Trisha Yearwood commemorated the 30th birthday of her self-titled debut album on Friday (July 2) by sharing an acoustic version of her life-altering No. 1 hit, "She's in Love With the Boy."
The sparse, less-is-more arrangement spotlights Yearwood's vocal gift without shedding her debut single's charm. It's the second time in a week that "She's in Love With a Boy" made headlines, following Yearwood and Brooke Eden's "She's in Love With the Girl" duet on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
The new recording can be found on multiple streaming sites and will appear on the deluxe version of Yearwood's 2019 album Every Girl (out Aug. 13). The expanded reissue will also include Yearwood and Garth Brooks' version of "Shallow" from A Star Is Born plus a ballad titled "I Dare You to Love."
An Auspicious Start to a Legendary Career
Country music is a tricky business. Surefire hits flounder, and others rocket to the top. But when you watch the 1991 music video for "She's In Love With the Boy," you get the sense that Yearwood knew all along that her debut single would rocket her to stardom. The song, written by Jon Ims, went to No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was an auspicious start to Yearwood's career: the song was the first of her five No. 1 hits on the country chart.
Yearwood has become known for singing songs that feature confident heroines. In "She's In Love With the Boy," we hear from a number of them. The song opens on Katie waiting on the porch for her older boyfriend Tommy to pick her up for a date. Tommy's a brash youngster who enjoys driving his truck as fast as possible through their small town. Katie's father doesn't think much of Tommy's showboating: the chorus repeats his litany of complaints. The couple does what many couples do at the drive-in. Later, in a possible reference to John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane," Tommy gives Katie his high school ring until he can afford an engagement ring outside the Tastee Freeze. Unlike Mellencamp's doomed lovers, Yearwood suggests that it'll stick for these two. When Tommy brings Katie home late, Katie's father prepares himself for an epic talking-to with Tommy. However, Katie's mother saves the day, reminding her husband that he and Tommy have more in common than he'd like to think.
Read More: The 10 Best Trisha Yearwood Songs, Ranked
The video, directed by Marc Ball, is a delight. Yearwood, in a blazer that would make Dana Scully green with envy, sits on a chair and watches the passersby on a busy main street in a small town. Yearwood confronts the camera with earnest vocals and a sly smile. The action follows a day in the life of the town, focusing on an elderly husband and wife, a teenage boy shyly flirting with a female classmate of his, and a young boy and girl playing together. During instrumental interludes, we see farm animals nodding along to the beat of the song — sometimes with the footage sped up to match the beat. Peak 1991. The video is a nostalgic commentary on the cyclical nature of love. No matter who you fall in love with, it's a sweet reminder that love will find a way.
This story was first published on Aug. 8, 2018 and updated on July 2, 2021.
"She's In Love With the Boy" Lyrics
Katie's sittin' on the old front porch
Watchin' the chickens peck the ground
There ain't a whole lot goin' on tonight
In this one-horse town
Over yonder comin' up the road
In a beat-up Chevy truck
Her boyfriend Tommy, he's layin' on the horn
Splashin' through the mud and the muck
Her daddy says he ain't worth a lick
When it comes to brains, he got the short end of the stick
But Katie's young and man, she just don't care
She'd follow Tommy anywhere
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
And even if they have to run away
She's gonna marry that boy someday
Katie and Tommy at the drive-in movie
Parked in the very last row
They're too busy holdin' on to one another
To even care about the show
Later on outside the Tastee Freeze
Tommy slips something on her hand
He says my high school ring will have to do
'Til I can buy a wedding band
Her daddy says he ain't worth a lick
When it comes to brains, he got the short end of the stick
But Katie's young and man, she just don't care
She'd follow Tommy anywhere
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
And even if they have to run away
She's gonna marry that boy someday
Her daddy's waitin' up 'til half past twelve
When they come sneakin' up the walk
He says young lady get on up to your room
While me and Junior have a talk
Mama breaks in, says don't lose your temper
It wasn't very long ago
When you yourself was just a hay-seed plowboy
Who didn't have a row to hoe
My daddy said you wasn't worth a lick
When it came to brains you got the short end of the stick
But he was wrong and honey you are too
Katie looks at Tommy like I still look at you
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
What's meant to be will always find a way
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
She's in love with the boy
What's meant to be will always find a way
She's gonna marry that boy someday
She's in love with the boy
