I Can Still Make Cheyenne

Last updated
"I Can Still Make Cheyenne"
Single by George Strait
from the album Blue Clear Sky
B-side "Need I Say More"
ReleasedAugust 26, 1996
RecordedSeptember 28, 1995 [1]
Genre Western [2] [3]
Length4:15
Label MCA Nashville 55248
Songwriter(s) Aaron Barker, Erv Woolsey
Producer(s) Tony Brown, George Strait
George Strait singles chronology
"Carried Away"
(1996)
"I Can Still Make Cheyenne"
(1996)
"King of the Mountain"
(1996)

"I Can Still Make Cheyenne" is a song written by Aaron Barker and Erv Woolsey, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in August 1996 as the third single from Strait's album Blue Clear Sky . The song also appears on 50 Number Ones . A live version can be heard on his album, For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome , which came out in 2003. A DVD, with the same name, also features the song.

Contents

Content

The song is about the life of a rodeo cowboy. The song begins with the verse, "Her telephone rang 'bout a quarter to nine. She heard his voice on the other end of the line. She wondered what was wrong this time. She never knew what his calls might bring, with a cowboy like him it could be anything, and she always expected the worst in the back of her mind." A phone call from a cowboy on the road to his lover. The cowboy regrets his long absence and lack of writing or calling but assures her that he is coming home. However, her tone alerts him that something is wrong. The chorus reveals that the woman has decided to leave him for someone she says "sure ain’t no rodeo man". The cowboy replies that as much as this pains him, he will go on to Cheyenne, referring to the most prestigious rodeo around. He was going to give up Cheyenne to be with her, one of the biggest sacrifices a cowboy could make until she said she was leaving him for another. The song describes the cowboy ending the call and leaving the phone off the hook and slowly turning around and taking one last look. He then gets in his truck and "aims it toward that Wyoming line." The lyrics leave the listener to decide if the Cowboy was neglectful of his love, or if she gave up on him for another, who was not a rodeo man. The last verse of the song repeats the first. The soulful fiddle solo at the end of the song is one of the signatures of the song.

Chart positions

"I Can Still Make Cheyenne" debuted at number 74 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of August 24, 1996.

Chart (1996)Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [4] 2
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [5] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)Position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [6] 61

Certifications

Certifications for I Can Still Make Cheyenne
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [7] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Strait</span> American country music singer (born 1952)

George Harvey Strait Sr. is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is credited for pioneering the neotraditional country style in the 1980s, famed for his authentic cowboy image and roots-oriented sound at a time when the Nashville music industry was dominated by country pop crossover acts. Given his influence on the genre, Strait has been named the "King of Country Music" by writers and music critics. Strait currently holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist, in any genre of music."

"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" is a rock song written and first recorded by American musician Warren Zevon in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katrina Elam</span> American singer-songwriter

Katrina Ruth Elam is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal South Records in 2004, she released her self-titled debut album that year, charting in the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks with the No. 29 "No End in Sight" and the No. 59 "I Want a Cowboy". A third single, "Love Is", peaked at No. 47 from an unreleased second album Turn Me Up. Elam left the label in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only Wanna Be with You</span> 1995 single by Hootie & the Blowfish

"Only Wanna Be with You" is a song by American alternative rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. After being included on the group's EP Kootchypop (1993), it was released in July 1995 as the third single from their breakthrough album, Cracked Rear View (1994). It peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Top 40/Mainstream chart, number three on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number two on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Best Day (George Strait song)</span> 2000 single by George Strait

"The Best Day" is a song written by Dean Dillon and Carson Chamberlain, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in January 2000 as the first single from his compilation album Latest Greatest Straitest Hits. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrying Your Love with Me (song)</span> 1997 single by George Strait

"Carrying Your Love with Me" is a song written by Steve Bogard and Jeff Stevens, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in May 1997 as the second single and title track from his album of the same name. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The track was also voted by website Country Universe as number 200 of the top 400 greatest songs of the 1990s. "Carrying Your Love with Me" was nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards.

"Amarillo by Morning" is a country music song written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser, and recorded in a country pop style by Stafford as a single in 1973 to minor success. The song would be popularized in a fiddle-based Western rendition by Texas neotraditionalist George Strait in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartland (George Strait song)</span> 1993 single by George Strait

"Heartland" is a song written by Steve Dorff and John Bettis, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in January 1993 as the second single from his soundtrack album Pure Country. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Check Yes or No</span> 1995 single by George Strait

"Check Yes or No" is a song written by Danny Wells and Dana Hunt Black, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in September 1995 as the lead single from his box set Strait Out of the Box. It peaked at number-one on both the U.S. Billboard country chart and the Canadian RPM country chart. It was also included as a bonus track on the UK released version of the Blue Clear Sky album in 1996.

"You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody" is a song written by Johnny MacRae and Steve Clark, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in December 1994 as the second single from his album Lead On.

"She Is His Only Need" is a song written by Dave Loggins, and recorded by American country music artist Wynonna. It was Wynonna's first solo single, after spending nine years alongside her mother, Naomi Judd, as The Judds. It was released in January 1992 as the first single from Wynonna's self-titled debut album. The song was her first Number One hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.

"Carried Away" is a song written by Steve Bogard and Jeff Stevens and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in June 1996 as the second single from Strait's 1996 album Blue Clear Sky. In August of that year, it became Strait's 30th number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart. The song was one of two George Strait songs to be nominated for Single of the Year at the 1997 Country Music Association awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beaches of Cheyenne</span> 1995 single by Garth Brooks

"The Beaches of Cheyenne" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released in December 1995 as the third single from his sixth studio album Fresh Horses. The song became Brooks's 15th Billboard Number One hit in March 1996. The song was written by Brooks, Dan Roberts and Bryan Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Clear Sky (song)</span> 1996 single by George Strait

"Blue Clear Sky" is a song written by Bob DiPiero, John Jarrard and Mark D. Sanders, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in March 1996 as the first single and title track from Strait's album of the same name. "Blue Clear Sky" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at Emerald Studios. The song reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adalida</span> 1995 single by George Strait

"Adalida" is a song recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in March 1995 as the third single from his album Lead On. It peaked at number 3 in the United States, and number 2 in Canada. It was written by Mike Geiger, Woody Mullis and Michael Huffman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go On (George Strait song)</span> 2000 single by George Strait

"Go On" is a song written by Mark Nesler and Tony Martin, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in July 2000 as the lead-off single from his self-titled album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cowboy Rides Away Tour</span> 2013–14 concert tour by George Strait

The Cowboy Rides Away Tour was a concert tour by American country music artist George Strait. The tour was divided into two legs: 21 concerts in 2013 and 27 concerts in 2014, for a total of 48 concerts, all in the United States. The tour started on January 18, 2013 in Lubbock, Texas, and ended in Arlington, Texas, on June 7, 2014. Strait was supported on the tour by his longtime eleven-member touring group, the Ace in the Hole Band. Appearing in arenas with six stadium dates included, Strait performed many of his most popular recordings and performance songs, including uptempo hits such as "Here for a Good Time", "Ocean Front Property", "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls", and "Troubadour", and softer ballads such as "I Saw God Today", "The Chair", and "I Can Still Make Cheyenne". His encores included "All My Ex's Live in Texas" and "Folsom Prison Blues", and he closed each show with one of his earliest hit songs, "The Cowboy Rides Away". This song that inspired the name for the tour was written by Sonny Throckmorton and Casey Kelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Got a Car</span> 2013 single by George Strait

"I Got a Car" is a song recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was written by Tom Douglas and Keith Gattis. It was released November 4, 2013, as the third single from his album Love Is Everything.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parker McCollum</span> American musician

Parker Yancey McCollum is an American Americana and country singer-songwriter based in Texas. The owner of PYM Music, he released his first single and EP in 2013; his debut album The Limestone Kid was released on February 24, 2015. The Austin Chronicle gave the release 3.5/5 stars, writing that "it's too early to declare The Limestone Kid debut of the year, but it's already one to beat", and comparing McCollum's music to Charlie Robison's. McCollum and his backing band announced a 2015 tour of Texas in support of the album, performing at events such as RedGorilla Music Fest. McCollum released the EP Probably Wrong: Session One on July 7, 2017, and followed it with Probably Wrong: Session Two on September 8, 2017. The full Probably Wrong album was released on November 10, 2017. His major-label debut album Gold Chain Cowboy was released July 30, 2021.

"Bucked Off" is a song recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on November 12, 2018 by Arista Nashville. Paisley co-wrote the song with Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois, and co-produced it with Dann Huff.

References

  1. Latest Greatest Sraitest Hits (CD). George Strait. MCA Nashville. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. Weiner, Natalie (May 18, 2022). "Best George Strait Songs: 20 Country Anthems". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  3. Parton, Chris (18 May 2020). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best George Strait Songs". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  4. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9845." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. November 18, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  5. "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM . December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  7. "American single certifications – George Strait – I Can Still Make Cheyenne". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 11, 2022.