There's a Girl in Texas

Album: Dreamin' Out Loud (1996)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On his Live Country! DVD, recorded on August 1, 2014 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York, Adkins said this was his "new favorite old song." Telling the story behind it, he said: "In 1992 I moved to Nashville, Tennessee. I'd been living in Dallas, playing honky-tonks out there in Texas. Fast forward to 1994, and I'm trying to get a record deal with Capitol Records. The guy says, 'Is there a girl in Texas?' I said, 'Hell yeah there's a girl in Texas. There's a bunch of girls.' He said, 'Write me a song about it.'"

    With that in mind, Adkins came up with this song about leaving Texas - and in many ways his identity - behind. He knows that no matter what happens, there's a girl back in Texas who gets him.
  • Adkins' reality was a little different than what he sings about in this song. He moved to Nashville at the urging of his second wife, who wanted to put some distance between them and his first wife. Around the same time, he got a call from his former booking agent, who urged him to pursue his music career.
  • This was Adkins first single; it made a respectable showing on the Country chart, peaking at #20. He would go on to become one of the biggest names in the business, selling over 10 million albums.
  • Adkins wrote this song with Vip Vipperman, whose credits include "1982" by Randy Travis and "Sideways" by Darryl Worley.
  • The video did very well on CMT and helped launch Adkins' career. It was directed by Michael Merriman, who also did the clips for "Boot Scootin' Boogie" by Brooks & Dunn and "If I Lost You" by Travis Tritt.

Comments: 1

  • Vassilis from Athens Greece, EuropeAmazing song by an amazing artist, right awesome ;-)
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."