Troubadour (song)

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"Troubadour"
Single by George Strait
from the album Troubadour
ReleasedJune 2, 2008
GenreNeotraditional country[1]
Length2:56
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Leslie Satcher
Monty Holmes
Producer(s)Tony Brown
George Strait
George Strait singles chronology
"I Saw God Today"
(2008)
"Troubadour"
(2008)
"River of Love"
(2008)
Music video
"Troubadour" at CMT.com

"Troubadour" is a song written by Leslie Satcher and Monty Holmes, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in June 2008 as the second single and title track from his album Troubadour. The song was the 86th chart single of his career. It has become his 79th Top Ten single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. "Troubadour" was nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Vince Gill sings background vocals on the single.

Content[edit]

The song is a ballad in which the narrator reflects on his life as a troubadour, feeling that he is content with what he has accomplished ("I was a young troubadour when I rode in on a song / I'll be an old troubadour when I'm gone").[2]

Commercial performance[edit]

The song reached No. 7 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay for the chart dated September 27, 2008.[3][4] The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 15, 2022,[5] and has sold 949,000 copies in the United States as of November 2016.[6]

Music video[edit]

In August 2008, Strait released a music video for the song. Directed by Trey Fanjoy, and edited by Scott Mele, the song's video alternates between footage of him singing, and shots of archived photos from various points in his career. This is his first music video since 2006's "The Seashores of Old Mexico", which Fanjoy also directed.

Chart history[edit]

Chart (2008) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 54
Canada Country (Billboard)[9] 3
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 74

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (2008) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[11] 34

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Troubadour
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Weiner, Natalie (May 18, 2022). "Best George Strait Songs: 20 Country Anthems". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  2. ^ Vercher, Brady (2008-06-03). "George Strait - "Troubadour"". Engine 145. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  3. ^ "Hot Country Songs". Billboard. September 27, 2008.
  4. ^ "Hot Country Songs". Billboard. September 27, 2008.
  5. ^ a b "American single certifications – George Strait – Troubadour". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 8, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Sales Report: November 8, 2016". Roughstock.
  7. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  8. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Best of 2008: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2008.