I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home

Album: The Family's Fine, But This One's All Mine (1982)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Like his famous older brother Lefty Frizzell, David Frizzell is a country music singer from El Dorado, Arkansas. David gained notoriety with a string of hit singles with duet partner Shelly West, but "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home" marked his first and only #1 on the country chart as a solo artist. Written by Dewayne L. Blackwell ("Friends In Low Places"), the humorous track details a wife's solution to her husband's costly drinking habit: she decides to turn their home into a bar.
  • This was a surprise crossover hit in Canada, where it peaked at #3 on the country chart and #20 on the pop chart.
  • This was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Song alongside another comically titled tune, "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)." Both lost to Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind."

Comments: 1

  • Bubba Yeager from Essex, MarylandI would like to here Shelly West sing
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.