The Big One - A George Strait Rankdown (Revealing)

[zaclord 🌈]

My remaining songs :)

1
2
4
6
7
8
10
11
14
15
16
20
23
24
25
27
32
38
42

[bboat11]

Oh, she tells her friends I’m perfect,

And that I love her cat.

But you know me better than that.

19. "You Know Me Better Than That"

Album: Chill Of An Early Fall

Year: 1991





Total: 710
Average: 35.50
Std Dev: 24.27


mamasaid - 2
BackwoodsBarbie - 5
George Strait Junkie - 7
Kanenrá:ke - 16
castleoblivion26 - 23
sabre14 - 24
zaclord 🌈 - 25
tim - 25
fearlessarrow - 25
Cody Wants Out... - 28
CoJoFan - 28
carriekins - 29
.indulgecountry - 33
codyj100 - 33
DistrictTwelve - 54
tim - 56
bboat11 - 63
@adam1995 - 66
countrymusicjunkie - 82
gardyfan - 86




countrymusicjunkie: Here it is! I think it is safe to say that this song greatly exceeded my expectations. I figured this would place somewhere in the middle, maybe just inside the top 40. Fortunately for the 3 people who put this in their top 10, I was wrong! After a rough start, this song saw a steady climb into the top 25. It was not really a top 20 contender towards the end, but BackwoodsBarbie and Kanenrá:ke both came through with epic pushes to help it go the distance.

This song is good, but I think it greatly overstayed. The lyrics are just silly enough to verge on annoying if you hear the song too much. I still love it for sure, I just would have put several songs into the top 20 over this one.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
I Got A Car
If I Know Me
Love Without End, Amen
Ocean Front Property
Run
She Let Herself Go
The Cowboy Rides Away
Troubadour
True
Write This Down
You Look So Good In Love

[.indulgecountry]

"Oh, she tells her friends I’m perfect,
And that I love her cat."

Yas that is the best part of the song!!

[Cody Wants Out...]

Aawww! Really bboat? I think it's cute!

[bboat11]

And my heart is sinking like the setting sun,
Setting on the things I wish I’d done.
Oh, the last goodbye’s the hardest one to say.
This is where the cowboy rides away.

18. "The Cowboy Rides Away"

Album: Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind

Year: 1985





Total: 709
Average: 35.45
Std Dev: 21.89


countrymusicjunkie - 6
BackwoodsBarbie - 6
carriekins - 11
gardyfan - 13
fearlessarrow - 14
codyj100 - 15
@adam1995 - 17
mamasaid - 22
tim - 28
Kanenrá:ke - 34
bboat11 - 40
CoJoFan - 41
zaclord 🌈 - 42
LBTrocks - 44
sabre14 - 57
castleoblivion26 - 57
DistrictTwelve - 57
Cody Wants Out... - 66
George Strait Junkie - 69
.indulgecountry - 70




One of George's most iconic non-#1 hits! It is absolutely criminal that this song missed the top of the charts, considering how much of a fan favorite it is. Plus the fact that it is a perfect show closer for George.

Fun fact: when George sang this live, he always only did the first verse and chorus and then left the stage. He was waiting to perform the whole song when he actually rode away for good. So for his farewell tour he finally started performing the whole song. As a big enough fan of George to realize the significance behind that action when I went to a show on his farewell tour, it was an extremely emotional moment!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
I Got A Car
If I Know Me
Love Without End, Amen
Ocean Front Property
Run
She Let Herself Go
Troubadour
True
Write This Down
You Look So Good In Love

[carriekins]

That song always makes me cry...I need him to never ride away.

[.indulgecountry]

I love how this got its highest placement at the very end of its trajectory.

[zaclord 🌈]

Jan 25, 2018 20:36:28 GMT -5 zaclord 🌈 said:

My remaining songs :)

1
2
4
6
7
8
10
11
14
15
16
20
23
24
25
27
32
38
42

I'll take my 38 and 32 next please ;)

So far so good though other than I Hate Everything being gone a tad too soon

[bboat11]

Album Spotlight: Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind

Released: September 26, 1984

Label: MCA Nashville

Producer: Jimmy Bowen, George Strait

Runtime: 28 min. 17 sec.

Country Albums Chart: 1

Certification: Platinum


Singles/Rankdown Placements:
Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind (37)
The Cowboy Rides Away (18)
The Fireman (46)

Average Ranking: 33.67


Tracklist:
1. Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
2. Any Old Time
3. I Need Someone Like Me
4. You're Dancin' This Dance All Wrong
5. Honky Tonk Saturday Night
6. I Should Have Watched That First Step
7. Love Comes From The Other Side Of Town
8. The Cowboy Rides Away
9. What Did You Expect Me To Do
10. The Fireman

---

Album Tracks:

"I Need Someone Like Me"

This song is one of the catchiest album tracks on the album. The chorus gets stuck in my head randomly all the time! Definitely could have been a great single if there had been a 4th release.

"I Should Have Watched That First Step"

This song is awesome for its lyrical strength. George's point of view looking back on a past relationship that he screwed up is wry and comes with a hint of irony.

"What Did You Expect Me To Do"

This song has always stood out to me because of the vocal performance. George sounds so good here, and really elevates an average song into something special!

---

bboat11 @adam1995 Cody Wants Out... .indulgecountry codyj100 sabre14 George Strait Junkie zaclord 🌈 mamasaid castleoblivion26 DistrictTwelve countrymusicjunkie CoJoFan gardyfan carriekins fearlessarrow LBTrocks tim BackwoodsBarbie Kanenrá:ke

[bboat11]

Well, the truth about a mirror
Is that a damned old mirror
Don’t really tell the whole truth.
It don’t show what’s deep inside,
Or read between the lines.
And it’s really no reflection of my youth.

17. "Troubadour"

Album: Troubadour

Year: 2008





Total: 703
Average: 35.15
Std Dev: 29.36


countrymusicjunkie - 2
gardyfan - 2
.indulgecountry - 3
codyj100 - 3
tim - 10
CoJoFan - 12
DistrictTwelve - 13
carriekins - 13
sabre14 - 20
zaclord 🌈 - 24
Cody Wants Out... - 39
Kanenrá:ke - 41
BackwoodsBarbie - 45
castleoblivion26 - 48
bboat11 - 50
fearlessarrow - 63
George Strait Junkie - 64
@adam1995 - 73
mamasaid - 78
LBTrocks - 100




This elimination is a heartbreaker for some, and a relief for others! 4 people lose a top 3, which is the biggest loss we have experienced so far! On the flipside, LBTrocks FINALLY loses his #100, while 2 others lose a bottom 30. This song was very polarizing, but overall it had a pretty steady rise to the top 20 throughout the submission process.

I honestly am right in the middle. Literally. I don't understand the extreme love OR the extreme hate. This song is great, but definitely not one of my go-to George songs, and definitely did not deserve to outlast "I Saw God Today". That being said, I love the lyrics in this song. The way it reflects on George's career, it is almost like it was written specifically for him.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
I Got A Car
If I Know Me
Love Without End, Amen
Ocean Front Property
Run
She Let Herself Go
True
Write This Down
You Look So Good In Love

[LBTrocks]

Finally!

I knew this would be in for quite a while. So, I hated this song back in the day. If it makes you guys feel any better, I don't hate it anymore. However.... it's still his biggest musical clunker to date. I like the lyrics... but melodically and musically the song doesn't do a thing for me and I don't enjoy it at all. Don't hate it anymore, but still don't like it.

I've made some mortal enemies here, I'm sure, but....

[bboat11]

She said, “Are you sure it’ll get us where we’re goin’?”

I said, “If there’s one thing I know, girl,
It’s gotten us this far.
And I don’t mean to hurry, but I’m ready when you are.”

16. "I Got A Car"

Album: Love Is Everything

Year: 2013





Total: 690
Average: 34.50
Std Dev: 20.21


sabre14 - 3
George Strait Junkie - 12
castleoblivion26 - 15
DistrictTwelve - 16
CoJoFan - 17
fearlessarrow - 17
Kanenrá:ke - 20
.indulgecountry - 21
tim - 23
zaclord 🌈 - 27
carriekins - 38
countrymusicjunkie - 39
BackwoodsBarbie - 40
@adam1995 - 47
bboat11 - 48
Cody Wants Out... - 52
gardyfan - 52
mamasaid - 65
codyj100 - 66
LBTrocks - 72




With this elimination, we officially wave goodbye to the 2010s!!!! This was the song that everybody seemed to want to be a hit off of Love is Everything, so I am SO glad it got a release to radio. Unfortunately radio had started to move on from the era after the ridiculous push for "Give It All We Got Tonight" to get to #1 followed by the utter floppage of "I Believe", so this song was not the huge hit it deserved to be. Apparently Pulse holds it in high regard despite its chart performance, however, because here it is just outside of the top 15 for George's entire career!

This song is amazing. Hell, this entire album is one of my very favorite George albums. I definitely feel like I underranked this one, but maybe not. His catalog is just SOOOOO strong!!!! I may have ranked this in the low 40s, but I am not at all disappointed that it lasted this long.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
If I Know Me
Love Without End, Amen
Ocean Front Property
Run
She Let Herself Go
True
Write This Down
You Look So Good In Love

[LBTrocks]

"I Got A Car" is another one that LONG overstayed! It's good, for sure. I like it. I just don't love it and it can't compete with the majority of this catalog.

[BackwoodsBarbie]

 
*Me waking up and seing You Know Me Better Than That and The Cowboy Rides Away were eliminated.* 

You Know Me Better Than That - I didn't pay much attention to this song at first, but after realizing what it is about it quickly become one of my favourites. I remember driving home from school and listening to this song the whole way. I simply love lyrics because I can easily identify with them. The part when he sings "You know I was raised on a farm" never fails to make me smile. Another example of great songwriting is when he changes "And that I love her cat" to "and that I love that cat" to emphasise how much he don't care about the cat. This song really made me think about my life and how much it has changed since high school and how much I miss those times. 

[zaclord 🌈]

Yesss, keep the songs outside my top 20 coming! I only have 2 or 3 of those left now! Coming for you Closeness !

[bboat11]

Album Spotlight: Troubadour

Released: April 1, 2008

Label: MCA Nashville

Producer: Tony Brown, George Strait

Runtime: 39 min. 29 sec.

Country Albums Chart: 1

Certification: Platinum


Singles/Rankdown Placements:
I Saw God Today (35)
Troubadour (17)
River Of Love (95)

Average Ranking: 49.00


Tracklist:
1. Troubadour
2. It Was Me
3. Brothers Of The Highway
4. River Of Love
5. House Of Cash (ft. Patty Loveless)
6. I Saw God Today
7. Give Me More Time
8. When You're In Love
9. Make Her Fall In Love With Me Song
10. West Texas Town (ft. Dean Dillon)
11. House With No Doors
12. If Heartaches Were Horses
13. Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven (Bonus Track)

---

Album Tracks:

"House Of Cash" ft. Patty Loveless

This is a song about Johnny Cash and June Carter's Cash's house. No, literally. The house burned to the ground shortly after they both passed, and this song is about that momentous occasion and/or terrible tragedy. George and Patty Loveless both sound great together, and the lyrics and instrumentation are pretty dark according with the theme of the song. Definitely a standout from the album.


"Give Me More Time"

This was a song that .indulgecountry submitted. This song has a simple premise that you can totally guess from the title. It features a bunch of people who need more time, while also celebrating the fact that everybody has their own hardships and demons that they must overcome. From a farmer who can't pay the bank because of diminishing crop yields, to a relationship that is crumbling due to lack of communication, to a 24-year old man who gets bad news from his doctor, this song touches on several different people and their possible living situations. The lyrics are poignant and heartbreaking, and George offers a sensitive and emotional vocal to go along with it.


"Make Her Fall In Love With Me Song"

This has always been the clear and immediate standout on the album, to me. This song is quite possibly the catchiest song he has ever released, or at least in the top 5! Not to mention the lyrics are creative. It is a huge shame that this was not a single. Especially considering that we had "River Of Love" released instead... 


"House With No Doors"

This song offers a super interesting lyrical perspective. First of all, a man is asking a construction supervisor to build him a house with no doors. But of course the house with no doors leads to this whole metaphorical conversation about how his lover keeps trying to leave him, and if their house had no doors she'd never be able to leave again, but the construction guy says that that won't work. Lmao it is a super cheesy premise, but the song itself delivers. George's vocal is amazing here, especially his low notes at the end of the first chorus!


"If Heartaches Were Horses"

This is a stone cold country ballad, and it is amazing simply because of that fact. Would not have been a good single, but it is still awesome in every way.

---

bboat11 @adam1995 Cody Wants Out... .indulgecountry codyj100 sabre14 George Strait Junkie zaclord 🌈 mamasaid castleoblivion26 DistrictTwelve countrymusicjunkie CoJoFan gardyfan carriekins fearlessarrow LBTrocks tim BackwoodsBarbie Kanenrá:ke

[bboat11]

Album Spotlight: Love Is Everything

Released: May 14, 2013

Label: MCA Nashville

Producer: Tony Brown, George Strait

Runtime: 48 min. 03 sec.

Country Albums Chart: 1

Certification: Gold


Singles/Rankdown Placements:
Give It All We Got Tonight (61)
I Believe (96)
I Got A Car (16)

Average Rank: 57.67


Tracklist:
1. I Got A Car
2. Give It All We Got Tonight
3. Blue Melodies
4. I Just Can't Go On Dying Like This
5. I Thought I Heard My Heart Sing
6. That's What Breaking Hearts Do
7. When Love Comes Around Again
8. The Night Is Young
9. Sittin' On The Fence
10. I Believe
11. Love Is Everything
12. You Don't Know What You're Missing
13. When The Credits Roll

---

Album Tracks:

"Blue Melodies"



"That's What Breaking Hearts Do"

I thought for sure this one would be a single, because it seems like one of George's favorites from the album. This was the one non-single from the album that he sang at most of his farewell tour stops, so it seemed a likely candidate for radio. Unfortunately that did not end up happening.


"When Love Comes Around Again"



"The Night Is Young"



"Sittin' On The Fence"

This one is especially awesome because of the hook! "Sittin' on a stool, sittin' on the fence" is just such a brilliant turn of phrase that is classic George. This has always been one of my favorites on the album.


"When The Credits Roll"

This was also a huge missed single opportunity. Definitely sounds like the biggest smash on the album, imo, and it would have made an EXCELLENT single to accompany his farewell tour! Unfortunately his label did not choose to capitalize on that potential, instead squandering all the hype for this album by releasing "I Believe"...

---

bboat11 @adam1995 Cody Wants Out... .indulgecountry codyj100 sabre14 George Strait Junkie zaclord 🌈 mamasaid castleoblivion26 DistrictTwelve countrymusicjunkie CoJoFan gardyfan carriekins fearlessarrow LBTrocks tim BackwoodsBarbie Kanenrá:ke

[bboat11]

He must have stolen

Some stars from the sky

And gave them to you

To wear in your eyes.

15. "You Look So Good In Love"

Album: Right Or Wrong

Year: 1983

Total: 677
Average: 33.85
Std Dev: 18.71


@adam1995 - 3
DistrictTwelve - 12
LBTrocks - 13
BackwoodsBarbie - 13
codyj100 - 14
mamasaid - 20
Cody Wants Out... - 22
castleoblivion26 - 27
bboat11 - 29
gardyfan - 31
carriekins - 32
CoJoFan - 37
zaclord 🌈 - 38
tim - 45
countrymusicjunkie - 47
.indulgecountry - 56
sabre14 - 56
Kanenrá:ke - 56
George Strait Junkie - 58
fearlessarrow - 68




Literally 15 out of 20 ranked this in their top 50, and of the 5 who didn't, only 1 ranked it outside of the top 60. That is pretty incredible! Unfortunately for this song, that performance was only good enough to push it up to #15. It did not seem to generate enough passion to rank highly either, as @adam1995's #3 rank is the only top 10 rank that the song received.

This song is such a classic, I am not at all surprised or disappointed to see it be a top 20 contender for practically the entire rankdown. This was another one that was super hard for me to rank just because it is such a classic!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
If I Know Me
Love Without End, Amen
Ocean Front Property
Run
She Let Herself Go
True
Write This Down

[gardyfan]

I absolutely should not have ranked it that low.

[bboat11]

He wondered how she’d take it
When he said goodbye.
Thought she might do some cryin’,
Lose some sleep at night.
But he had no idea
When he hit the road
That without him in her life,
She’d let herself go.

14. "She Let Herself Go"

Album: Somewhere Down In Texas

Year: 2005

Total: 674
Average: 33.70
Std Dev: 24.39


Kanenrá:ke - 4
George Strait Junkie - 5
fearlessarrow - 7
zaclord 🌈 - 10
.indulgecountry - 15
CoJoFan - 15
carriekins - 17
Cody Wants Out... - 19
castleoblivion26 - 20
bboat11 - 23
sabre14 - 34
mamasaid - 38
countrymusicjunkie - 43
BackwoodsBarbie - 46
LBTrocks - 50
DistrictTwelve - 52
@adam1995 - 54
gardyfan - 56
tim - 73
codyj100 - 93

I am totally SHOCKED that this song made it to the top 15, but I am not at all disappointed! I knew this one was relatively well-liked, but I figured this would be one that left us in the 30s or something because George's catalog is so hard to compete with. I feel like this is one of his more forgotten recent #1s. It was not forgotten by Pulse, however, as it had a steady rise into the top 20 and then top 15 for pretty much its entire run here.

The best part of this song is the lyrical progression. I just love the way this is organized. The verses are set up like the woman is going to be heartbroken because she lost her lover, but then all of a sudden the chorus kicks in and you realize it is exactly the opposite! It's a success story for feminists everywhere! Not to mention that the musical arrangement complements the mood shift perfectly, by changing to a faster speed for the chorus.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
If I Know Me
Love Without End, Amen
Ocean Front Property
Run
True
Write This Down

[bboat11]

But if I know me,

I’ll turn this car around.

I won’t get halfway through town,

And I’ll be sorry.

I’ll stop and call,

And you’ll say you’re sorry too.

And I’ll come runnin’ back to you

If I know me.

13. "If I Know Me"

Album: Chill Of An Early Fall

Year: 1991





Total: 655
Average: 32.75
Std Dev: 22.91


zaclord 🌈 - 8
George Strait Junkie - 9
Kanenrá:ke - 11
.indulgecountry - 11
fearlessarrow - 12
castleoblivion26 - 13
mamasaid - 14
Cody Wants Out... - 16
CoJoFan - 25
countrymusicjunkie - 32
bboat11 - 35
carriekins - 36
tim - 38
codyj100 - 38
sabre14 - 41
BackwoodsBarbie - 41
@adam1995 - 48
LBTrocks - 60
DistrictTwelve - 82
gardyfan - 85




This is another song where you can consider me shocked. I knew this one wouldn't really be disliked, but I didn't think it would do THIS well! This song was even a top 10 contender towards the middle of the rankdown. Anyway, this is another one where the biggest strength lies within the lyrics. The way this song describes the couple involved, you can totally feel both of their pain. It is like watching your good friends on the verge of a breakup. But then the chorus gives it a tone of hope because they both know each other well enough to know that they both regret what just happened.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
Love Without End, Amen
Ocean Front Property
Run
True
Write This Down

[Cody Wants Out...]

Aaww! I was hoping for a top 10 finish with that one!

[bboat11]

But he said, “Let me tell you a secret about a father’s love,

A secret that my daddy said was just between us.”

He said, “Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then.

It’s a love without end, amen.

12. "Love Without End, Amen"

Album: Livin' It Up

Year: 1990





Total: 654
Average: 32.70
Std Dev: 24.61


zaclord 🌈 - 2
gardyfan - 5
castleoblivion26 - 9
tim - 12
sabre14 - 14
CoJoFan - 14
carriekins - 15
codyj100 - 18
fearlessarrow - 20
Cody Wants Out... - 21
@adam1995 - 25
mamasaid - 31
DistrictTwelve - 37
Kanenrá:ke - 40
bboat11 - 47
countrymusicjunkie - 57
BackwoodsBarbie - 62
.indulgecountry - 66
LBTrocks - 78
George Strait Junkie - 81




This is easily one of the most iconic songs of the last 30 years. If you ask random country music fans (or even random music fans in general) to name the first 5 George Strait songs that came to mind, this would undoubtedly be in almost all of their lists. This song is SO popular, you can still hear it on the radio occasionally!

This is also former President George H.W. Bush's favorite George Strait song (and maybe favorite song in general?). So cool! This definitely would not have been out of place in the top 10, but I honestly have no clue what I would have kicked out to make room for it...

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
Ocean Front Property
Run
True
Write This Down

[bboat11]

Ugh, guys, we need a new page. Fill this one up with your predictions for the last song to miss the top 10!!!!!


Amarillo By Morning
Blue Clear Sky
Carried Away
Carrying Your Love With Me
Check Yes Or No
Give It Away
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
Ocean Front Property
Run
True
Write This Down

[LBTrocks]

I can't imagine "Give It Away" making top 10 over the other songs left

I say it's out next.

[Cody Wants Out...]

Hmm..."Give It Away"? "Ocean Front Property"? Maybe "Amarillo By Morning"? I have to get this right!

Can't really think of any that don't deserve to be in the top 10 tbh.

[LBTrocks]

Okay if you heathens cost "Amarillo By Morning" a top 10 spot, this rankdown can officially be declared a total farce

[fearlessarrow]

"Give It Away" sounds very convincing for some reason... I definitely underranked it here (and moreso in the CMAs rankdown because I did NOT like the song on the first few listens), so I'm sorry if it misses the top 10!

[castleoblivion26]

Can Check Yes or No miss please lol. Love all the remaining songs, including this one but that is easily my least favorite remaining.

Honestly though I could see Give It Away or Write This Down missing. Either way whatever misses deserves top 10

[fearlessarrow]

Imma get this to the next page