Tammy Wynette – Bedtime Story

About The Song

“Bedtime Story” is a country song written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton and recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette. It was released as a single in November 1971 by Epic Records under catalog number 5-10818. The track served as the lead single and title song from Wynette’s studio album of the same name, which was issued on March 27, 1972. Produced by Billy Sherrill, the single runs 4:13 in length and features the B-side “Reach Out Your Hand (And Touch Somebody),” a song co-written by Sherrill and Wynette.

Sherrill and Sutton composed the song in 1971. The pair had previously collaborated on material for Wynette and other artists associated with the countrypolitan style that Sherrill developed as a producer at Epic and Columbia. For this composition, the writers referenced children’s storybooks during the creation process, similar to an earlier approach used for another Wynette recording. Sessions for the album took place between October 1971 and January 1972 at Columbia Studio B, known as the Quonset Hut Studio, in Nashville, Tennessee. Sherrill oversaw production, with engineering credits including Charlie Bragg and Lou Bradley on related album work. Backing vocals on album tracks involved groups such as The Jordanaires and The Nashville Edition.

The single entered the Billboard charts in late 1971 and early 1972. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for one week, dated March 4, 1972, and remained on that chart for a total of thirteen weeks. This marked Wynette’s eleventh number-one single on the country chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 86. It also topped the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. In the Billboard year-end Hot Country Songs ranking for 1972, “Bedtime Story” placed at number 30. The parent album Bedtime Story reached number seven on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 133 on the Billboard 200.

The album Bedtime Story contains eleven tracks and mixes original material with other selections. In addition to the title track, it includes “Reach Out Your Hand,” which was issued as a follow-up single in April 1972 and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart while reaching number one in Canada. Other album tracks feature writing contributions from songwriters such as Norro Wilson, Ben Peters, Dallas Frazier, and Wynette herself on select co-writes. The album continued Wynette’s series of releases under Sherrill’s production during this period of her career with Epic Records.

Chart documentation from the era confirms the single’s performance primarily within country formats, with limited crossover to the pop chart. Catalog reissues have included the track on various Wynette compilations, such as greatest-hits collections issued in subsequent decades by Epic, Columbia, and related Sony labels. A cover version was recorded by Lynn Anderson for her 1972 album Cry. The original Wynette recording remains associated with her string of consecutive country number-one singles in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Release data indicates the single first appeared in the United States in November 1971, with international pressings following in markets including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The album’s track sequencing places “Bedtime Story” as the opening song. Personnel details from the period align with standard Nashville session practices of the early 1970s under Sherrill’s direction, incorporating string arrangements and background vocals characteristic of the Nashville Sound production approach. No significant additional chart activity beyond the documented U.S. and Canadian positions is recorded for the original single release.

Subsequent catalog editions, including digital reissues under Columbia Nashville Legacy, preserve the 1971–1972 masters. The song’s publishing credits list Sherrill and Sutton as co-writers. Wynette’s discography places this release between the 1971 single “Good Lovin’ (Makes It Right)” and the 1972 follow-up “Reach Out Your Hand (And Touch Somebody).” Album sales and chart peaks reflect continued commercial presence for Wynette on the country charts during 1972, a year that also saw additional releases including collaborative work with George Jones.

Documentation from Billboard chart books and discography references consistently identify the single as Wynette’s eleventh country number one. The recording length of 4:13 is longer than many contemporaneous country singles, accommodating the narrative structure of the composition. Studio work at the Quonset Hut facility was standard for Epic and Columbia country sessions of the period. No alternate takes or major production variants are noted in primary release information for the original single and album versions.

The track has appeared on later compilations such as 16 Biggest Hits and various anniversary collections. International chart data beyond Canada is limited in primary sources for this specific single. Overall, “Bedtime Story” forms part of the documented sequence of Sherrill-produced Wynette recordings that defined her commercial output in the early 1970s on Epic Records.

Video

Lyric

I’ve told you almost ev’ry bedtime story
And you’ve heard almost ev’ry nursery rhyme
So, tonight before you go to sleep
And pray the Lord your soul to keep
Here’s mommy’s favorite story one more time

Once upon a time there was a castle
And in this castle lived a King and Queen
And it came to pass, they were both were blessed
By one little blue-eyed princess
With the softest golden curls you’ve ever seen

But then one day, he met this pretty lady
And she had lots of pretty words to say
And this part makes your mommy sad
‘Cause, oh, what big eyes she had
And she took his hand and led him far away

Still, it’s just another bedtime story
But tellin’ it brings teardrops to my eyes
Just another pretty bedtime story
So, please forgive mommy if she cries

Then it came to pass, the King grew lonely
And the pretty lady wasn’t all she seemed
He realized that he was wrong
And started his long journey home
For he misses little Princess and his Queen

Then he was back and safe inside his castle
And tears of joy came pourin’ down like rain
Then the castle rang with laughter
They lived happy ever after
Knowin’ he would never leave again

Still, it’s just another bedtime story
But tellin’ it brings teardrops to my eyes
Just another pretty bedtime story
So, please forgive mommy if she cries

Won’t you please forgive your mommy
If she cries