I Believe

Album: Love Is Everything (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was inspired by December 2012's school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 20 children and six adult staff members dead. Co-written by Strait with his son Bubba and their frequent collaborator Dean Dillon, it puts the singer's faith on display as never before. "Like everybody, I was watching it on TV, the tragedy that happened in Newtown, and I'm just shaking my head," said Strait. "It's so sad, and I was thinking, 'I know what these parents are going through.' It's just the worst thing that can happen to you in your life to lose a child. There's nothing worse than that." (Strait lost his 13-year-old daughter, Jenifer, in a car accident in 1986).

    As the trio wrote the song, Strait was concerned about upsetting the Sandy Hook victims' families. "I don't know these people, and I'm concerned about offending them," he said. "I don't want to cause them any more misery than what they're already going through."

    Strait took the song to the studio, undecided whether to cut it or not., "I was thinking I just don't know if it's the right thing to do or not," he said. His wife, Norma, eventually persuaded George to lay it down and, "it turned out beautiful."
  • George Strait recalled how he was moved to write this song after watching news coverage of the mass murder. "Having been through something like that before myself, I just knew I kinda wanted to say a little something," he said. "And so I called Bubba – I wrote a few things down, and I called Bubba, and I started talking to him. He said, 'Dad, I was actually thinking the same thing.'"

    "Bubba actually came up with the title," he continued. "I wrote a bunch of stuff down that night and he did too, and I said, 'Look, I'm gonna send this to Dean, 'cause this song really needs one of those good ole Dean Dillon melodies and some finishing touches that I knew Dean could make it what it came out to be. I sent it out to Dean, and when Bubba went to write with him, they started tinkering with it and Dean came up with that melody and they changed a few things too and made it a stronger song."
  • Despite being critically praised and adored by fans, the song only peaked at #50 on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, making it the first single of Strait's career to miss the Top 40.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.