1991 Classic Cover Became a No. 1 Hit 35 Years Ago After One Simple Title Change

35 years ago today, on April 6, 1991, Garth Brooks scored his fifth consecutive hit with the rollicking high-energy track “Two of a Kind, Workin’ On a Full House.” Before taking the song all the way to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, he went No. 1 with “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “The Dance,” “Friends in Low Places,” and “Unanswered Prayers.”

The Original

Written by Dennis Robbins, Bobby Boyd, and Warren Haynes, “Two of a Kind, Workin’ On a Full House” was Brooks’ first major hit cover. Originally recorded by Robbins four years prior, the track made it on to the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, where it landed at No. 71.  Robbins’ release not only differentiated from Brooks’ vocal stylings, but also by title. 

Brooks version removed the original parentheses, reading “Two of a Kind (Workin’ On a Full House).” That minor adjustment may have contributed to the tune’s success, or perhaps the seven-time CMA Entertainer of the Year award-winner may just have the magic vocal touch for just about any track that comes his way. 

While the song was, indeed, a triumph in Brooks’ catalog of hits, it’s not the only cover song he made his own.

The Oklahoma native, 64, has successfully reimagined songs like Billy Joel’s “Shameless,” the Oak Ridge Boys’ “Callin’Baton Rouge,” and Bob Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love.”  

The Lyrics

The lyrics of “Two of a Kind (Workin’ On a Full House)” find Brooks singing about romance as he plays the role of a man living with his “lady luck,” calling the pair “two of a kind” as they work to build the life they want together.

“Together, we’re buildin’ up a real hot hand / We live out in the country / She’s my little queen of the South / Yeah, we’retwo of a kind / Working on a full house,” he sings over a traditional country melody, featuring sawing fiddles, as shown in the YouTube clip below. 

According to The Boot, the song was written in just a matter of hours, with Haynes, telling the outlet, “It was just one of those moments. Once we honed in on the actual idea, it came together in a few hours. A lot of times, some of the best songs come about that way. They either happen really quickly, or they take forever; there is very seldom any middle ground.”

Brooks’ “Two of a Kind (Workin’ On a Full House)” served as the third single from his wildly successful No Fences album, which spawned previously mentioned hits, “Friends in Low Places” and “Unanswered Prayers,” as well as 1991’s“The Thunder Rolls,” which stayed at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for a two-week run. 

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