Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House
Encyclopedia
"Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" is the title of a country music
song co-written by Dennis Robbins
, Bobby Boyd, and Warren Dale Haynes
. Robbins himself originally recorded the song and charted at #71 with it on the Billboard
country charts in 1987. The B-side to Robbins' version was "The Church on Cumberland Road
," later a #1 hit in 1989 for Shenandoah
.
"Two of a Kind" was later covered in 1990 by Garth Brooks
for his second album, No Fences
. Brooks's rendition was the third single, and third consecutive Number One hit, from this album.
intro. Its lyrics describe the relationship between the narrator and his wife, whom he considers a perfect complement. The title is a double entendre
, implying that they plan to have children.
In his book Redneck Liberation: Country Music as Theology, author David Fillingim cited "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" as an "upbeat honky-tonk romp" that showed his "more traditional country music styles".
This song came to me through Jon Northrup. He was doing a demo deal, and "Two of a Kind" was one of the four songs he was pitching for a demo. When I heard it, I said, "I wish you all the luck on your deal, but if for some reason it falls through, I'd love to have this. He called me three months later and told me I could have it if I wanted it. I immediately cut it. And to this day, even though it's a small, light-hearted song, it's one of the strongest parts of our live show. People just seem to connect with this song. This is a big point to writers and artists out there, especially myself, that sometimes intense gets the point across, but don't forget to show 'em your sense of humor.
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...
song co-written by Dennis Robbins
Dennis Robbins
Dennis Robbins is an American musician who first made himself known as a guitarist in the band The Rockets. After his departure from The Rockets, he began a career in country music, recording two major-label albums and several singles of his own, in addition to writing hit singles for Shenandoah...
, Bobby Boyd, and Warren Dale Haynes
Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes is an American rock and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Haynes is best known for his work as long time guitarist with The Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was a guitarist for David Allan Coe and The Dickey...
. Robbins himself originally recorded the song and charted at #71 with it on the 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...
country charts in 1987. The B-side to Robbins' version was "The Church on Cumberland Road
The Church on Cumberland Road
"The Church on Cumberland Road" is the title of a song recorded by country music group Shenandoah. It was released in January 1989 as the third single to their 1988 album The Road Not Taken. It was their first number-one hit in both the United States and Canada. In 2001, on a live CMT special,...
," later a #1 hit in 1989 for Shenandoah
Shenandoah (band)
Shenandoah is an American country music group founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1984 by Marty Raybon , Ralph Ezell , Stan Thorn , Jim Seales , and Mike McGuire...
.
"Two of a Kind" was later covered in 1990 by Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
for his second album, No Fences
No Fences
No Fences is the second studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 27, 1990 and reached #3 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart...
. Brooks's rendition was the third single, and third consecutive Number One hit, from this album.
Content
The song is a moderate up-tempo with a fiddleFiddle
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...
intro. Its lyrics describe the relationship between the narrator and his wife, whom he considers a perfect complement. The title is a double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
, implying that they plan to have children.
In his book Redneck Liberation: Country Music as Theology, author David Fillingim cited "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" as an "upbeat honky-tonk romp" that showed his "more traditional country music styles".
Garth Brooks Version
Garth provided the following background information on the song in the CD booklet liner notes from The Hits:This song came to me through Jon Northrup. He was doing a demo deal, and "Two of a Kind" was one of the four songs he was pitching for a demo. When I heard it, I said, "I wish you all the luck on your deal, but if for some reason it falls through, I'd love to have this. He called me three months later and told me I could have it if I wanted it. I immediately cut it. And to this day, even though it's a small, light-hearted song, it's one of the strongest parts of our live show. People just seem to connect with this song. This is a big point to writers and artists out there, especially myself, that sometimes intense gets the point across, but don't forget to show 'em your sense of humor.
Dennis Robbins Version
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 71 |
Garth Brooks Version
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |