During their five-year marriage, George Jones and Tammy Wynette became known as “Mr. & Mrs. Country Music.” They had their own respective careers and were two of country’s biggest solo acts before they wed in 1969. However, together they garnered their fair share of hits, including “We’re Gonna Hold On,” “Let’s Build A World Together,” and “Golden Ring.”
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As a duet, they were a force to be reckoned with, writing and performing some of the genre’s most enduring songs. As solo artists, they continued to amass a number of hits with both of them co-writing songs for each other. Jones, especially, has a handful of classics he wrote with Wynette. Below are three of them.
1. “Never Grow Cold” – George Jones (1971)
Written by George Jones and Tammy Wynette
Some folks live like a king, think they have everything / With great riches and treasures untold / Well we don’t help what they do but when our day is through / We’ve got love that would never grow cold, Jones sings in the loping, loved-up ballad, “Never Grow Cold.”
The pair wrote the 1971 tune at the start of their musical partnership. The song resounds with hope, with the exciting newness of their marriage, and with the strength of their bond. They make a vow to each other in the lyrics, promising that their love will never grow cold.
2. “Wine (You’ve Used Me Long Enough)” – George Jones (1973)
Written by George Jones and Tammy Wynette
The roads you’ve drag me down were much too rough / Wine you’ve used me long enough / Warm red wine you’ve used me long enough…, Jones sings in “Wine (You’ve Used Me Long Enough).”
The husband-wife duo co-penned the 1973 tune, sifting through the realities of their marriage to bring an all-too-honest song to life. At that time, Jones’ substance abuse had put a strain on their already tumultuous marriage and was the ultimate reason for its dissolution a few years after the song’s release.
3. “These Days (I Barely Get By)” – George Jones (1975)
Written by George Jones and Tammy Wynette
These days I barely get by / I want to give up, lay down and die / Worst of all was when she told me goodbye / Whoa, these days I barely get by, Jones sings in the 1975 classic, “These Days (I Barely Get By).”
The bleak tune the couple co-wrote echoes with the end. After the song was recorded, Jones and Wynette’s divorce was finalized. The artist sings the song as if in mourning for the love the two had once shared.
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