The Top 5 George Strait Singles From Every Decade Of His Legendary Country Music Career

Over 60 number one singles, the King of country music, and one of the most iconic names in all of music, let alone this genre. Simply put… when you think of country music, you think George Strait. And at 73 years old, the man is still doing it, selling out stadiums around the country alongside the great Chris Stapleton. He recently revealed that he probably has about 5 more good years of playing shows, and while he officially “retired” from touring in 2014 with his epic The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, he’s been consistently treating fans to a handful of shows every year since.

In 1981, George put out his debut album Strait Country, kicking off one of the greatest careers country music has ever seen, and just this past year, he put out his 31st studio album, Cowboys & Dreamers. We’re talking about nearly 45 years of great country music, and for me, growing up a ’90s kid, I always kind of thought as George as a superstar of the ’90s (which he was). But then I stopped by the ol’ record store and picked myself up a copy of George Strait’s 1985 Greatest Hits record, and it got me thinking… I think I like his ’80s hits more than his ’90s hits.

By the way, how wild is it that he already had a greatest hits record just a few years into his career? It’s basically just the first 10 singles of his career (off his first 3 albums), but it’s just heater after heater after heater. It reminds you how he came out of the gate on fire, and really hasn’t cooled down all that much since. By 1987, just 6 years after his debut album and single, he had another greatest hits record, cleverly titled Greatest Hits Volume II, and once again, hit after hit after hit… his first 20 singles are some of the most iconic country song of all time, and they all came from one man… it’s just insane.

And then he replicated that kind of production in the ’90s, and then did it again with his 2000s hits, and his 2010s hits… just a run a like we’ve never seen and probably will never see again. The undisputed King of Country Music. And I know people like to play the “what if” game with Keith Whitley, and every year it becomes a conversation on the internet in country music circles, but there is absolutely zero chance that Keith would’ve dethroned George had he not tragically passed away so young. For starters, Keith released his first single in 1984, and his first 10 singles didn’t top the charts. Only a couple even broke the Top 10. By the time Keith picked up his first #1 hit, George had nearly 15 #1 singles already, and since he and Keith are close to the same age, I just don’t see how Keith would’ve ever topped him. Keith’s last #1 was in 1989, the same year that he passed away.

Make no mistake, Keith Whitley was an incredible talent, one of the best to ever do it, and country music fans were truly robbed of some great music that he would’ve undoubtedly gone on to make, but there’s just nobody in this business who had the kind of run that King George had. Conway Twitty is up there, Tim McGraw is still making Top 10s but hasn’t had a #1 in a while, and then you have modern day acts like Luke Combs who have continued to crush since they started, but does Luke have 40, yes FOURTY, more #1s in him? I don’t know…. doesn’t seem like our attention spans will allow for it these days.

So all that being said, we’re just going to walk through King Georg’s legendary career, decade by decade, picking the the 5 best songs from every era as just a glimpse into the country music greatness that is Mr. George Strait.

Honorable mentions: The ’70s

George only had a handful of singles in the ’70s, including “I Just Can’t Go On Dying Like This,” “That Don’t Change the Way I Feel About You,” and “I Don’t Want to Talk It Over Anymore.”

The ’80s:

“Marina del Rey” (1982)

Written by Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus.
Released: September 1982 (from Strait from the Heart)

“Amarillo by Morning” (1983)

Written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser.
Released: January 1983 (from Strait from the Heart)

“You Look So Good in Love” (1983)

Written by Glen Ballard, Rory Bourke, and Kerry Chater.
Released: September 1983 (from Right or Wrong)

“The Chair” (1985)

Written by Dean Dillon and Hank Cochran.
Released: August 1985 (from Something Special)

“Nobody in His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her” (1986)

Written by Dean Dillon.
Released: April 1986 (from #7)

The ’90s:

“Love Without End, Amen” (1990)

Written by Aaron Barker.
Released: April 1990 (from Livin’ It Up)

“Check Yes or No” (1995)

Written by Danny Wells and Dana Hunt.
Released: September 1995 (from Strait Out of the Box)

“I Can Still Make Cheyenne” (1996)

Written by Aaron Barker and Erv Woolsey.
Released: August 1996 (from Blue Clear Sky)

“Blue Clear Sky” (1996)

Written by Bob DiPiero, John Jarrard, and Mark D. Sanders.
Released: March 1996 (from Blue Clear Sky)

“Carrying Your Love With Me” (1997)

Written by Steve Bogard and Jeff Stevens.
Released: May 1997 (from Carrying Your Love With Me)

The 2000s:

“Run” (2001)

Written by Tony Lane and Anthony Smith.
Released: September 2001 (from The Road Less Traveled)

“Cowboys Like Us” (2003)

Written by Brice Long and Darryl Worley.
Released: August 2003 (from Honkytonkville)

“I Hate Everything” (2004)

Written by Gary Harrison and Keith Stegall.
Released: July 2004 (from 50 Number Ones)

“I Saw God Today” (2008)

Written by Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell, and Wade Kirby.
Released: February 2008 (from Troubadour)

“Troubadour” (2008)

Written by Leslie Satcher and Monty Holmes.
Released: June 2008 (from Troubadour)

The 2010s:

“Here For A Good Time” (2011)

Written by George Strait, Dean Dillon, and Bubba Strait.
Released: June 2011 (from Here for a Good Time)

“Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” (2011)

Written by Al Anderson and Chris Stapleton.
Released: November 2011 (from Here for a Good Time)

“Give It All We Got Tonight” (2012)

Written by Tim James, Phil O’Donnell, and Mark Bright.
Released: October 2012 (from Love Is Everything)

“The Weight of the Badge” (2019)

Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait, and Dean Dillon.
Released: October 2019 (from Honky Tonk Time Machine)

“Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” (2019)

Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait, and Dean Dillon.
Released: February 2019 (from Honky Tonk Time Machine)

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