Cheater, Cheater
Encyclopedia
"Cheater, Cheater" is the debut single from country music
duo Joey + Rory
, from their debut album, The Life of a Song
. The song debuted on the Hot Country Songs
chart at #57 for the chart week of September 27, 2008. Co-written by both Joey + Rory, the song was originally recorded by country group Bomshel
, whose version failed to chart after its release as a single.
influences, including accompaniment from Dobro
, mandolin
and fiddle
. The female narrator, in the lyric, asks her unfaithful partner where he met "that no-good, white-trash ho" (i.e., his mistress). Several remixes have been made for the song, including the Sleighbell Mix and King Mix. The Sleighbell Mix was released as a Christmas promo single, in which the word ho becomes ho-ho-ho and bells are added to the music. The song was available on iTunes
as the "Free Single of the Week" between October 14 through the 21st, 2008.
The 9513 critic Matt C. gave the song a "thumbs up" rating. He called it a "delightfully acoustic barn-burner" and said "it’s arresting to hear what nearly qualifies as a bluegrass song performed by a straight-laced contemporary country singer", although he criticized Joey's "oddly phrased and somewhat colorless" lead vocals and Rory's "barely audible" backing vocals.
playing the "ho".
The video debuted at #20 on the CMT Top Twenty Countdown
in mid-November, and reached a peak of #15 for the week of January 9, 2009.
chart for the chart week of September 27, 2008, and entered the Top 40 in its eighth week. The song peaked at #30 in January 2009, spending 20 weeks on the chart.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
duo Joey + Rory
Joey + Rory
Joey+Rory is an American country music duo composed of singer-songwriters Rory Lee Feek and Joey Martin Feek, who are husband and wife. Joey is the duo's lead vocalist, while Rory sings background vocals and plays guitar. The duo was the third-place finalist on CMT's competition Can You Duet in 2008...
, from their debut album, The Life of a Song
The Life of a Song
The Life of a Song is the debut studio album from the country music duo Joey + Rory. The album was released on October 28, 2008 via Vanguard and Sugar Hill Records. It was produced by Carl Jackson...
. The song debuted on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart at #57 for the chart week of September 27, 2008. Co-written by both Joey + Rory, the song was originally recorded by country group Bomshel
Bomshel
Bomshel is an American country music duo founded in 2004 by lead singer Buffy "Buf" Lawson and fiddle player Kristy Osmunson. Signed to Curb Records in 2004, Bomshel's original lineup charted four single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and recorded an unreleased album called Bomshel Stomp...
, whose version failed to chart after its release as a single.
Content
"Cheater, Cheater" is an up-tempo with bluegrassBluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
influences, including accompaniment from Dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
. The female narrator, in the lyric, asks her unfaithful partner where he met "that no-good, white-trash ho" (i.e., his mistress). Several remixes have been made for the song, including the Sleighbell Mix and King Mix. The Sleighbell Mix was released as a Christmas promo single, in which the word ho becomes ho-ho-ho and bells are added to the music. The song was available on iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
as the "Free Single of the Week" between October 14 through the 21st, 2008.
Critical reception
Reviews of "Cheater, Cheater" have been positive. Roughstock.com said that "'Cheater, Cheater' is an honest-to-God pure country song that jumps out of the speakers. With lyrics that find Joey as the woman who's been cheated on… [i]t’s three minutes of tempo and while it remains to be seen whether radio will embrace this truly country duo, songs like 'Cheater, Cheater"'are what makes country music what it is: honest, true to life music."The 9513 critic Matt C. gave the song a "thumbs up" rating. He called it a "delightfully acoustic barn-burner" and said "it’s arresting to hear what nearly qualifies as a bluegrass song performed by a straight-laced contemporary country singer", although he criticized Joey's "oddly phrased and somewhat colorless" lead vocals and Rory's "barely audible" backing vocals.
Music video
A music video directed by Peter Zavadil was released to accompany the song. In the video, Joey is seen following Rory around, confronting him over cheating on her. Mixed in are scenes of the duo performing the song together in happy moods. The video ends with a cameo from Naomi JuddNaomi Judd
Naomi Judd is an American country music singer, songwriter, and activist.-Personal life:She was born Diana Ellen Judd to Charles Glen Judd and his wife Pauline Judd on January 11, 1946, in Ashland, Kentucky. Her father owned a gas station; her mother started out as a homemaker but later became a...
playing the "ho".
The video debuted at #20 on the CMT Top Twenty Countdown
Top Twenty Countdown
Top 20 Countdown is a show on CMT.The show counts down the biggest videos in country music and was originally hosted by Lance Smith. Top Twenty Countdown airs every Friday at 11:00 a.m. and reruns on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Besides showing the biggest videos, Lance also shows...
in mid-November, and reached a peak of #15 for the week of January 9, 2009.
Chart performance
The Joey + Rory version of "Cheater, Cheater" debuted at #57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart for the chart week of September 27, 2008, and entered the Top 40 in its eighth week. The song peaked at #30 in January 2009, spending 20 weeks on the chart.
| Chart (2008-2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Bubbling Under Hot 100 |
23 |