Dierks Bentley Covers George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart” For 2004 CMT Special
on Feb 23, 2017 • Updated Mar 05, 2021
One Of The Best Love Songs Ever
In 2004, CMT held a massive concert special to honor the 100 greatest love songs to ever grace country music. As you would expect, George Strait‘s “I Cross My Heart” was near the top of the list.
“I Cross My Heart” was released in 1992 as Strait’s first single off of the soundtrack for the film Pure Country. People quickly fell in love with the tune, and Strait took it to the top of the charts in both the U.S. and Canada.
Due to the success of “I Cross My Heart,” it was no surprise when the song appeared in the ninth spot on CMT’s 100 greatest love songs list. In fact, we’re more surprised that it wasn’t ranked higher!
A Modern Take On The Tune
The top 12 songs on CMT’s list were honored with a series of covers performed by modern country stars. Dierks Bentley had the honor of singing “I Cross My Heart,” but he wasn’t alone.
He was also joined by the Grammy-winning bluegrass group the Del McCoury Band.
Nobody has more fun than Del and Dawg.
Photos by: @Live_And_Listen pic.twitter.com/w8o6gXFePM
— Del McCoury Band (@delmccouryband) November 13, 2018
To put things in perspective here…Bentley was still a fresh face in country music when he performed his cover of “I Cross My Heart.”
He had just released his debut single “What Was I Thinkin'” the year prior. But he proved with that song that he was here to stay, because it hit number one on the charts.
Proving Himself Through Song
Bentley further proved himself with his performance of “I Cross My Heart.” He kept his cover true to Strait’s rendition, which earned a great deal of respect from the audience.
The connection that Bentley had with the crowd as he sang was something special. It takes a lot of talent for someone to be able to bond with a crowd like he did in that moment.
Everyone in the audience was in awe of what they witnessed from Bentley that day. They rewarded him and the Del McCoury Band with an endless round of warm cheers and applause, which was well-earned.
You can catch Bentley’s extraordinary cover of “I Cross My Heart” in the clip below. We’d love to hear him sing this with Strait at some point, wouldn’t you?
