I feel like I’m about to open a can of worms…
Actually, I know I am… but let’s get into it.
It seems like there’s a never-ending debate in the country music world about whether or not George Strait can really be considered The King of country if he didn’t write, or at least co-write, the majority of his songs and biggest hits.
I’d say it’s actually pretty damn impressive to have 60 #1s and such a storied career with tracks that other people wrote for you. The kind of talent it takes to sing someone else’s song with that much conviction is incredible. There’s no arguing that part.
I’m gonna leave the rest of it for y’all to discuss, because today, I want to focus on the songs he did actually write or co-write. A few of them are from early in his career, but most of them actually come from records he put out over the last fifteen years or so.
After going through all of his 30 studio albums one by one and looking at the writers on each song, there’s actually more co-write’s from him than I really expected.
That’s partially due to the fact that he’s made it a point to write more in this stage of his career. He even told CMT that quitting writing for so many years was the biggest regret in he’s had about it so far:
“If I have one regret in my career, which has been great and it’s hard to come up with one… but, if I have one it’s that I kind of quit writing for years.
Because starting out, I loved to write and wrote a lot and then I just kind of got away from it.”
Either way, if you’re someone that takes issue with the fact that King George hasn’t written most of his songs, he’s unquestionably one of the best country music singers the genre has ever known, and therefore responsible for helping the careers of tons of songwriters over the years.
Dean Dillon was the man who wrote a large amount George’s biggest hits, along with plenty of other talented songwriters in Nashville and Texas. Dean is responsible for penning #1’s like “Unwound,” “The Chair,” “Nobody in His Right Mind Would Have Left Her,” “Ocean Front Property,” and “Here for a Good Time.”
So without further ado, here’s all the songs George wrote, or co-wrote, for himself:
“I Can’t See Texas From Here” — A solo write from early in his career by King George in 1982.
“Drinkin’ Man” — Written by George, his son Bubba Strait, as well as Dean Dillon.
“Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“I Believe”— Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“Let It Go” — Written by Keith Gattis, George and Bubba.
“Out of Sight, Out of Mind” — Written by George and Bubba.
“Living for the Night” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“He’s Got That Something Special” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“Shame On Me” — Written by George and Bubba.
“Here for a Good Time” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“House Across the Bay” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“Three Nails and a Cross” — Written by Bobby Boyd, George, Dean and Bubba.
“Blue Marlin Blues” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“I’ll Always Remember You” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“I Just Can’t Go On Dying Like This” — A solo write from King George.
“That’s What Breaking Hearts Do” — Written by George and Bubba.
“The Night Is Young” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“It Takes All Kinds” — Written by Bob Regan, Will Nance, George and Bubba.
“Everything I See” — Written by Keith, George, Dean and Bubba.
“Blue Water” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“Sometimes Love” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“Código” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“Take Me Away” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“The Weight of the Badge” — Written by George, Dean and Bubba.
“What Goes Up” — Written by Jeff Hyde, George and Bubba.
“Sing One with Willie” — Written by Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon, George and Bubba.
And, while you’re here, you might as well go check out George’s newly released music video for “The Weight Of The Badge”: