I don’t know about you, but I always a love an “honest” country song, and it’s hard to find a tune that’s more transparent than “You Know Me Better Than That” by George Strait.
The song was actually written by Tony Haselden and Anna Lisa Graham, and then was eventually recorded by Strait himself in 1990. “You Know Me Better Than That” was released the following year in 1991 as the second single from Chill of an Early Fall.
And I just want to take a second to point out how great of an album title that is. Everyone knows exactly what Strait is getting at by describing an early Fall temperature that is cool enough to cause a “chill.” It’s the perfect time of the year to wear shorts and a sweatshirt, and it also happens to be a perfect name for Strait’s eleventh studio album.
Before the entire project became available, Chill of an Early Fall‘s singles were performing quite well. The first single that was released, “If I Know Me,” also made it to the top spot on Billboard country chart, but we’re focusing on the best of the two singles in “You Know Me Better Than That.”
The up-tempo tune reached the number one spot on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and the Canadian RPM Country tracks charts, and was at those positions on this date 32 years ago. The lyrics of the song tells a story about an insecure man who just got dumped, and now has to worry about all of the things that she knows about him.
The narrator’s many flaws is a point of concern, especially when he considers that a new relationship would have to learn about all of his faults all over again. “You Know Me Better Than That’s” chorus sings:
“Oh but you know me better than that
You know the me that gets lazy and fat
How moody I can be, all my insecurities
You’ve seen me lose all my charm, you know I was raised on a farm
Oh, she tells her friends I’m perfect
And that I love her cat, but you know me better than that”
If you ever wanted to hear what George Strait would sound like if he was paranoid, this song from Chill of an Early Fall is as close as you’ll probably get.
Take a listen:
