About The Song
“Fool Hearted Memory” is a classic country track written by Byron Hill and Blake Mevis, recorded by George Strait as the lead single from his second studio album, Strait from the Heart. The album was released in June 1982 by MCA Records. Produced by Blake Mevis, the song features prominent fiddle work and Strait’s early neotraditional style, running 2 minutes and 39 seconds.
Released as a single on May 27, 1982, “Fool Hearted Memory” marked a breakthrough for Strait. It debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and reached No. 1 on August 28, 1982, spending one week at the top. This became Strait’s first Billboard No. 1 country hit, the beginning of his record-setting streak that would eventually reach 60 chart-toppers across various country charts.
The song also appeared in the soundtrack of the 1982 action film The Soldier, directed by James Glickenhaus. Strait made a cameo appearance performing the track in a honky-tonk bar scene amid a chaotic bar fight, marking one of his earliest on-screen appearances.
Strait from the Heart built on the momentum from his 1981 debut album Strait Country, which included hits like “Unwound.” The new album featured additional standout tracks such as “Amarillo by Morning” (which became a signature song despite peaking at No. 4 as a single in 1983) and “Marina del Rey.” Recording took place in Nashville, with the Ace in the Hole Band providing instrumentation.
Critics at the time praised Strait’s restrained yet emotive delivery. One review highlighted how Strait captured the song’s sadness without timidity, complemented by the delightful country fiddle riff that dominates the arrangement. The track’s theme of lingering heartbreak resonated strongly, helping establish Strait as a leading voice in the neotraditional country movement of the 1980s.
By 1982, George Strait was emerging from regional Texas success to national prominence. “Fool Hearted Memory” solidified his arrival, setting the stage for decades of dominance in country music. The song has remained a live staple, including performances in later years such as during his 2017 Las Vegas residency shows at T-Mobile Arena.
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Lyric
Nickels and dimes, memories and wine
She’s on his mind once again
The same old stool, the same old fool
Played by the rules but didn’t win
There’s an old love in his heart that he can’t lose
He tried forgetting but he knows that it’s no useHe’s got a fool hearted memory
It won’t let him see that she walked out the door
He’s got a fool hearted memory
He sits patiently here every night so it can fool him moreShe was his girl, his only world
That string of pearls that slipped away
A thousand dimes, a thousand times
He doesn’t mind what they say
He fills the jukebox, then plays the same old song
He fills his glass, and then he turns her memory onBut it’s a fool hearted memory
It won’t let him see that she walked out the door
He’s got a fool hearted memory
He sits patiently here every night so it can fool him moreHe’s got a fool hearted memory
It won’t let him see that she walked out the door
He’s got a fool hearted memory
He sits patiently here every night so it can fool him more