George Strait has sung about nearly everything under the sun during his long and trailblazing career. He always gets it right, which is why he deserves the designation "King of Country." At 72, Strait is truly the reigning royalty of country music. Of all the poignant subjects he has handled in his songs, parenthood is one of the most tender and perennially meaningful. We selected three examples so you can see how adept he is at passionately articulating the myriad joys, sorrows, and challenges of being a parent.
Videos by Wide Open Country
'Baby Blue' (1988)
Many suspect that this memorable song filled with gentle love, which was written by Aaron Barker, is one that George Strait sang in honor of his late, beloved daughter, Jenifer Lynn. She lost her life at the age of 13 in a tragic car accident in San Marcos, Texas, in 1986, per savingcountrymusic.com. Jenifer was riding a a vehicle with three other teens. The car flipped and ended up in a ditch. Everyone else survived. Sadly, Jenifer did not. For Strait and his family, it was an unbelievably devastating, soul-crushing blow. The song eventually became a number 1 hit. Per the outlet, "Though it has never been officially confirmed, it is believed George Strait recorded and sang the song in memory of his daughter Jenifer." Despite his soaring career and the song's success, I'm sure that nothing could ever possibly compensate for the loss of Strait's cherished little girl.
'Love Without End, Amen' (1990)
This song has a beautiful and eternally pertinent message - namely, that a dad's love of his child is unconditional. There are no strings attached. No matter how badly a father's kid errs, there will always be compassion, acceptance, understanding, empathy, and caring in store. As the lyrics say, "It's a love without end, amen." The song resonated big-time with listeners. It perched atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for five impressive weeks. Another impeccable George Strait gem.
'So Much Like My Dad' (1992)
Willie Nelson recorded this song a few years before George Strait got to it. Nevertheless, Strait hit this one right out of the ballpark. It describes a young man's return home to seek advice from his mom. His gal is on the verge of quitting him, and he is desperate to have her stick around. So he turns to his mother and asks her plaintively, "...tell me word for word what he [Dad] said that always made you stay...." Artfully co-written by Bobby Emmons and Chips Moman, this tune celebrates the precious wisdom of a parent and how a child, despite their age, always relies upon it.
George Strait has been a powerhouse from the start go with Strait Country, his first single "Unwound!" Was and still is a great song my best friend and I played over and over again, and again until we just wore out that cassette tape. "Amarillo by Morning" was everyone's favorite in our group of friends.
I fell in love and married a little lady that I met a few albums of Strait's later. Her Mom told me that I would have to play second fiddle to Strait. I told her that I was in good company!
38 years later we are still listening to him and his music.