B-side "Barbara on Your Mind" Recorded 1981 Length 3:46 | Released February 1982 Genre Country Label RCA | |
"Single Women" is a song, written by Saturday Night Live writer Michael O'Donoghue. The song, which depicted a number of women looking for love in a singles bar, was originally performed during an SNL sketch by Christine Ebersole on the October 10, 1981 broadcast. The song later provided a top-ten country hit for Dolly Parton from her 1982 Heartbreak Express album. Released as the album's first single in February 1982, it reached number 8 on the U.S. country singles chart in April 1982. The Parton version of the song featured somewhat reworked lyrics, as RCA requested she eliminate the drug references, fearful that they would cause the song to meet resistance on country radio. The song later inspired a 1984 TV movie titled Single Bars, Single Women, starring Tony Danza and Jean Smart, which was produced by O'Donoghue. An abbreviated version of Parton's recording of the song was used as the movie's theme song.