George Strait is no stranger to terrible heartbreak and tragedy. In 1986, Strait's young daughter, Jenifer Lyn, lost her life in a tragic car accident in San Marco, Texas. Jenifer was just 13 years old. Per People via UPI, "...[S]he was in a speeding vehicle that flipped when it tried to make a turn, and she wasn't wearing a seatbelt."
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Strait has been understandably reluctant to talk about this unthinkable event. Still, years later, he shared with the outlet that, "We were blessed to be able to spend 13 years with our beautiful daughter Jenifer." Perhaps the anguish Strait experienced due to the death of his child moved him to record songs about embracing life. When he performs them, it comes from the very depths of the The King of Country.'s soul.
We chose four songs that typify George Strait's masterful songs about grasping life and vitality and optimism with both hands and hanging on tight. "The Little Things," "Let It Go," "The Breath You Take," and "I Saw God Today" are so impactful, especially when this country music superstar sings them. Strait transmits each syllable with such authentic dignity and heartfelt emotion that you have to listen and respond.
'The Little Things'
Released last year on Strait's album, Cowboys and Dreamers, this song celebrates the small miracles in our lives that often get overlooked or taken for granted. "...Like an old Merle Haggard song / Mama on the phone / Midnight on the back porch / A slow kiss on a dance floor / A tiny diamond in your pocket / A baby that needs rocking back to sleep / If you're asking me / It's the little things...." It was co-written by Strait, his son, Bubba, and Monty Russ Criswell. A country music gem that conveys an important message.
'Let It Go'
We all get bogged down in trivial stuff that gets the better of us. It's human. But this poignant song, co-written by Strait and his son, Bubba , along with Keith Gattis, urges people to let at least some bothersome things pass. Just relinquish them. The lyrics reassure us that luck changes, sometimes quickly, and bad times don't last forever. The sun always re-emerges from even the darkest clouds. You have to have persistence, belief, patience, and fortitude. The tide will eventually turn in your favor, believe him.
'The Breath You Take'
Per lost.fm, this song, co-written by Casey Beathard, Dean Dillon, and Jessie Jo Dillon, became a Top 10 hit and was Grammy-nominated. Per the outlet, "The song is about savoring and realizing the important moments in life...The story is told through fatherly love, starting by giving examples from the baseball field of a boy's youth and moving to the more emotionally jarring times, birth and death." Strait sang it at the 2010 CMA Awards.
'I Saw God Today'
Co-written by Rodney Clawson, Wade Kirby, and Monte Criswell, this memorable song on Strait's 2008 album, Troubadour, describes a man's walk down the street. It's no ordinary jaunt, though. This person is keenly aware of his surroundings and takes note of little things as he strides - a delicate blossom pushing up through the pavement, a couple holding hands, a glorious and intensely colorful sunset. He has a newborn baby girl for whose tender life he is deeply grateful. He knows that a Higher Power has orchestrated it all. "...His fingerprints are everywhere / I just look down to stop and stare / Open my eyes and then I swear / I saw God today...."
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.