I am an absolute fiend when it comes to being correct about the English language. I am talking about spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage, and so on. When I read, especially on the internet, these mistakes jump out at me. There are plenty of them, believe me. Sometimes they are subtle and go under most people's radar. But whenever I notice somebody confusing its with it's or peak with peek or referring to one person as an alumni although that word is plural, I admit that I go mildly bonkers. And don't get me started on the rampant misuse of apostrophes or the word myself. So when I saw that the title of a George Strait song has a spelling no-no, I felt like writing to him and saying, "Hey George, I love "All My Ex's Live In Texas" but the title has a spelling error. Great song, but....
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If you already think I'm out of my gourd for belaboring this, you are forgiven. And in case you are wondering what the "oops" is, it's the word exes. That is the correct spelling, not ex's. (Just to be sure, I checked.)
I kind of feel like an irate schoolmarm wearing a hairnet and little glasses perched on the tip of my nose. Still, this stuff really matters to me as a writer and an earnest devotee of the language. We are its guardians. You, too, George!
Now, For Strait's Song Itself...
It Arose From The Romantic Experiences Of Its Writer, Sanger D. 'Whitey' Shafer
Per Songfacts, this tune, which became a number 1 hit for Strait, was written by Shafer and his fourth missus. He described it for The Billboard Book Of Number One Country Hits via Songfacts. "That was a fun song to write. I was kinda writin' my biography. I changed the names to protect the guilty. I do have some ex's in Texas. Thank God they live down there. It's not really why I live in Tennessee, but it's a good kicker for the song."
Strait sang the song at the 1988 Grammy Awards. It garnered nominations for Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance but fell short in both categories.
