1984 | Peak: #1
It started out as a foxtrot jazz ballad written in 1921. It become a Western Swing standard thanks to Bob Wills, and then in 1984 George Strait made it into a chart-topping country hit.
George Strait’s version retains a good helping of the Bob Wills-esque Western Swing influence, giving it a light bouncy beat and a laid-back arrangement with fiddle and steel aplenty, and an interesting mid-point instrumental break. The melody is a fine fit for Strait’s vocal style. He keeps up with the quick tempo, but without compromising the melancholy mood of the lyric. The lyric of “Right Or Wrong” taps into the vein of songs that put into words what the narrator thinks and feels, but knows better than to say, which has often been the making of a great country song.
George Strait’s version doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it’s a competent and enjoyable take that will no doubt set your toe tapping.
Written by Haven Gillespie, Arthur Sizemore, Paul Biese
Grade: A-
Listen: Right Or Wrong
Strait’s version of this song was the first I ever heard. It’s always been one of my favorite songs of his.