"Give It Away" 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, written by

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single " The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album '' The Dollar''. He was dropped fro ...

, Bill Anderson and

Buddy Cannon Buddy Cannon (born April 20, 1947 Lexington, Tennessee) is an American country music songwriter and record producer. Active since the late 1970s, he is known primarily for his work with Willie Nelson and as Kenny Chesney's record producer, for w ...

. 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.

Synopsis

The song, inspired by Johnson's divorce at the time and including a recitation that was out of style in the late 2000s, 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 ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' both ranked the song number seven on their lists of the 10 greatest George Strait songs. Deborah Evans Price of ''Billboard'' reviewed the song favorably, calling it "a leavin' song that would've worked in any decade." At the

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...

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 Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

the same year.
/ref> "Give It Away" received a nomination for

Best Male Country Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance was awarded between 1965 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: *From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Male *In 1968 it was a ...

at the

2008 Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...

Chart positions

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

2006 singles 2006 songs George Strait songs Songs written by Bill Anderson (singer) Songs written by Jamey Johnson Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer) Songs written by Buddy Cannon MCA Nashville Records singles {{2000s-country-song-stub