George Strait Sings ‘Ocean Front Property,’ A Chart-Topping Song With A Twist
on Apr 01, 2016 • Updated Apr 03, 2023
A Little Introduction To A Clever Song
Of George Strait‘s many number one hits, “Ocean Front Property” is definitely one of the most clever. Written by Dean Dillion, Hank Cochran, and Royce Porter, Strait released the song in 1986 as the first single off his album of the same title.
After a four-month climb up the charts, “Ocean Front Property” hit number one on April 4, 1987. In addition to being a chart success in the States, the song also hit number one in Canada.
In the song, the narrator speaks to his lover, who is preparing to leave him. At first, it seems like the narrator won’t miss her, as he sings “I won’t ever take you back. Girl your mem’ry won’t ever haunt me. Cause I don’t love you.”
Here Comes The Twist…
But then, the narrator continues to say that if his love “buys” what he’s saying, then “I got some ocean front property in Arizona. From my front porch you can see the sea.”
Through these lyrics, it becomes clear that the narrator wasn’t telling the truth before. It would be just as impossible for him to stop loving her as it would for him to have ocean front property in the middle of Arizona.
Ben Foster of Country Universe praised Strait for his performance of the song, writing, “Strait’s vocal interpretation is just straightforward enough to keep the song’s left-of-center metaphor from coming across as campy, keeping the undertone of sadness fully intact.“
During the ACM Artist of the Decade All Star Concert in Strait’s honor in 2009, he took to the stage to perform “Ocean Front Property,” much to the delight of the crowd.
Even after all these years, the song remains as one of Strait’s memorable hits that people could listen to over and over again.
You can watch Strait’s performance below.
We would have to agree with Foster, we feel like Strait pulls off the clever twist in this song perfectly, like only the King of Country could!
