"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 genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

singer

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the daughter of country music singer Mel Tillis and ex-wife of songwriter Bob DiPiero. Tillis recorded unsuccessful ...

. It was released in August 1992 as the lead-off single from her album '' Homeward Looking Angel''. "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).

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 sang the

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film * Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhe ...

version of the song, and Tillis' producer,

Paul Worley Paul Worley (born February 16, 1950 in Nashville, Tennessee) 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. Re ...

, 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 music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, 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