Cleopatra, Queen of Denial

"Cleopatra, Queen of Denial"
Single by Pam Tillis
from the album Homeward Looking Angel
B-side	"Homeward Looking Angel"
Released	May 1, 1993
Genre	Country rock, rock and roll
Length	3:13
Label	Arista Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Pam Tillis Bob DiPiero Jan Buckingham
Producer(s)	Paul Worley Ed Seay Anthony Martin
Pam Tillis singles chronology
"Let That Pony Run" (1993) "Cleopatra, Queen of Denial" (1993) "Do You Know Where Your Man Is" (1993)

"Cleopatra, Queen of Denial" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Pam Tillis. It was released in May 1993 as the third single from her album Homeward Looking Angel. The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in July 1993.^[1] The song was written by Tillis, Bob DiPiero, and Jan Buckingham.

Content

The song is centered on Egyptian mythology, in which the narrator compares herself to Queen Cleopatra since she's "queen of denial" by her significant other (a play on words of The Nile River). A guitar solo in the chorus takes the melody of the traditional song The Streets of Cairo, or the Poor Little Country Maid, a song traditionally associated with Egyptian culture.

Music video

The music video was directed by Michael Salomon, and premiered in mid-1993.^[2] It was nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 1993 Country Music Association Awards.^[3]

Personnel

• Larry Byrom – electric guitar
• Joe Chemay – bass guitar
• Sonny Garrish – pedal and lap steel guitars
• John Hobbs – piano
• Paul Leim – drums
• Pam Tillis – lead and backing vocals
• Biff Watson – acoustic guitar
• Paul Worley – acoustic and electric guitars

Chart performance

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4]	28
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5]	11

References

1. "Pam Tillis Hot Country Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
2. "CMT : Videos : Pam Tillis : Cleopatra, Queen of Denial". Country Music Television. Retrieved February 2, 2012.^{[dead link‍]}
3. Edwards, Joe (August 13, 1993). "Gill receives leading eight nominations for Country Music awards". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
4. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2198." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 7, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
5. "Pam Tillis Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.