On This Day in 1982, George Strait Released the Song that Put Him at the Top of the Charts and in the Movies for the First Time

On this day (May 27) in 1982, George Strait released “Fool Hearted Memory.” The song went on to be the first of many No. 1 singles for Strait. More than that, it introduced a more confident and mature performer to the world of country music, cementing his place as one of the best the genre had to offer.

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Written by Byron Hill and Blake Mevis, Strait released “Fool Hearted Memory” as the lead single from his sophomore album, Strait from the Heart. The track debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated June 19. A little more than two months later, on September 28, it peaked at No. 1 and stayed there for a week. It also opened the door for a string of hits that spanned a decade, ending in 1992 when “Lovesick Blues” peaked at No. 24.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1981, George Strait Released His First Major Hit—a Song Originally Intended for Johnny Paycheck]

The strength of “Fool Hearted Memory” and the other singles from Strait from the Heart helped bolster sales of the album. His 1981 debut, Strait Country, peaked at No. 26 on the country album chart. Strait from the Heart peaked at No. 18 and was the last album to miss the top ten.

So far, Strait has released 31 studio albums. 29 of those were top 10 hits on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Twenty-three of those albums went to No. 1.

“Fool Hearted Memory” Put George Strait in the Movies

“Fool Hearted Memory” was more than just George Strait’s first No. 1 single. It also led to his first appearance in a movie. He performed the song in the 1982 action thriller The Soldier. The scene shows Strait singing the song with a band in a honky tonk when a good old-fashioned bar fight breaks out. The barroom devolves into chaos, but Strait and the band take it all in stride.

According to Songfacts, Byron Hill and Blake Mevis wrote the song for the 1980 vigilante action film, The Exterminator. However, the studio chose not to use the song at the time. “The same company came to my publisher and wanted a song for The Soldier. But there was more to it. The studio wanted a major label artist to record the song and perform it in the movie,” Hill recalled. “They would only commit to the song if it was released as a single,” he added.

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