"Dead or Alive" is a song written and recorded by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released as a single in October 1959 via Decca Records and became a major hit.

Background and release

"Dead or Alive" was recorded in September 1959 at the Bradley Studio, located in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. The sessions were produced by Owen Bradley, who would serve as Anderson's producer through most of years with Decca Records. "Dead or Alive" was released as a single by Decca Records in October 1959. It spent a total of eight weeks on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country and Western Sides chart before reaching number 19 in February 1960. It was Anderson's third chart hit and third major hit as a recording artist. The song was not issued on a proper album following its release.

Track listings

7" vinyl single * "Dead or Alive" – 2:35 * "It's Not the End of Everything" – 2:37

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1959 singles 1959 songs Bill Anderson (singer) songs Decca Records singles Song recordings produced by Owen Bradley Songs written by Bill Anderson (singer)