40-Hour Week is the ninth studio album from American country music band Alabama. Released in 1985, the album included three songs that topped the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart and continued the band's dominance during the 1980s. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Albums chart and number 28 on the Billboard 200.
| 40-Hour Week | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1985 October 25, 1990 (re-released) | |||
| Recorded | September 1984 at The Music Mill, Nashville, TN[1] | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 39:48 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville | |||
| Producer | Alabama Harold Shedd | |||
| Alabama chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 40-Hour Week | ||||
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Two of the No. 1 tracks — "There's No Way" and the title track — became milestones in Alabama's recording career during 1985. When it reached the top of the chart on May 4, "There's No Way" became Alabama's 16th consecutive No. 1 single (excepting for the 1982 Christmas single "Christmas in Dixie"). The feat allowed Alabama to tie Sonny James' 14-year-old record for most No. 1 songs in as many consecutive single releases. Then, on August 3, "40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" topped the chart, becoming Alabama's 17th-straight chart topper and allowing them to surpass James' record.
Among the album tracks, several of them praising the South, 40 Hour Week also features the ballad "I Want To Know You Before We Make Love", which became a major hit for Conway Twitty in 1987.
This was Alabama's only album from which all the singles had accompanying music videos.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" | Dave Loggins, Lisa Silver, Don Schlitz | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Can't Keep A Good Man Down" | Bob Corbin | 3:45 |
| 3. | "There's No Way" | Lisa Palas, Will Robinson, John Jarrard | 4:11 |
| 4. | "Down On Longboat Key" | Dennis Morgan, Stephen Allen Davis | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Louisiana Moon" | Larry Shell, Dan Mitchell | 3:04 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want to Know You Before We Make Love" | Becky Hobbs, Candy Parton | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Fireworks" | Ronny Scaife, Phil Thomas, Kenny Durham | 3:52 |
| 3. | "(She Won't Have A Thing To Do With) Nobody But Me" | Dean Dillon, Buzz Rabin, "Flash Gordon" | 3:16 |
| 4. | "As Right Now" | Teddy Gentry, Greg Fowler | 2:45 |
| 5. | "If It Ain't Dixie (It Won't Do)" | Jarrard, Kent Robbins | 7:34 |
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (1985) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 83 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6] | 1 |
| Chart (1986) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[7] | 17 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||
| 1985 | "There's No Way" | 1 | 2 |
| "40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" | 1 | 1 | |
| "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" | 1 | 1 | |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
as listed in liner notes[1]
Alabama
- Jeff Cook – electric guitar, background vocals, lead vocals on "(She Won't Have a Thing to Do With) Nobody But Me"
- Teddy Gentry – bass guitar, background vocals, lead vocals on "As Right Now"
- Mark Herndon – drums
- Randy Owen – lead vocals, electric guitar
Additional musicians
- Eddie Bayers – drums
- Kenneth Bell – acoustic guitar
- David Briggs – keyboards
- Costo Davis – Kurzweil Synthesizer
- Jack Eubanks – acoustic guitar
- Gregg Galbraith – electric guitar
- Roger Hawkins – drums
- George (Leo) Jackson – acoustic guitar
- Fred Newell – electric guitar
- Larry Paxton – bass guitar
- Willie Rainsford – keyboards
- Brent Rowan – electric guitar
- Ronnie Scaife – electric guitar
- Milton Sledge – drums
Strings by the "A" Strings, arranged by Kristin Wilkinson.