George Strait has had a truly phenomenal ride in country music. He attained the stature of a legend a long time ago by anyone's estimation. They don't call a guy "The King of Country Music" for nothing! Per his web site, Strait, now 72, has recorded five dozen chart-topping singles and sold over 70 million albums in his four-decade-plus career. One accomplishment he has notched that has gone under the radar is his songwriting ability. In fact, Strait has written some outstanding material that he recorded successfully.
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Per American Songwriter via Cowboys & Indians, he said, "For a lot of years I put songwriting on the back burner. I've had so much luck and have been so successful finding material from other writers that I really got lazy about it. Writing, for me, is not easy. It requires a lot of time and can be pretty intense." Still Strait hung in there and produced some outstanding songs, sometimes with longtime collaborators, per Whiskey Riff, such as his son.
Let's take a closer look into that aspect of this country music marvel's career.
'I Believe' (2013)
Written with Dean Dillon and Bubba Strait
This song, as American Songwriter reported, came from a heartbreaking event that was shattering to millions of Americans - the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. That tragedy caused six adults and 20 children to be ripped away from us in the prime of their lives. Strait and his wife, Norma, experienced the devastating loss of their own child at the age of 13 in a car accident. "It's just the worst thing that can happen to you in your life, to lose a child," he said via Taste Of Country. "There's just nothing worse than that."
'I Can't See Texas From Here' (1982)
Written by George Strait
This solo effort early in Strait's musical career is about his longing for Texas because he is evidently far away from it. Yearning for home because it is so dear to the narrator is yet another frequent motif in country music. The second verse of the song states, per genius.com, "I can't say I don't like Tennessee / The people here have all been good to me / So please don't take offense if I start to get intense / Just 'cause I can't see Texas from here." The song is on the album Strait from the Heart.
'I Just Can't Go On Dying Like This' (1995)
Written by George Strait
This plaintive song was recorded way back on 1976, even before the world knew of the massive talent of George Strait, per country rebel.com. The tune describes a bleak romantic situation that a lot of women find themselves in - namely, being crazy about someone who is bad for them but being unable to break away permanently. Per the outlet, "While the song didn't receive much attention during its original release, the highly relatable melancholy lyrics have achieved it a status of timelessness." And relatable humanity as well. It appears on his Strait Out of the Box album.
'That's What Breaking Hearts Do' (2013)
Written by George Strait and Bubba Strait
So many listeners can identify with the powerful lyrics to this song, which talks about the terrible, seemingly unlimited anguish of a failed relationship. The endless pain, the drinking to forget, the tears, the hope that the lost love of your life will somehow reappear. The best country music songs sum up these feelings and communicate them in potent ways. George Strait is a master of that, as demonstrated in this exquisite classic tune. He gets it, he really does.
