Maps of Music

Two's a Party (1981)

Where the lyrics of Two's a Party take you, and where it was really made.

This album was the duo's last set of all-new material, yet their next release would already mix in older songs.

Key places

Where Two's a Party was recorded (1981)

Recording site Nashville — The album was recorded at Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The point is set at city-center level because the source gives only the city. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Two's a Party: tenth and final collaborative studio album by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
• Released February 2, 1981 by MCA Records
• Last album of all-new material released by the duo
• Their next and final release, Making Believe, combined new and previously released material

Background

• The album closed a run of ten studio albums recorded by the two singers as a duo
• Its first single, Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me, came out in January 1981, shortly before the album
• The second single, I Still Believe in Waltzes, followed in May 1981
• The album's songs were built around love medleys and duets between the two vocalists

Recording

• Producers: Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and Ron Chancey
• Recording and mixing by Danny Hilley; engineering by Russ Martin; mastering by Hank Williams
• String arrangements by Bergen White
• Session players include Shane Keister on keyboards, Reggie Young on lead guitar and John Hughey on steel guitar
• Jerry Carrigan played drums and percussion; Paul Uhrig played bass
• Backing vocals by Donna McCroy, Duane West, Jackie Cusic, Lea Jane Berinati, Tom Brannon, Vicki Hampton and Yvonne Hodges

Cover

• Front cover photography by Dennis Carney; back cover photography by Larry Dupont
• Design credited to Jan Weinberg

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, the oldest daughter in a coal miner's family.
• Married Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn in 1948 at age 15; the marriage lasted almost 50 years until his death in 1996.
• Began singing in local clubs in the late 1950s and formed her own band, the Trailblazers.

Career

• Signed with Zero Records in 1960; her first release was "Whispering Sea" and "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl".
• Joined Decca Records through the Wilburn Brothers; joined the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1962.
• Scored a string of hits from the 1960s, including "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" and "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin'".
• Wrote songs on women's issues such as birth control ("The Pill") and double standards ("Rated 'X'"), many inspired by her own marriage.
• Recorded five No. 1 duets with Conway Twitty between 1971 and 1975.
• Her 1976 autobiography Coal Miner's Daughter became a bestseller and inspired the 1980 Oscar-winning film starring Sissy Spacek.
• Named Artist of the Decade for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music, the only woman to win this honor.
• Released Van Lear Rose (2004), produced by Jack White, which won the Grammy for Best Country Album.
• Had a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip in 2018, which ended her touring after 57 years.
• Died on October 4, 2022, at age 90, at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard: in its February 14, 1981 review, said the pairing of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn grows better with time
• Billboard: named Silent Partner, Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me, Two's a Party, Oh Honey, Oh Babe and If I Ever Had to Say Goodbye to You as the best cuts
• Cashbox: in its February 21, 1981 review, said the duo was not resting on past laurels and was experimenting somewhat
• Cashbox: described Silent Partner as a departure from their usual sound, with rock-ish overtones

Reappraisal

• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): said the album is not one of the duo's very best records, but has enough strong tracks to make it worthwhile for dedicated fans

Records

• US Billboard Hot Country LP chart: peaked at No. 28, the duo's lowest chart position at the time
• Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me: No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, the duo's eleventh top 10 hit there
• Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me: No. 5 on the RPM Country Singles chart in Canada
• I Still Believe in Waltzes: No. 2 in the US and No. 3 in Canada, the duo's twelfth and final top ten hit in both countries

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• This album was the duo's last set of all-new material, and their next release would mix in previously released songs.
• The album's first single, Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me, came out in January 1981, before the album itself.
• The album peaked at No. 28 on the US country LP chart, the lowest position the duo had reached on that chart up to that time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact