"Roll Over and Play Dead" is a song written by E. Rich that was recorded by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

artist

Jan Howard Jan Howard (born Lula Grace Johnson; March 13, 1929 – March 28, 2020) was an American author and country music singer and songwriter. As a singer, she placed 30 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, country song ...

. Released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, it placed in the top 40 on the US country songs chart in 1967. The song was given positive reviews from music publications following its release and was later included on Howard's studio album '' This Is Jan Howard Country''.

Background and recording

Jan Howard was married to country music songwriter

Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard is credited with writing more than 4,000 songs, over 100 of which reached country mus ...

and after discovering her singing skills, he helped her get a recording contract. Her first commercial success was 1960's "

The One You Slip Around With "The One You Slip Around With" is a song originally written by Harlan Howard and Fuzzy Owen that was originally recorded by American country artist Jan Howard. The wife of Harlan Howard, the song became her first top 20 single on the US country so ...

". As the decade progressed, she became identified with uptempo songs that often portrayed assertive women. "Roll Over and Play Dead" was considered to be among these recordings and was composed by E. Rich. In her

box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

, Howard claimed that the song's writer (E. Rich) was actually a pseudonym for

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008), known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country singer, guitarist, composer, songwriter and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Gui ...

Release, critical reception and chart performance

"Roll Over and Play Dead" was released as a single by Decca Records in June 1967. It was distributed as a seven-inch vinyl record that featured a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

titled "You and Me and Tears and Roses". '' Cashbox'' magazine called the song "a lively stanza" they thought would "please many a country fan". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine called it an "infectious rhythm entry" with "fine vocal performance". They also predicted the song would reach the top ten of their country chart. Despite this prediction, the song did not make the top ten list. Making its debut on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart on July 22, 1967, it spent a total of ten weeks there before peaking at the number 26 position on September 16. It was Howard's ninth charting US country single and ninth top 40 entry on the same chart. It was included on Howard's 1967 studio album titled ''This Is Jan Howard Country''.

Track listing

7" vinyl single * "Roll Over and Play Dead" – 2:21 * "You and Me and Tears and Roses" – 2:22

Charts

Weekly charts

References

{{Jan Howard 1967 singles 1967 songs Decca Records singles Jan Howard songs