What Part of No

"What Part of No" is a song written by Wayne Perry and Gerald Smith, and recorded by American country music artist Lorrie Morgan. It was released in December 1992 as the second single from her album Watch Me. The song reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts dated for the week of February 27, 1993, holding the Number One position for three weeks. To date, it is Morgan's biggest hit.

"What Part of No"
Single by Lorrie Morgan
from the album Watch Me
B-side"You Leave Me Like This"[1]
ReleasedDecember 7, 1992
GenreCountry
Length2:45
LabelBNA
Songwriter(s)Wayne Perry, Gerald Smith
Producer(s)Richard Landis
Lorrie Morgan singles chronology
"Watch Me"
(1992)		 "What Part of No"
(1992)		 "I Guess You Had to Be There"
(1993)

She performed the song on the live telecast of the 11th annual Music City News Country Songwriters Awards.[2]

Content

A woman in a social setting is approached repeatedly by a persistent man who sends her a rose, then buys her a drink and asks her to dance. The woman, uninterested in the man despite his advances, finally asks "What part of 'no' don't you understand?"

Analyses

The writer Sandy Carter cites "What Part of No" in an article on the politics of country music, giving it as an example of his argument, "Most significantly, the commercial appeal of the current generation of country women seems directly linked to a feminist oriented lyric." He argues that this song, together with Morgan's other hits "Watch Me" and "Five Minutes", sends a message that the singer "takes clear control of her relationships" and then discusses similar trends in songs by other artists.[3] The song is also mentioned in the introduction to a legal article, "What Part of 'No' Don't You Understand?", as "forcefully relat[ing] the anguish of a victim of sexual harassment."[4]

Chart positions
Chart (1992-1993) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] 1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1993) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] 37
US Country Songs (Billboard)[8] 28

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 286–287. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. Music City News Country Songwriters Awards
  3. Sandy Carter, "Wild And Blue: The Politics Of Country," Z Magazine, September 1994
  4. William D. Evans Jr. "What Part of ‘No’ Don’t You Understand?: Recent Developments in Workplace Sexual Harassment Law," Tennessee Bar Journal, Vol. 36, No. 5, May 2000
  5. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1712." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 27, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  6. "Lorrie Morgan Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1993". RPM. December 18, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  8. "Best of 1993: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
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