On This Day in 1993, George Strait Released “Easy Come, Easy Go” the No. 1 Single That Changed Songwriter Dean Dillon’s Life

On this day (August 9) in 1993. George Strait released “Easy Come, Easy Go” as the lead single from the album of the same name. The song would reach the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and No. 71 on the all-genre Hot 100 survey. It was Strait’s 26th career No. 1.

Fans call Strait the King of Country Music for good reason. He is one of the most influential artists in country music. With a career that spans four decades, his neotraditional sound has inspired countless artists. At the same time, he has logged 60 No. 1 singles and more than two dozen No. 1 albums. Recently, Strait broke the record for ticketed concert attendance after more than 100,000 people packed into Kyle Field in College Station, Texas to see him perform.

[RELATED: Watch a Young George Strait Perform His First No. 1 Single “Fool Hearted Memory” on ‘Austin City Limits’]

George Strait Changed Dean Dillon’s Life with “Easy Come, Easy Go”

Country Music Hall of Famer Dean Dillon wrote or co-wrote several songs that George Strait turned into No. 1 singles including “Easy Come, Easy Go.” Dillon also had a pen on chart-topping classics like “The Chair,” “Nobody in His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her,” “Ocean Front Property,” and “Famous Last Words of a Fool” and others.

However, Dillon didn’t write “Easy Come, Easy Go” with Strait in mind. Instead, he planned to release it as the lead single from his album. Fate (and Strait) had different plans, though. The songsmith recalled how letting Strait record this song changed his life in a 2019 interview with Michael Eck at Bedell Guitars.

“I’d been on three or four labels—Capitol, RCA, Atlantic,” Dillon recalled of the early days of his career. “I was having a lot of success with George Strait, and it just came to the point where I was getting No. 1 records on him and then I’d put something out and it’d go to No. 30,” he added.

Then, Dillon recalled a session in which he was playing songs for Strait and producer Tony Brown. Unfortunately, they didn’t like anything they heard that day. Then, as Strait was walking out the door, he looked back and said, “Hey, I’ve heard about this one song you’ve got, ‘Easy Come, Easy Go.’”

“Well, that’s the first single off my new album,” Dillon told him. Brown interjected, saying, “I promise you a No. 1 record if you give us that song.”

“I thought about it for a bit and I made a decision to quit making records,” Dillon said. “As a matter of fact, I walked down the street to Atlantic and told them to stick a fork in me. I’m done,” he added.

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