I Cross My Heart

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

"I Cross My Heart"
Single by George Strait
from the album Pure Country
B-side"You're Right, I'm Wrong"
ReleasedSeptember 28, 1992
RecordedApril 16, 1992
GenreCountry
Length3:30
LabelMCA Nashville 54478
Songwriter(s)Steve Dorff, Eric Kaz
Producer(s)Tony Brown
George Strait[1]
George Strait singles chronology
"So Much Like My Dad"
(1992)
"I Cross My Heart"
(1992)
"Heartland"
(1993)

"I Cross My Heart" is a song written by Steve Dorff and Eric Kaz, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in September 1992 as the first single to his album Pure Country, which is also the soundtrack to the movie of the same title. It reached number-one in both the United States and Canada. The song is featured as the movie's finale.

Background

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"I Cross My Heart" was written by Steve Dorff and Eric Kaz in 1982. Doreff had recorded a demo-tape in a rhythm and blues-styling similar to vocal group Boyz II Men. Bette Midler originally recorded a piano-ballad version on the song in 1984 for inclusion in one of her films, but the song was removed from final production. George Strait recorded the song for the film Pure Country after hearing the song in a performance by Doreff, who pitched the song for the film's ending ballad.[2]

Music video

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The music video was directed by Charley Randazzo and consists entirely of scenes from the film. Strait's next music video "Heartland" also exclusively used scenes from Pure Country. These two videos were released consecutively, as were the singles.

Critical reception

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"I Cross My Heart" is widely regarded as one of Strait's best songs. Billboard and American Songwriter ranked the song number five and number four, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest George Strait songs.[3][4]

Chart positions

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"I Cross My Heart" debuted at number 58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 3, 1992 and peaked at number one on December 5, 1992. Since it became available for digital download, the song has sold 992,000 digital copies in the United States as of January 2015.[5]

Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[6] 1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 1

Year-end charts

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Chart (1993) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[8] 81

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Pure Country (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (CD booklet). George Strait. MCA Records Nashville. 1992. MCAD-10651.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Paulson, Dave (October 22, 2019). "Story Behind the Song: George Strait's 'I Cross My Heart'". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (June 27, 2017). "George Strait's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  4. ^ Walthall, Catherine (December 28, 2021). "The Top 10 George Strait Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Bjorke, Matt (January 19, 2016). "The Top 30 Digital Singles: January 19, 2016". Roughstock.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1867." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 19, 1992. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  7. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  8. ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1993". RPM. December 18, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  9. ^ "American single certifications – George Strait – I Cross My Heart". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 25, 2021.