"I Don't Wanna Play House" is a song written by

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger associated with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Glenn Sutton are regar ...

and

Glenn Sutton Royce Glenn Sutton (September 28, 1937 – April 17, 2007) was an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, and one of the architects of the countrypolitan sound. Biography Sutton was born in Hodge, Louisiana, and grew up in C ...

. In 1967, the song was

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Lynn, Wynette helped bring a ...

's first number one country song as a solo artist. "I Don't Wanna Play House" spent three weeks at the top spot and a total of eighteen weeks on the chart. The recording earned Wynette the 1968

Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as ...

. The song was released in the UK in 1976 and made the Top 40.

Content

In the song, the narrator, a young mother whose husband has left her, overhears her daughter describing to a neighborhood boy their broken home, and informing him that she doesn't want to play

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

since, after observing her parents' troubles, she knows that it cannot be fun.

Chart performance

Barbara Ray versions

In 1973, South African singer Barbara Ray recorded a version that was a number-one hit in her home country as well as a top 10 hit in Australia, reaching No. 3 later in the year. Her version was South Africa's highest-selling single of 1973.

Charts

Other versions

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

released a cover version of the song in August 1968. It peaked at # 40 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Charts. *

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis ...

covered the song on her 1968 album ''

Why So Lonely? ''Why So Lonely?'' is the fourteenth studio album by American country musician Skeeter Davis. It was released on March 25, 1968 through RCA Records. Track listing Personnel * Skeeter Davis – vocals Production * Felton Jarvis – pr ...

''. *

Lynn Anderson Lynn René Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, " Rose Garden", was a number one hit internationally. She also charted five number one ...

(then the wife of the song's co-writer, Sutton) covered the song in 1970 on her album

Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped ...

. *

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

covered the song on her 1968 album, Fist City. * Mona Gustafsson recorded the song on her 2010 album ''

Countrypärlor ''Countrypärlor'' was released on 21 April 2010, and is a studio album by Mona Gustafsson, mostly consisting of cover versions, cover recordings of country songs, and the own-composed songs ''En liten bit av mitt hjärta'' and ''Hur kan du tro att ...

''.

References

1967 singles Tammy Wynette songs Connie Francis songs Number-one singles in South Africa Songs written by Glenn Sutton Songs written by Billy Sherrill Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill Epic Records singles 1967 songs {{1960s-country-song-stub