Released April 1973 Length 2:56 Writer(s) Kenny O'Dell | Genre Country Label Epic | |
B-side "A Sunday Kind of Woman" | ||
"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. 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, and Rich also received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. In 2003, it ranked #9 in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
Cover versions
Numerous other artists have covered the song "Behind Closed Doors", using the original or slightly modified lyrics. For example, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton sang versions in which the genders were reversed and a few words changed or added, while Diana Ross sang a version with both gender change and added lines. Other artists who covered this song include Bettye LaVette, Ronnie Milsap, Hank Thompson, Cal Smith, Perry Como, Percy Sledge, Little Milton, Mike Cooley, Stan Ridgway and Tom Jones.
Joe Diffie covered the song on the 1998 album Tribute to Tradition. His version peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.