:Billboard
83:May 1976
850:Near You
508:(2004).
342:AllMusic
300:refrains
240:singers
214:Near You
91:Recorded
80:Released
801:Take Me
793:Singles
328:divorce
283:Chicago
276:handgun
218:(1976)
209:(1976)
200:(1975)
112:Country
96: (
785:(1995)
777:(1977)
758:(1995)
750:(1980)
742:(1976)
734:(1975)
726:(1973)
718:(1973)
710:(1972)
702:(1972)
694:(1971)
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401:Charts
118:Length
85:(U.S.)
70:B-side
44:Single
143:50235
135:Label
107:Genre
641:and
554:ISBN
529:ISBN
489:ISBN
458:and
411:Peak
348:and
318:and
308:Sony
298:The
244:and
181:and
140:Epic
98:1976
94:1976
50:and
755:One
601:.
438:RPM
418:US
46:by
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
