"Go On" is a song written by

Mark Nesler Mark Nesler (born January 5, 1961 in Beaumont, Texas) is an American country music artist. Signed to Elektra Records as a recording artist in 1998, Nesler charted three singles on the U.S. ''Billboard'' country charts. In addition, he has writte ...

and Tony Martin, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

. It was released in July 2000 as the lead-off single from his self-titled album.

Content

The narrator lends a sympathetic ear to a woman who caught her ex-lover cheating. The narrator keeps interrupting her and then apologizes and tells her to "go on". The song hints at the beginning of a new relationship with the narrator and the woman.

Critical reception

An uncredited article from the ''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issue o ...

'' said that "Go On" was "typical of Strait's style on many of his mid-tempo songs ��nd the lyrics give a clever but mature view about life going on in the wake of a broken heart." Greg Crawford, in an article from the ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'', said that Strait "push sthe rarely heard upper limits of his vocal range," and an uncredited ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'' review wrote that the song had a "breezy chorus

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

." Chuck Taylor in his review of the single for ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' said that the song has a "conversational quality that almost makes listeners feel as if they are eavesdropping on a private discussion and privy to the beginnings of a blossoming new romance." He also said that Strait delivers the lyric effortlessly and that the song has a "lilting, inviting melody that is perfectly suited for summertime airwaves."

Chart performance

"Go On" debuted at number 38 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of July 29, 2000. The song spent twenty-two weeks on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

) charts, peaking at number two and holding the position for three weeks. The song also reached number one on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Tracks charts dated for the week ending October 16, 2000, and held that position for one week. The song's b-side, "

Murder on Music Row "Murder on Music Row" is a 1999 song written by Larry Cordle and Larry Shell, and originally recorded by American bluegrass group Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, as the title track from their album ''Murder on Music Row''. It gained fame ...

", charted at number 38 on the country music charts within the same timespan.

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2000 singles 2000 songs George Strait songs Songs written by Tony Martin (songwriter) Songs written by Mark Nesler Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer) MCA Nashville Records singles