Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man

Album: You and You Alone (1998)
Charted: 42
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A #2 Country hit for Randy Travis, this song was first recorded by Mark Collie in 1995. It was written by Glen Burtnik and Trey Bruce. Burtnik, who was a member of Styx, writes mostly in the pop and rock genres, but Bruce is a Nashville writer who has also written songs for Trace Adkins and Faith Hill. The songwriters teamed up for a writing session where they hashed out this song about a guy who must make some hard decisions when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant.

    In our 2011 interview with Glen Burtnik, he explained: "I'd been dragging the initial idea around for a couple of years and finally wrote the tune with Trey Bruce. My publisher, Warner Chappell music didn't care for it. Trey got it to Mark Collie, who released it (on Giant Records), the producer of which liked it and a couple of years later recorded Randy Travis's version. My biggest country hit. I'm proud of that one. Publishers are apparently useless." (See our entire Glen Burtnik interview.)

Comments: 1

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1998 {January 24th} Randy Travis' "Spirit of A Boy, Wisdom of A Man"* paked at #2 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Stand Beside Me" by Jo Dee Messina ...
    And it reached #7 on the Canadian RPM Country Singles chart...
    The rest of Billboard's Country Singles' Top 10 on January 24th, 1998:
    At #3. "For A Little While" by Tim McGraw
    #4. "Right On The Money" by Alan Jackson
    #5. "Wrong Again" by Martina McBride
    #6. "There You Have It" by Blackhawk
    #7. "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Mark Chessnutt
    #8. "Uubelievable" by Diamond Rio
    #9. "Wrong Night" by Reba McEntire
    #10. "Hold On To Me" by John Michael Montgomery
    Randy Travis, born Randy Bruce Traywick, will celebrate his 61st birthday in four months on May 4th, 2020...
    * "Spirit of A Boy, Wisdom of Man" was Randy Travis' sixth of seven records to peak at #2 on the Hot Country Singles chart, the seventh was a duet with Carrie Underwood, "I Told You So" in 2009...
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.