On This Day in 1995, Garth Brooks Released the Heartbreaking No. 1 Hit “Beaches of Cheyenne”

On this day (December 11) in 1995, Garth Brooks released “Beaches of Cheyenne” as the third single from Fresh Horses. The heart-wrenching story song went on to be a No. 1 hit for Brooks. Nearly 30 years later, the song remains a favorite among his fans.

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Brooks co-wrote “Beaches of Cheyenne” with Bryan Kennedy and Dan Roberts. It went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, giving the Oklahoma native his 15th chart-topping single.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1989, Garth Brooks Released His First No. 1 Single “If Tomorrow Never Comes”]

“Beaches of Cheyenne” is an iconic story song about a woman who loses her husband. After learning that he died while riding a bull, the grief-stricken widow took her own life on the beach. In the song’s final verse, it becomes a ghost story about the lonely spirit wandering the beaches looking for her lost love. However, that wasn’t the original plan for the song.

The Story Behind Garth Brooks’ Heartbreaking Hit Song

“It was supposed to be real funny. Kind of like cowboys on the beach,” Garth Brooks said during a 1995 TV special. “Then, it went to a guy on the beach that would come home from a suit and tie job. He never had any cowboy talents but he always wanted to be one. So he just comes home, slips off his shoes, and goes out and walks on the beach and dreams of Wyoming,” he recalled. “Then out of just a fluke, one time passing through, it came with ‘every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne.’ We looked at each other and said, ‘This ain’t gonna be funny, boys.’”

Dan Roberts gave more details in a 2014 interview with The Boot. “What we had was about a guy who was living in California, a businessman working a regular job who always wished he could rodeo. So he walks the beaches at night and thinks about Cheyenne,” he recalled. “Garth had the guitar, he was writing the melody and singing, ‘Every night he walks the beaches of Cheyenne,’ and then Garth sings, ‘Every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne’ by mistake. We were all, ‘Yeah it’s about a woman,’” he added. “So when he sang that, we started getting focused in that it’s about a woman, and the story materialized out of that.”

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