"Marina del Rey" is a song 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 September 1982 as the second single from his album ''

Strait from the Heart ''Strait from the Heart'' is the second studio album by American country music artist George Strait, released on June 3, 1982 by MCA Records. The album includes Strait's first No. 1 single, "Fool Hearted Memory", as well as follow-up singles "Mari ...

'', which went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA. It peaked at number 6 in the United States, and number 2 in Canada. The song is set in

Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The p ...

, and it is structured as a slow romantic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

. Longtime country songwriters Frank Dycus and

Dean Dillon Dean Dillon (born Larry Dean Flynn; March 26, 1955) is an American country musician and songwriter. Between 1982 and 1993, he recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the '' Billboard'' country charts. Since 1 ...

composed the tune.

Content

The song is about a love affair on the beach. A man and a woman get together and have a good time during a vacation. They create many memories and then go their separate ways – back to their normal lives.

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B grade, saying that the lyrics are "appropriately longing and sentimental for times gone by, but Strait hasn’t yet developed enough as a vocalist to pull off the mature performance required."

Chart positions

References

Songs about cities Songs about California 1982 singles 1982 songs George Strait songs Marina del Rey, California Songs written by Dean Dillon Songs written by Frank Dycus MCA Records singles {{1982-country-song-stub