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"Give It Away"
Single by George Strait
from the album It Just Comes Natural
ReleasedJuly 8, 2006
Genre Country
Length3:30
Label MCA Nashville
Songwriter(s) Bill Anderson
Buddy Cannon
Jamey Johnson
Producer(s)George Strait
Tony Brown
George Strait singles chronology
" The Seashores of Old Mexico"
(2006)
"Give It Away"
(2006)
" It Just Comes Natural"
(2006)

"Give It Away" is a song recorded by American country music artist George Strait, written by Jamey Johnson, Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon. It was released in July 2006 as the lead single from the album It Just Comes Natural.

The song became Strait's 41st No. 1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, setting a new record for most No. 1 singles on that chart. Previously, Conway Twitty held that record with 40 number-one singles. [1]

Content

The song, inspired by Johnson's divorce at the time and including a recitation that was out of style in the late 2000s, [2] is sung from the point of view of a man whose wife is leaving him. As she departs, he asks why she is not taking any of their possessions, and what he should do with them. She replies to him to each item to "give it away," because nothing in the house is worth the argument, since the two have worn themselves out arguing in the lead-up to the divorce. In the end, the man is left with all of his possessions, but a lonesome, broken heart—and he "can't even give it away."

Critical reception

"Give It Away" is widely regarded as one of Strait's best songs. Billboard and American Songwriter both ranked the song number seven on their lists of the 10 greatest George Strait songs. [3] [4]

Deborah Evans Price of Billboard reviewed the song favorably, calling it "a leavin' song that would've worked in any decade." [5]

At the Academy of Country Music awards in 2007, "Give It Away" won both the Single of the Year and Song of the Year awards; the song also won Song of the Year honors at the Country Music Association Awards the same year. [6] [7] "Give It Away" received a nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

Chart positions

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Canada Country ( Billboard) [8] 1
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard) [9] 1
US Billboard Hot 100 [10] 35
US Billboard Pop 100 47

Year-end charts

Chart (2006) Position
US Country Songs ( Billboard) [11] 14

Certifications

Certifications for Give It Away
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States ( RIAA) [12] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Chart Beat". Billboard. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  2. ^ Anderson, Bill; Cooper, Peter (2016). Whisperin' Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press. ISBN  9780820349657.
  3. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (June 27, 2017). "George Strait's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  4. ^ Walthall, Catherine (December 28, 2021). "The Top 10 George Strait Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Billboard, October 7, 2006
  6. ^ "Top News, Latest headlines, Latest News, World News & U.S News - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved 8 June 2017.[ permanent dead link]
  7. ^ [1][ dead link]
  8. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Best of 2006: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  12. ^ "American single certifications – George Strait – Give It Away". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 2, 2023.