Jamey Johnson came to Buddy Cannon’s office with an idea for a song, but Jamey Johnson was unsure what to do with it. Buddy Cannon and Bill Anderson sat down with Jamey Johnson around a small table, and the three writers began working through the story. They called the finished song “Give It Away.”
In September 2006, George Strait took “Give It Away” to No. 1 on Billboard’s country singles chart. It was George Strait’s 41st chart-topper, breaking Conway Twitty’s record of 40. A song about the painful end of a relationship had changed a piece of country music history.
The story inside the song
“Give It Away” follows a couple at the point of separation. The home still contains reminders of their life together, but the woman leaving no longer wants to argue over who gets them. The narrator is left with possessions that have become difficult to part with. George Strait delivers the story with a restraint that makes the final realization hit harder.
The song also has an unusual spoken section. Because Bill Anderson was known for a conversational style of singing, listeners might reasonably assume that the spoken passage was Bill Anderson’s idea. Bill Anderson later explained that Buddy Cannon suggested it.
Bill Anderson also remembered how uncertain the writing session seemed at first. Jamey Johnson had brought the idea, and the three writers worked out where it could go. At the time, nobody sitting around that table knew the song would become the one that carried George Strait past Conway Twitty.
One more No. 1
George Strait had already tied Conway Twitty’s mark earlier in 2006, when “She Let Herself Go” became George Strait’s 40th No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. For years, Conway Twitty’s total had stood as the benchmark. The next chart-topper would put George Strait ahead alone.
That next song was “Give It Away.” For Bill Anderson, the result carried a separate first: although Bill Anderson had written country hits across several decades, George Strait had never recorded one of Bill Anderson’s songs before.
On the morning the news reached Bill Anderson, a music publisher called to confirm that “Give It Away” was No. 1. Bill Anderson shared the moment with fans in a message dated September 18, 2006. Bill Anderson thanked Jamey Johnson and Buddy Cannon for their part in a song that had become a milestone for George Strait.
The writers had another reason to celebrate the following year. “Give It Away” won Song of the Year honors from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. The awards recognized the writing behind a record that had already found a large audience on country radio.
Why the record still matters
A 41st No. 1 is an extraordinary number, but the count alone does not explain why “Give It Away” has stayed with listeners. The song gives its characters a familiar problem: what happens to the things two people shared after the relationship that gave those things meaning has ended?
George Strait’s recording made that private story a public landmark. Jamey Johnson brought an unfinished idea to a writing session. Buddy Cannon and Bill Anderson helped turn it into a song. And when “Give It Away” reached the top of the chart, George Strait moved beyond a record Conway Twitty had held for roughly 20 years.