"True" is a song written by
Marv Green
Marv Green (born in California) is an American country music songwriter. He is known for co-writing Lonestar's 1999 single "Amazed", which reached number 1 on both the Hot Country Songs and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts. This song won him a Son ...
and
Jeff Stevens, 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 June 1998 as the second single from his album ''
One Step at a Time''. The song peaked at number 2 on the U.S. ''
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
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 ...
(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 and reached number-one on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart.
Critical reception
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...
, of ''
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 ...
'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that the production has an "open, airy feel that underscores the honest emotion in the lyric." He goes on to say that Strait's phrasing "adds appeal and turns a sweet, ordinary song into something special."
Chart performance
The song debuted at number 69 on the
Hot Country Singles & Tracks
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 ...
chart dated May 2, 1998, from unsolicited airplay, while "I Just Want to Dance With You" was still climbing that chart. A month later, it was released as a single, and re-entered the chart at number 64 on the week of June 13, 1998. It charted for a total of 25 weeks on that chart, and peaked at number two on the chart dated August 29, 1998.
"True" also went to number one on the American ''
Radio & Records
''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
'' country music charts.
Charts
Year-end charts
References
1998 singles
George Strait songs
Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer)
Songs written by Marv Green
Songs written by Jeff Stevens (singer)
MCA Nashville Records singles
1998 songs
{{1998-country-song-stub