"Love at the Five and Dime" is a song written and originally recorded by

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award fo ...

and later recorded and released by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that re ...

. It was released in April 1986 as the first single from Mattea's album ''

Walk the Way the Wind Blows ''Walk the Way the Wind Blows'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1986 (see 1986 in country music) on Mercury Records. This album produced Mattea's first Top Ten country hit in "Love at th ...

''. The song was Mattea's breakthrough hit, becoming her first top 10 hit and eventually peaking at No. 3 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. The song was featured on Nanci Griffith's album ''

The Last of the True Believers ''The Last of the True Believers'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, released in 1986 by Philo Records. The acclaim accorded her from her previous album, '' Once in a Very Blue Moon'', and this album earne ...

'', also released in 1986. The song inspired the album's cover art, which featured a Woolworths store front. In a live version included on '' One Fair Summer Evening'' — recorded August 19 and 20 1988 at Anderson Fair, Houston, Texas — Griffith explains over an extended introduction that the recurring 'ting' sound heard in the music is meant to be a representation of the sound of an elevator in a

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...

store. Griffith later re-recorded the song as a duet with

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...

for her 1999 album ''

The Dust Bowl Symphony ''The Dust Bowl Symphony'' is an album released by Nanci Griffith in 1999. It consists of songs Griffith had previously released on other albums, but re-recorded with an orchestral backing. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the Lo ...

''.

Content

The song recounts a love story between a

dime store A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, automotive parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, home furnishings, and a selection of groceries. It us ...

clerk (Rita) and an aspiring steel guitar player (Eddie) over the years. Early on, Eddie's mother disapproves of the relationship because Eddie plays the bars and keeps Rita out very late. Eddie and Rita marry, and their love survives the loss of a child. At one point the marriage hits a rocky patch as one of Eddie's fellow band members falls for Rita, and Eddie runs off with the band member's wife. It isn't long, however, before Eddie and Rita are back together, having apparently forgiven each other. The song then shifts to the present. Eddie is now an insurance salesman and retired from the band, due to arthritis. Rita is now a housewife with a part-time job at the dime store.

Chart performance

References

1986 singles 1986 songs Nanci Griffith songs Kathy Mattea songs Song recordings produced by Allen Reynolds Mercury Nashville singles Songs written by Nanci Griffith {{1986-country-song-stub