Queen Of Hearts

Album

Juice

Label

Capitol Records

Genre

Country pop

Composer(s)

Hank DeVito

Entered Chart

May 30, 1981

Peak Date

Sep 19, 1981

Released

June 8, 1981

Recorded

1981

Catalog #

Capitol 4997

B-Side

River Of Love

Following an appearance on the 1980 Rodney Crowell album But What Will the Neighbors Think, on which composer DeVito played guitar, "Queen of Hearts" had its highest-profile rendition in a version by country-rock singer Juice Newton from the 1981 album Juice. Newton would later recall: "I did ['Queen of Hearts'] live for about a year...Then I brought it to [producer] Richard Landis when we started the Juice album. He wasn’t convinced at that point that it was a breakout song but I told him I think this is a real cool song … so we cut it."[1] Newton's own favorite cut on the Juice album,[2] "Queen of Hearts" was issued as the album's second single and would reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in September 1981, behind "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. While still at No. 2, "Queen of Hearts" was certified Gold for domestic sales of one million units. "Queen of Hearts" also gave Newton her second huge international hit, with Top Ten chart positions in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and Switzerland, and more moderate success in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. Her recording of the song earned Newton a 1982 Grammy nomination for Best Female Vocalist, Country and Western category, "Queen of Hearts" having been a No. 14 country hit.[3] In June 2014, Newton's version of the song was ranked No. 92 by Rolling Stone on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time.[4] Newton re-recorded "Queen of Hearts" for her 1998 album The Trouble With Angels. In 1997, a live version by Dave Edmunds was released on his compilation album Rockin' . Juice Newton's first version of the song is featured in Oliver Stone's 1986 film Salvador and the 1997 film Boogie Nights. It also appears as source music in the first episode of The Americans, a 2013 television series set during the first Reagan administration. The song is also featured in the 1998 King of the Hill episode Hank's Dirty Laundry, the 2017 South Park episode "Splatty Tomato" and the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Midnight, and I'm a-waitin' on the twelve-oh-five
Hopin' it'll take me just a little farther down the line
Moonlight, you're just a heartache in disguise
Won't you keep my heart from breakin'
If it's only for a very short time?
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts
Knowin' it ain't really smart
The Joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anythin' for you
Layin' out another lie
Thinkin' 'bout a life of crime
'Cause that's what I'll have to do
To keep me away from you
Honey, you know it makes you mad
Why is everybody tellin' everybody what you have done?
Baby, I know it makes you sad
But when they're handin' out the heartaches
You know you got to have you some
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts
Knowin' it ain't really smart
The Joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anythin' for you
Layin' out another lie
Thinkin' 'bout a life of crime
'Cause that's what I'll have to do
To keep me away from you
Lovers, I know you've had a few
But hide your heart beneath the covers
And tell 'em they're the only one
And others, they know just what I'm goin' through
And it's a-hard to be a lover
When you say you're only in it for fun
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts
Knowin' it ain't really smart
The Joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anythin' for you
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts
And knowin' it ain't really smart
The Joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anythin' for you
Layin' out another lie
Thinkin' 'bout a life of crime
'Cause that's what I'll have to do
To keep me away from you
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts
Playin' with the Queen of Hearts