"Shake the Sugar Tree" is a song written by Chapin Hartford, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the eldest child of country singer Mel Tillis. After recording unsuccessful pop material for Elektra Records, Elektra ...

. It was released in August 1992 as the lead-off single from her album ''

Homeward Looking Angel Homeward Looking Angel is the third studio album by American country music artist Pam Tillis. The album was a #23 album on the Billboard charts. This album produced four singles for Tillis on the Hot Country Songs charts: the Top Five hits "Shake ...

''. "Shake the Sugar Tree" became Tillis' fourth Top Ten country hit, peaking at number 3 on ''

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 ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

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. ...

Content

In the song, a wife admonishes her husband for taking her and their relationship for granted too often, only responding when she threatens to leave ("You're like fruit from a fickle vine, you turn sweet in the nick of time / Love, you only come alive when you're losin' me") and concluding that sometimes she has to "shake the sugar tree" (provoke him) in order to "feel his love come falling all around er. Singer-songwriter

Stephanie Bentley Stephanie Kay Bentley (born April 29, 1963) is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 1996 as a duet partner on Ty Herndon's single "Heart Half Empty", which peaked at No. 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Track ...

sang the demo version of the song, and Tillis' producer,

Paul Worley Paul Worley (born February 16, 1950 in Nashville) is an American record producer and session guitarist, known primarily for his work in country music. Formerly a vice president at Sony BMG, he later joined the staff of Warner Bros. Records' Nashv ...

, incorporated Bentley's demo vocals as harmony vocals in the final recording.

Critical reception

Roch Parisien and Thom Jurek, who reviewed ''Homeward Looking Angel'' for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, cited the song as a standout on the album, calling it "sultry and sexy."

Chart positions

Year-end charts

References

{{Pam Tillis 1992 singles Pam Tillis songs Song recordings produced by Paul Worley Arista Nashville singles Music videos directed by Steven Goldmann Songs written by Chapin Hartford 1992 songs Songs about trees