Album: Golden Ring (1976)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Songwriters Bobby Braddock and Rafe Vanhoy wrote this duet about a golden wedding ring that sees a couple through love, marriage and divorce before it ends up back at the pawn shop where it was first found. Braddock was inspired by a drama about the life of a handgun that followed the lives of its various owners and applied the idea to this song.
  • George Jones and Tammy Wynette knew the story of this song well - they divorced fourteen months before its 1976 release. They re-recorded it in 1994 for Jones' album The Bradley Barn Sessions.
  • This was the second of three Jones/Wynette duets to top the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The first was "We're Gonna Hold On" in 1973 and the last was "Near You" in 1977.
  • Jamie O'Neal and Andy Griggs covered this song for O'Neal's 2014 album, Eternal. O'Neal told us: "I just really wanted to get him on the album, and it seemed like the perfect song for us to sing together, and he’s just so good. I think it really suits his voice. It’s weird, because we didn’t even record it together at the same time, but we sing it live together on stage. I was here when he recorded it, but I just think that we kind of know what each other are going to do vocally, if that makes sense, like it's an instinct. So I think our voices really mesh well together."
  • Other versions include duets by Jason Sellers and Pam Tillis (for Sellers' 1998 album, A Matter of Time and Ashton Shepherd and Daryle Singletary (for Shepherd's 2013 album, This Is America).

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Adam Young of Owl City

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.