Lay Back Lover

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"Lay Back Lover"
Single by Dottie West
from the album House of Love
B-side"Good Lovin' You"
ReleasedNovember 1974 (1974-11)
RecordedJanuary 1974
StudioRCA Victor Studio
Genre
Length2:43
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)
  • Rafe Van Hoy
  • Steve Pippin
Producer(s)Billy Davis
Dottie West singles chronology
"House of Love"
(1974)
"Lay Back Lover"
(1974)
"Rollin' in Your Sweet Sunshine"
(1975)

"Lay Back Lover" is a song written by Rafe Van Hoy and Steve Pippin, and recorded by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in November 1974 as the third single from the album House of Love. The song reached the top 40 of the US country chart. It was given positive reviews following its release.

Background and recording[edit]

Dottie West had become country music's first female artist to win a Grammy award in the 1960s. From the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, West had a series of top ten and top 40 singles on the US country chart.[2] One of her mid 1970s singles was the song "Lay Back Lover". The track was written by Rafe Van Hoy and Steve Pippin.[3] The song was described by Cashbox as being about "faith in love".[4] "Lay Back Lover" was produced by Billy Davis in January 1974 at RCA Victor Studios, located in Nashville, Tennessee.[3]

Release, chart performance and critical reception[edit]

"Lay Back Lover" was released as a single by RCA Victor in November 1974. It was backed on the B-side by the track "Good Lovin' You". The disc was distributed as a seven-inch vinyl record.[3] Cashbox magazine positively commented that the track had "excellent background harmonies", along with "an infectious beat".[4] The track was spawned as the third and final single from West's studio album House of Love[5] "Lay Back Lover" debuted on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on December 14, 1974. It spent a total of ten weeks on the chart, reaching the number 35 position in February 1975. It was West's twenty seventh top 40 single on the US country chart and would be her last until 1977's "When It's Just You and Me".[6]

Track listing[edit]

7 inch vinyl single[3]

  • "Lay Back Lover" – 2:43
  • "Good Lovin' You" – 2:55

Chart performance[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Lay Back Lover"
Chart (1974–1975) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 35

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "House of Love: Dottie West: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Dottie West Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d West, Dottie (November 1974). ""Lay Back Lover"/"Good Lovin' You" (7" vinyl single)". RCA Victor. PB-10125.
  4. ^ a b "Cashbox Country Reviews: Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. November 21, 1974. p. 46. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  5. ^ West, Dottie (May 1974). "House of Love (Album Notes/Liner Notes)". RCA Victor. APL1-0543.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  7. ^ "Dottie West Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2023.