THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

436-Billie Jo Spears-Blanket on the Ground.

1975-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 1.10. It seems like a good idea, until you get sent to prison for lewd behaviour.

Billy Jo Spears was born Billie Jean Moore, on January 14th, 1937, in Beaumont, Texas, United States, she suffered from lung cancer in her final years, and died on December 14th, 2011, at the age of 73. Billie Jean who was one of six children was usually called ‘BJ’ during her childhood, and the nickname stuck throughout her adult life, it was in 1964 after moving to Nashville, Tennessee, that she changed her professional name to ‘Billie Jo Spears.’ Billie Jo Spears was a ‘Country Music’ singer, who in her recordings often sang about women in assertive positions, good examples of this are her 1969 recording ‘Mr. Walker, It’s All Over,’ which is a song about sexual harassment, and this song ‘Blanket on the Ground,’ which is about rekindling sexual desire. The writers Mary A. Bufwack, and Robert K. Oermann explained in their 2003 book ‘Finding her voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music 1800-2000,’ that Billie Jo Spears’ choice of material set her apart, ‘Billie Jo was unusual for a country female of the period in that she recorded hardly any ‘victim’ material. Almost all of the star’s hit ballads are of women leaving, surviving or otherwise asserting themselves.’ Talking of her career Billie Jo Spears once said, ‘I have no desire to be a Pop artist, I couldn’t go Pop with a mouthful of firecrackers.’

Billie Jo Spears who may have garnered many of her song ideas from being married five times, released 24 studio Albums between 1968-1998, and 53 singles between 1953-1991, there are also 14 official compilation Albums available. In America none of her singles have charted on the Billboard Hot 100, top 40 chart, but 26 of her singles have charted on the Billboard Country Music chart, with ‘Blanket on the Ground’ making the Number 1 position. In the UK, Billie Jo Spears has had three top 40 hits, with ‘What I’ve Got in Mind,’ peaking the highest at Number 4 in 1976.

‘Blanket on the Ground’ was the second of two singles released from Billie Jo Spears’ seventh studio Album of the same name, from February 1975, the song was written by Roger Bowling, (1944-1982) with the production being by Larry Butler (1942-2012.) Roger Dale Bowling was born on December 3rd, 1944, in Helton, Leslie County, Kentucky. United States, he committed suicide on December 26th, 1982, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer around a year earlier, at the age of 38. He was a songwriter of Country Music, and also a recording artist, having had seven chart entries on the ‘Billboard Country’ music chart, with ‘Yellow Pages,’ peaking the highest at Number 30 in 1981. As a songwriter he is best remembered for co-writing two of Kenny Rogers (1938-2020) (see also best songs 582) biggest hits, ‘Lucille,’ (1977-Billboard Number 5 & UK Number 1 single) and ‘Coward of the County,’ (1979-Billboard Number 3 & UK Number 1 single.)

‘Blanket on the Ground’ was produced by Larry Butler who was born on March 29th, 1942, in Pensacola, Florida, United States, he died in his sleep on January 20th, 2012, at the age of 69. He was a Country Music producer, and songwriter, and is the only Nashville producer to win the ‘Grammy Award’ for ‘Producer of the year.’ Prior to becoming a music producer Larry Butler relocated to Nashville in 1963, starting out as a session musician, where he was in high demand, playing piano for artists of the calibre of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Dolly Parton. In 1964 he played keyboards in the American Rock group Ronny and the Daytonas, who had A 1964 Canadian hit with ‘GTO,’ He then joined the American group ‘The Gentrys,’ playing on their only top 40 hit ‘Keep On Dancing,’ (1965-Billboard Number 4.) Larry Butler joined ‘Capitol Records’ in 1969 to become an in-house music producer, then moved to ‘CBS Records’ in 1970, where he worked closely with Johnny Cash, ((1932-2003) see also best songs 857-428 ans 199) producing some of ‘The man in black’s’ biggest hits in the 1970’s. In 1973 Butler then moved to ‘United Artists Records,’ as head of the label’s Nashville division, where he began a long and successful working relationship with Kenny Rogers. His biggest success as a songwriter was co-writing with Chips Moman, (1937-2016) (see also best songs 442) (‘Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,’ which became a Billboard Number 1 single when recorded by B. J. Thomas (1942-2021) (see also best songs 832) in 1975.

‘Blanket on the Ground’ tells of a couple who have been married for several years, and she wishes to put some spark back into their relationship by doing things that they did when ‘love was young.’

‘Just because we are married don’t mean we can’t slip around, so let’s walk out through the moonlight and lay the blanket on the ground.’