CHARLIE RICH - BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

CHARLIE RICH

SONGWRITERS: BILLY PRESTON; BRUCE FISHER & KENNY O'DELL

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

LABEL: EPIC RECORDS

GENRE: COUNTRY

YEAR: 1973

 

       Charles Allan Rich (December 14, 1932 – July 25, 1995) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. His eclectic style of music was often difficult to classify, encompassing the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, soul, and gospel genres.

        In the later part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname the Silver Fox. He is perhaps best remembered for a pair of 1973 hits, "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl". "The Most Beautiful Girl" topped the U.S. country singles charts, as well as the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles charts and earned him two Grammy Awards. Rich was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

"Behind Closed Doors" is a country song written by Kenny O'Dell. It was first recorded by Charlie Rich for his 1973 album Behind Closed Doors. The single was Rich's first number-one hit on the country charts, spent 20 weeks on this chart, and was also a crossover hit on the pop charts. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA for U. S. sales in excess of two million copies. Background vocals were provided by The Nashville Edition.

        Rich's producer, Billy Sherrill, encouraged O'Dell to write music for the singer. O'Dell recalled the creation of "Behind Closed Doors" to Tom Roland in The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits. "It was just a title I had written down, and I had a little guitar riff that I'd carried with me for a couple of years. The chorus was pretty much a little deviation on that." Sherrill later changed some lines at the end of the second verse, but some radio stations banned the record initially as being racy.

        "Behind Closed Doors" earned awards for Song of the Year for O'Dell and Single of the Year for Rich from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. Both O'Dell and Rich also received a Grammy Awards for "Behind Closed Doors: Best Country Song for O'Dell and Best Country Vocal Performance, Male for Rich. In 2003, it ranked #9 in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.

My baby makes me proud, lord don't she make me proud

She never makes a scene by hanging all over me in a crowd

'cause people like to talk, lord, how they love to talk

But when they turn out the lights, i know she'll be leaving with me

 

Chorus:

And when we get behind closed doors

Then she lets her hair hang down

And she makes me glad i'm a man

Oh no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.

My, behind closed doors.

 

My baby makes me smile, lord don't she make me smile

She's never too far away or too tired to say "i want you"

She's always a lady, just like a lady should be

But when they turn out the lights, she's still a baby to me.

 

Repeat chorus.