I Can Still Make Cheyenne

"I Can Still Make Cheyenne" is a song written by Aaron Barker and Erv Woolsey, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in August 1996 as the third single from Strait's album Blue Clear Sky. The song also appears on 50 Number Ones. A live version can be heard on his album, For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome, which came out in 2003. A DVD, with the same name, also features the song.

"I Can Still Make Cheyenne"
Single by George Strait
from the album Blue Clear Sky
B-side"Need I Say More"
ReleasedAugust 26, 1996
RecordedSeptember 28, 1995[1]
GenreWestern[2][3]
Length4:15
LabelMCA Nashville 55248
Songwriter(s)Aaron Barker, Erv Woolsey
Producer(s)Tony Brown, George Strait
George Strait singles chronology
"Carried Away"
(1996)
"I Can Still Make Cheyenne"
(1996)
"King of the Mountain"
(1996)

Content

edit

The song is about the life of a rodeo cowboy. The song begins with the verse, "Her telephone rang 'bout a quarter to nine. She heard his voice on the other end of the line. She wondered what was wrong this time. She never knew what his calls might bring, with a cowboy like him it could be anything, and she always expected the worst in the back of her mind." A phone call from a cowboy on the road to his lover. The cowboy regrets his long absence and lack of writing or calling but assures her that he is coming home. However, her tone alerts him that something is wrong. The chorus reveals that the woman has decided to leave him for someone she says "sure ain’t no rodeo man". The cowboy replies that as much as this pains him, he will go on to Cheyenne, referring to the most prestigious rodeo around. He was going to give up Cheyenne to be with her, one of the biggest sacrifices a cowboy could make until she said she was leaving him for another. The song describes the cowboy ending the call and leaving the phone off the hook and slowly turning around and taking one last look. He then gets in his truck and "aims it toward that Wyoming line." The lyrics leave the listener to decide if the Cowboy was neglectful of his love, or if she gave up on him for another, who was not a rodeo man. The last verse of the song repeats the first. The soulful fiddle solo at the end of the song is one of the signatures of the song.

Chart positions

edit

"I Can Still Make Cheyenne" debuted at number 74 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of August 24, 1996.

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4] 2
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 4

Year-end charts

edit
Chart (1996) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[6] 61

Certifications

edit
Certifications for I Can Still Make Cheyenne
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ Latest Greatest Sraitest Hits (CD). George Strait. MCA Nashville. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Weiner, Natalie (May 18, 2022). "Best George Strait Songs: 20 Country Anthems". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  3. ^ Parton, Chris (18 May 2020). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best George Strait Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9845." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. November 18, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  5. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM. December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  7. ^ "American single certifications – George Strait – I Can Still Make Cheyenne". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 11, 2022.