The Breath You Take

Album: Twang (2009)
Charted: 63
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Songfacts®:

  • This is the fourth single from George Strait's 26th album, Twang. It was released on July 12, 2010 as the 91st single of his career.
  • The song was written by veteran songwriter Dean Dillon, his daughter Jessie Jo Dillon, and Casey Beathard. It tells of savoring the important moments in life, whether they be large or small. Dean and Jessie Jo Dillon told The Boot the story behind the song:

    Dean: It was my daughter's idea. She brought it to the table. I thought it was great. I called Casey, who's a good buddy of mine. We met at my office the next day and did what songwriters do.

    Jessie Jo: I had that title for a while. I brought it into the session when writing with Dad and Casey. I threw out the idea and they really jumped on it. We went from there. Casey is really into sports and stuff, so we got off on that in the first verse. It was a really fast write. We finished it in about an hour. It was really neat because we wrote it, and we were really excited about it.

    Dean: I thought it would be a great song for George to cut.

    Jessie Jo: George liked it so much, which was a huge honor to me. That was amazing! He put it on hold just from the work tape which artists hardly do anymore. Dad went down with George to the studio when he was recording it. I still remember the day they called and said he cut it ... I cried! It was one of the last songs he did for the album.
  • Not only was this a Top 10 Country hit, but it was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2011. Jessie Jo Dillon was beaming over the success of her debut songwriting venture, but her dad warned her not to be fooled by a lucky break, that it was tough to succeed in the music business.

    Although Jessie Jo did go on to co-write many hits, including Dan + Shay's "10,000 Hours," she confirmed her dad's advice was right on the money. In a 2021 Songfacts interview, she said having immediate success both helped and hindered her career. "I think it did both, helped and hindered," she explained. "Helped in the sense that I was able to get co-publishing straight out of the gate in my first publishing deal because I already was going to have a single coming out. It allowed me to get in writing rooms I'm sure I had no business being in at the time. It hindered in that... I would be lying if I said I didn't have many frustrating years following that song.

    There were a lot of singles that died, a lot of cuts that were never singles, and sometimes no cuts at all. I think that is part of this town though, so I guess it's not really a 'hinder' specific to me because everyone that comes through Nashville deals with it. Music Row makes you pay [laughs]. Either in the beginning, middle, or end. If you haven't cut your teeth and paid your dues, it will make you. Your number is gonna come up sometime. I just had to keep pushing myself to keep going when I wanted to quit."

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