Remember George Strait’s First No. 1 Single? [Listen]
It's the song that started it all for George Strait. Believe it or not, it actually took a few tries before the King nabbed his first No. 1 hit on the country charts. Fifty-nine others would follow during a more-than-30 year career that's still going. Do you remember which song hit the top of the charts first?
In the summer of 1982, "Fool Hearted Memory," the first release from the Strait From the Heart album, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. Released on May 27, 1982, the song peaked at No. 1 on Aug. 28. Before that, three others from the Strait Country album came close, including Strait's debut single, "Unwound."
Written by Byron Hill and Blake Mevis, the song tells the story of a man who just can't let go of a failed romance: "He's got a fool hearted memory / It won't let him see that she walked out the door / He's got a fool hearted memory / And he sits patiently here every night so it can fool him more."
The song also appeared on the soundtrack to the movie The Soldier, in which Strait had a part, and went on to win an ASCAP award as one of the most-played songs of 1982.
As of 2019, Strait has scored 60 No. 1 hits.
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