Debut Track is Among Strait’s Best

By R. Keith Rugg, 10-12-09

	George Strait's 1981 debut single “Unwound” was a Top 10 hit, and he has had at least one single hit in the Top 10 every year since. Photo credit: Vanessa Gavalya, courtesy MCA Nashville

“Living for the Night.”

I know, it came out onto the airwaves last spring, and George Strait is already on to his next release from his current album, the title track, “Twang.” But every time I hear “Living for the Night” on the radio, I’m struck again by what a great song it is.

In fact, I’ll rank it right up there among the best of Strait, such as the early stuff-- “Amarillo by Morning,” and “Marina Del Rey,”-- and the later, but perhaps not as acclaimed, “I Can Still Make Cheyenne,” “Run,” and “Desperately.”

“Living for the Night,” aside from being his best song in years, is noteworthy for a few other reasons, as well.  George, who has for the most part chosen to pick work from other writers throughout his career, co-wrote this song with his son Bubba. 

“My son’s desire to write really inspired me,” Strait says on his website. “So when I was putting this album together, I knew that I wanted to put some original material on it. That’s something I hadn’t done since my second album. I hope the people who buy this record have as much fun listening to it as I had making it.”

And it made such a splash when it was released as the debut track for Twang-- making it to the Top 15 mark in just three weeks, proving to be one of Strait’s fastest rising singles-- that MCA Nashville was pressured into moving up the street date of the album.  Twang debuted at the #1 Album spot on the Billboard and Country Music charts.

Moving on from ‘Night,’ to the album itself, one of the things making a big buzz is Strait’s performance of “El Rey,” a mariachi standard in his neck of the woods.  Performing this song is something typical of George Strait- a calculated risk, pushing the envelope far enough to be innovative, but not so far as to alienate his fans.  It’s something Strait is known for in the industry, but hasn’t done quite as much of in recent releases.

“I’ve loved mariachi music for years, and although I’m not fluent in Spanish, I’ve been trying to get better.  ‘El Rey’ has been a favorite song of mine for years, and I request it every chance I get. So I decided to give it a shot. What a blast that was. I had a version by the great Vicente Fernandez. I played it for the guys, and we worked it out. I think it turned out great, and I hope the real mariachis like it. That will be the real test.”

So here’s to King George and his current success.  His producer, Tony Brown, says “George is having as much fun as ever making records.  You can hear it, too. I think this album shows more range than usual, yet everything he does comes so natural to him. I do think this is going to be one of those albums people hold up as one of his high-water moments.”