Every Little Honky Tonk Bar

Album: Honky Tonk Time Machine (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • George Strait co-wrote this blue-collar good-time tune with his son Bubba and frequent collaborator Dean Dillon. They had been ready to pack in their writing session when Bubba suddenly came up with a suggestion for a song that the other two knew they couldn't pass up.

    "We were down at my ranch in south Texas writing and it was kind of towards the end of the night and we were pretty much done," recalled Strait. "I was tired and ready to go to bed, but we were going, 'Does anybody have anything else?' Bubba goes, 'Whiskey is the gasoline that lights the fire that burns the bridge.' And Dean and I go, 'What? Where did that come from?' [laughs] So, anyway, that's how it started and we finished it that night."
  • The King of Country first unveiled the track to his fans during his December 8, 2018 show in Las Vegas, as part of his ongoing Strait to Vegas residency.
  • "Every Little Honky Tonk Bar" was George Strait's biggest hit in six years. The last time a Strait single reached the top 20 of the country chart was in 2013 when "Give It All We Got Tonight" made it to #7.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.