The Ceremony (song)

For the Oh Land song, see Askepot (soundtrack).

1972 single by George Jones & Tammy Wynette

"The Ceremony"

Single by George Jones & Tammy Wynette
from the album  Me and the First Lady
B-side| "The Great Divide"
Released| June 1972 (1972-06)
Recorded| 1972
Genre| Country
Length| 2:58
Label| Epic
Songwriter(s)| Billy Sherrill, Carmol Taylor, Jenny Strickland
Producer(s)| Billy Sherrill
George Jones & Tammy Wynette singles chronology
| "Take Me"
(1971)  | "The Ceremony"
(1972)  | "Old Fashion Singing"
(1972)

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"The Ceremony" is a duet by country artists George Jones and Tammy Wynette. It was released by Epic Records as the married couple's second single together in 1972 and reached No. 6 on the Billboard country survey.

## Background

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"The Ceremony" was co-written by producer Billy Sherrill, who immediately recognized the potential sales-wise in recording duets on George and Tammy. Wynette, who had enjoyed immense success recording at CBS with Sherrill, convinced Jones to cut ties with his mentor Pappy Daily and buy out his contract at Musicor so he could record with her at Epic. Their first single, "Take Me," had been a Top 10 hit, but Sherrill saw it as only the beginning:

"He knew that Tammy and George were now in the process of turning their celebrated romance into a country-music passion play. He knew they wanted to take their romantic road shows out to strange cities like Sioux City and Peoria, where they would perform for all the people who'd been reading in the tabloids and fan mags about their story-book love affair."[1]

"The Ceremony" became the template for many of their early duets: romantic, occasionally overwrought Harlequin love songs that bubbled with optimism. The song mimics a wedding service, beginning with a minister's preamble over a church organ and containing verses where George and Tammy renew their vows and profess their love for each other. It became a highlight of their live shows, although Jones biographer Bob Allen wryly noted that when they sang "The Ceremony" onstage, it was "quite unlike the quickie civil ceremony with which they'd actually sealed their nuptial bond."[1] In 1995, Jones reflected in his autobiography, "It sounds cheesy now, but it was a show-stopper for two people whose divorce was often the subject of tabloid speculation. People went crazy when we did 'The Ceremony' live."[2]

## Chart performance

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Chart (1972)  | Peak
position

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US Billboard Hot Country Singles[3] | 6
Canadian RPM Country Tracks[citation needed] | 3

## References

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1. ^ a b Allen, Bob (1984). George Jones: The Saga of an American Singer (illustrated ed.). Doubleday. p. 168. ISBN 038527906X. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
2. ^ Jones, George; Carter, Tom (1996). I Lived to Tell it All (illustrated ed.). Villard. p. 165. ISBN 0679438696. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research.

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George Jones and Tammy Wynette

* Discography
* George Jones albums
* George Jones singles
* Tammy Wynette albums
* Tammy Wynette singles

Studio albums|

* We Go Together (1971)
* Me and the First Lady (1972)
* We Love to Sing About Jesus (1972)
* Let's Build a World Together (1973)
* We're Gonna Hold On (1973)
* George & Tammy & Tina (1975)
* Golden Ring (1976)
* Together Again (1980)
* One (1995)

Compilation albums|

* Greatest Hits (1977)
* George and Tammy Super Hits (1995)

Singles|

* "Take Me"
* "The Ceremony"
* "Let's Build a World Together"
* "We're Gonna Hold On"
* "(We're Not) The Jet Set"
* "We Loved It Away"
* "Golden Ring"
* "Near You"
* "Southern California"
* "Two Story House"
* "A Pair of Old Sneakers"

* George & Tammy

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