Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be (album)

Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 2, 1965
RecordedMarch 10, 1964–January 19, 1965
StudioColumbia, Nashville, Tennessee
GenreCountry
Length30:56
LabelDecca
ProducerOwen Bradley
Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn chronology
Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be
(1965)
Singin' Again
(1967)
Loretta Lynn chronology
Blue Kentucky Girl
(1965)
Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be
(1965)
Hymns
(1965)
Singles from Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be
  1. "Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be"
    Released: June 22, 1964
  2. "Our Hearts Are Holding Hands"
    Released: May 10, 1965

Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be is the first collaborative studio album by American country music singers Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn. It was released on August 2, 1965, by Decca Records.[1]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Billboard published a review in the issue dated August 14, 1965, which said, "This album pairing two of the greatest names in country music, Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn, should be a great sales explosion. "Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be", a real tearjerker, is combined with the classic "A Dear John Letter" and the country hit "Just Between the Two of Us". All standouts."[3]

Commercial performance

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The album debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot Country Albums chart dated October 9, 1965. It would later peak at No. 13 on the chart dated October 30. The album would spend a total of 10 weeks on the chart.

The album's first single, "Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be", was released in June 1964[4] and peaking at No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, the biggest hit the duo would achieve. The second single, "Our Hearts Are Holding Hands", was released in May 1965[5] and peaked at No. 24.

Recording

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Recording for the album took place over four sessions at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, beginning on March 10, 1964. Three additional sessions followed on January 12, 18, and 19, 1965.[6]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be"Billy Joe DeatonMarch 10, 19642:41
2."I'll Just Call You Darlin'"Johnny ColmusMarch 10, 19642:25
3."I Reached for the Wine"Joyce Ann AllsupJanuary 18, 19652:39
4."My Past Brought Me to You (Your Past Brought You to Me)"Bill BrockJanuary 18, 19652:45
5."Are You Mine"
January 12, 19652:41
6."Our Hearts Are Holding Hands"Bill AndersonJanuary 19, 19652:36
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Keep Those Cards and Letter Coming In"Harlan HowardJanuary 19, 19651:55
2."Just Between the Two of Us"Liz AndersonJanuary 12, 19652:51
3."We're Not Kids Anymore"Loretta LynnJanuary 19, 19652:40
4."Love Was Right Here All the Time"
  • Billy Henson
  • Charles Snoddy
March 10, 19642:30
5."Two in the Cold"Ellen ReevesMarch 10, 19642:36
6."A Dear John Letter"
  • Billy Barton
  • Lewis Talley
  • Fuzzy Owen
January 18, 19652:37

Personnel

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Adapted from the Decca recording session records.[6]

  • Owen Bradley – producer
  • Buddy Charleton – steel guitar
  • Jack Drake – bass
  • Jack Greene – drums
  • Loretta Lynn – lead vocals
  • Bill Pursell – piano
  • Leon Rhodes – guitar
  • Jerry Shook – guitar
  • Cal Smith – guitar
  • Jerry Smith – piano
  • Ernest Tubb – lead vocals, liner notes

Charts

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Album

Chart (1965) Peak
position
US Hot Country Albums (Billboard)[7] 13

Singles

Title Year Peak position
US
Country

[8]
CAN
Country

[9]
"Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be" 1964 11 4
"Our Hearts Are Holding Hands" 1965 24

References

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  1. ^ "Ernest Tubb And Loretta Lynn – Mr. And Mrs. Used To Be". Discogs.
  2. ^ Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be at AllMusic
  3. ^ "Billboard Magazine - August 14, 1965" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Billboard - July 4, 1964" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Billboard - May 22, 1965" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Loretta's Recording Sess - LORETTA LYNN FAN WEBSITE". lorettalynnfan.net. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
  7. ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 20 April 2019.