CMT named it the #12 country song of all time, and it has been certified 3x Platinum .
Unlike the pop-heavy "Urban Cowboy" sound of the late '70s, Strait’s version features a fiddle-driven arrangement that helped bring traditional Texas sounds back to the mainstream.
The song was written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser after they attended a rodeo in Amarillo, Texas. Stafford originally recorded it in 1973 to minor success before Strait’s definitive cover.
Critics, such as Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe , note that the song's "simple arrangement and understated delivery" became the hallmark of Strait’s long career.
