Arnold was born on May 15, 1918 on a farm near Henderson, Tennessee. His father, a sharecropper, played the fiddle, while his mother played guitar. As a boy Arnold helped on the farm, which later gained him his nickname—the Tennessee Plowboy. Arnold attended Pinson High School in Pinson, Tennessee, where he played guitar for school functions and events. He quit before graduation to help with the farm work, but continued performing, often arriving on a mule with his guitar hung on his back. Arnold also worked part-time as an assistant at a mortuary.
In 1934, at age 16, Arnold debuted musically on WTJS-AM in Jackson, Tennessee and obtained a job there during 1937. He performed at local nightclubs and was a permanent performer for the station. During 1938, he was hired by WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was one of its most popular performers. He soon quit for KWK-AM in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by a brief stint at WHAS-AM in Louisville, Kentucky.
He performed for WSM-AM on the Grand Ole Opry during 1943 as a solo artist. In 1944, Arnold signed a contract with RCA Victor, with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who later managed Elvis Presley. Arnold's first single was little noticed, but the next, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years", scored No. 5 on the country charts during 1945. Its success began a decade of unprecedented chart performance; Arnold's next 57 singles all scored the Top Ten, including 19 number one scoring successes.
In 1946, Arnold scored his first major success with "That's How Much I Love You". In 1948, he had five successful songs on the charts simultaneously. That year he had nine songs score the top 10; five of these scored No. 1 and scored No. 1 for 40 of the year's 52 weeks. With Parker's management, Arnold continued to dominate, with 13 of the 20 best-scoring country music songs of 1947–1948. He became the host of Mutual Radio's Purina-sponsored segment of the Opry and of Mutual’s Checkerboard Jamboree, a midday program shared with Ernest Tubb that was broadcast from a Nashville theater. Recorded radio programs increased Arnold’s popularity, as did the CBS Radio series Hometown Reunion with the Duke of Paducah. Arnold quit the Opry during 1948, and his Hometown Reunion briefly broadcasted in competition with the Opry on Saturday nights. In 1949 and 1950, he performed in the Columbia movies Feudin’ Rhythm and Hoedown.
Arnold began working for television in the early 1950s, hosting The Eddy Arnold Show. The summer program was broadcast successively by all three television networks, replacing the Perry Como and Dinah Shore programs. He also performed as a guest and a guest host on the ABC-TV show Ozark Jubilee from 1955–60. Arnold featured in the syndicated Eddy Arnold Time from 1955 to 1957. From 1960 to 1961, he hosted NBC-TV's Today on the Farm.
With the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, Arnold's record sales declined, though he and fellow RCA Victor recording artist Jim Reeves had a greater audience with popular-sounding string-laced arrangements. Arnold annoyed many people of the country music establishment by recording with the Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra at RCA's studios in New York. The pop-oriented arrangements of "The Cattle Call" and "The Richest Man (in the World)", however, helped to expand his appeal beyond its country music base. This style, pioneered by Reeves and Arnold, became known as the "Nashville Sound". During 1953, Arnold and Tom Parker had a dispute, and Arnold dismissed him. From 1954 to 1963, Arnold's performances were managed by Joe Csida; during 1964 Csida was replaced by Jerry Purcell.
Arnold embarked on a second career that brought his music to a more diverse audience. In the summer of 1965, he had his first Number One country song in ten years, What's He Doing in My World and struck gold again six months later with the song that would become his most well-known Make the World Go Away accompanied by pianist Floyd Cramer on piano and featuring the Anita Kerr Singers. As a result, Arnold's rendition became an international success.
Bill Walker's orchestra arrangements provided the lush background for 16 continuous successes sung by Arnold in the late 1960s. Arnold performed with symphony orchestras in New York City, Las Vegas and Hollywood. He performed in Carnegie Hall for two concerts, and in the Coconut Grove in Las Vegas.[9] During 1966, Arnold was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the youngest performer to receive the honor. The following year Arnold was voted the first-ever awarded Country Music Association's Entertainer Of The Year. Two years later, Arnold released an autobiography named It's A Long Way From Chester County.
Having been with RCA Victor since his debut during 1944, Arnold left the company in 1973 for MGM Records, for which he recorded four albums, which included several top 40 successes. He returned to RCA in 1976.
During the 1980s, Arnold declared himself semi-retired; however, he continued recording. In 1984, the Academy of Country Music awarded Arnold its Pioneer Award. His next album, You Don't Miss A Thing wasn't released until 1991. Arnold performed road tours for several more years. By 1992, he had sold nearly 85 million records, and had a total of 145 weeks of No. 1 songs, more than any other singer.
In 1996, RCA issued an album of Arnold's main successes since 1944 as part of its 'Essential' series. Arnold, then 76 years old, retired from active singing, though he still performed occasionally. On May 16, 1999, the day after his 81st birthday, he announced his final retirement during a concert at the Hotel Orleans in Las Vegas. That same year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences inducted the recording of "Make The World Go Away" into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2005, Arnold received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and later that year, released a final album for RCA entitled After All These Years.
Eddy Arnold died from natural causes at 5:00 a.m. Central Time on May 8, 2008 in a nursing home in Nashville, exactly one week before his 90th birthday. His wife of 66 years, Sally Gayhart Arnold, had preceded him in death by two months. They were survived by two children (Richard E. Arnold, Jr., and JoAnn Arnold Pollard), two grandchildren (K. Michelle Pollard and R. Shannon Pollard, Jr.), and four great-grandchildren (Katie E. Pollard, Sophie Pollard, Rowan Pollard and Ben Johns).
On May 31, 2008, RCA released "To Life", as a single from the album After All These Years. It debuted at No. 49 on the Hot Country Songs charts, Arnold's first entry in 25 years and the recording by the oldest person to chart in Billboard magazine. It set the record for the longest span between a first chart single and a last: 62 years and 11 months ("Each Minute Seems Like a Million Years" debuted on June 30, 1945), and extended Arnold's career chart history to seven decades.
I Wanna Play House with You
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I think it's time you knew
That you're the kinda gal, I've had in mind
And I wanna play house with you
Bought the ring, took care of everything
And I'm ready to say, I do
You'll be the Mama and I'll be the Papa
I never thought, I'd ever would get caught
By a gal who's five feet two
But it's a cinch, I love you every inch
And I wanna play house with you
When you kiss me, I'm like a kid of three
But my baby days are through
I'll build a bungalow that'll go to show
I wanna play house with you
The other gals want to marry me
But you just say, what for
I'm confessin' that you've got me guessin'
And it only makes me love you more
You never let me kiss you more than once
You're drivin' me wild, it's true
I know you're teasin' and that just the reason
Why I wanna play house with you
I never felt like playin' house before
But baby, now I do
I'll pay the bills if you'll provide the thrills
'Cause I wanna play house with you
Bought the ring, took care of everything
So give me kissin' too
You be the Mama and I'll be the Papa
'Cause I wanna play house with you
The song "I Wanna Play House with You" by Eddy Arnold is about a man who wants to settle down and start a family with his lover. He compares her to a little chickadee and confesses his love for her. The man explains that he has bought a ring and is ready to propose marriage to her.
He wants to be the "papa" while she becomes the "mama" so that they can start a life together. The singer expresses that he never thought he would fall for someone who is only five feet two inches tall. When she kisses him, he feels like a kid of three, but he is now ready to build a bungalow and start a family with her.
The other women in his life want to marry him, but the singer is only interested in his little "chickadee." He promises to pay the bills if she provides the thrills. The chorus repeats, reiterating the singer's desire to play house with his lover.
Overall, the song is a sweet, romantic tune expressing the singer's desire to settle down, start a family with his lover, and play house together.
Line by Line Meaning
Come here to me, my little chickadee
'Cause I think it's time you knew
That you're the kinda gal, I've had in mind
And I wanna play house with you
The singer invites their significant other to come closer and expresses that they believe it's time for their partner to know that they are the type of person the singer has been searching for, and they want to start a life together.
Bought the ring, took care of everything
And I'm ready to say, I do
You'll be the Mama and I'll be the Papa
'Cause I wanna play house with you
The singer has made preparations for marriage and is ready to commit. They express the desire for their partner to take on the traditional roles of a husband and wife and start a family together.
I never thought, I'd ever would get caught
By a gal who's five feet two
But it's a cinch, I love you every inch
And I wanna play house with you
The singer never expected to find someone special, especially with someone who is shorter than them. But they confess their love and express their desire to start a life together.
When you kiss me, I'm like a kid of three
But my baby days are through
I'll build a bungalow that'll go to show
I wanna play house with you
The artist feels like a child when their partner kisses them, but they are ready to move on from childish ways. They plan to build a home together to start their new lives together.
The other gals want to marry me
But you just say, what for
I'm confessin' that you've got me guessin'
And it only makes me love you more
The artist admits that other women are interested in him, but their current partner doesn't see the point in getting married. This thought has made the artist more curious about their partner and has caused them to love them even more.
You never let me kiss you more than once
You're drivin' me wild, it's true
I know you're teasin' and that just the reason
Why I wanna play house with you
The singer's partner only allows them to kiss once, which is driving them crazy. However, this teasing behavior is what makes the singer want to start a life with them.
I never felt like playin' house before
But baby, now I do
I'll pay the bills if you'll provide the thrills
'Cause I wanna play house with you
The singer never had an interest in settling down before, but now they feel differently. They express a willingness to support the relationship financially if their partner can provide emotional excitement and thrills.
Bought the ring, took care of everything
So give me kissin' too
You be the Mama and I'll be the Papa
'Cause I wanna play house with you
The artist has prepared everything for the marriage, so they ask their partner for a kiss as well. They again express their desire to start a family and play traditional roles for the relationship to move forward.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CY COBEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind