Did You Know This George Strait #1 Hit Was Originally A John Prine Song?

The breezy number one hit from The King.

George Strait, the King of country music, has a lot of number-one hits under his belt. Throughout his career, he’s had 60 number-one hits, 44 of which have topped the Billboard Chart and 16 of which have topped the Mediabase Chart.

While George Strait has penned a handful of his own tracks, he’s famously known for not writing much of his music, and he calls it one of  his biggest regrets in his career. He tells CMT:

“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.”

But when Strait was not writing, it allowed for his longtime collaborator, Dean Dillon, to shine. Dillon and many other great Nashville songwriters were responsible for the creation of many of The King’s number-one hits, and some will try and make the argument that Strait isn’t “The King of Country Music” because he didn’t write many of his great hits. However, the industry has always featured a number of songwriters working behind the scenes. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings recorded a lot of songs from other people, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw and many others aren’t known for being great songwriters. But it’s just so impressive to have 60 number-one hits, no matter who penned them. It’s a testament to the vocal talent and even the song selection that The King possessed.

Anyways, back to the matter at hand…

Dillon Dean is responsible for penning #1s like “Unwound,” “The Chair,” “Nobody in His Right Mind Would Have Left Her,” “Ocean Front Property,” and “Here for a Good Time,” but one number one hit in George Strait’s collection is actually a cover. And it’s not just a cover of a song from an unpopular artist. It’s a song that was penned and sung by the late great John Prine.

John Prine is arguably the most prolific songwriter of our generation. He was an integral figure in the city’s folk revival scene of the 1960s. Before kickstarting his music career, he worked as a mailman by day and honed his songwriting craft at night. Prine’s extensive catalog showcases his deep love for poetic storytelling and masterful lyricism, and he always had a knack for writing clever and witty lines.

In 1986, John Prine and Roger Cook got together and wrote an island breeze-inspired love song that would appear on his record German Afternoons. The tune they penned would later be picked up by George Strait in 1998 and recorded. That song is his number one hit, “I Just Want To Dance With You.”

Strait’s take on the song, which heavily resampled the original cut, kept his number one streak alive after having four number one singles on his previous record, Carrying Your Love With Me. “I Just Want To Dance With You” was the lead single off One Step At A Time and spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard charts.

While The King’s take on the song is stellar, nothing tops hearing John Prine’s vocals on this track. It’s silky smooth.

Since Prine’s passing, I’ve always felt like his spirit is still so present on Earth and is sprinkled into some melodies today. His legacy also lives on through his son Tommy Prine. I doubt that when George Strait cut this number one hit, he would be contributing to the living legacy of Prine, yet he did, and he tips his hat to the prolific songwriter well.

The more you know…

Turn this one up in honor of John Prine.

While you’re here, fire up George Strait’s version, too.

The post Did You Know This George Strait #1 Hit Was Originally A John Prine Song? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.