Pure Country
Soundtrack album by
George Strait
ReleasedSeptember 15, 1992
RecordedApril 1992
StudioTracks 1-10 at Sound Stage Studios and Emerald Studios (Nashville, TN)
Track 11 at Warner Bros. Recording Studios (Burbank, CA); Masterfonics and Sixteenth Avenue Sound (Nashville, TN)
Ocean Way Recording and Conway Studios (Hollywood, CA).
GenreNeotraditional country[1]
Length31:02
LabelMCA
ProducerTony Brown
George Strait
  • "Heartland (The Title Sequence)" produced by Steve Dorff
George Strait chronology
Holding My Own
(1992) 		Pure Country
(1992) 		Easy Come Easy Go
(1993)
Singles from Pure Country
  1. "I Cross My Heart"
    Released: September 28, 1992
  2. "Heartland"
    Released: January 4, 1993
  3. "When Did You Stop Loving Me"
    Released: April 19, 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Entertainment WeeklyC− [2]
Q [3]

Pure Country is the soundtrack album to the 1992 film of the same name by American country music singer George Strait. The film stars Strait as fictional country singer Dusty Chandler, and the album consists mostly of songs sung by Dusty in the film. The Pure Country soundtrack is Strait's first soundtrack album. It was released in 1992 by MCA Records.

Although the film was a mild success, garnering box office receipts of over $15 million against a $10 million budget, the film's soundtrack album is Strait's most commercially successful album, having sold over six million copies.

Content

This was the first album of Strait's career to feature Tony Brown, who produced all of Strait's subsequent albums, until Cold Beer Conversation (2015). Strait and Brown produced the entire album except for the main title sequence version of "Heartland", which was produced by Steve Dorff.

Music videos were made for "I Cross My Heart" and "Heartland".[4] Both of these songs were Number One hits for Strait on the Billboard country charts, and "When Did You Stop Loving Me" (which was later recorded by George Jones on his 1998 album It Don't Get Any Better Than This) was a #6 hit. "Overnight Male", originally recorded by B.B. Watson on his 1991 debut album Light at the End of the Tunnel, also charted at #72 from unsolicited airplay. "Last in Love" was originally recorded by J.D. Souther on his 1979 album, You're Only Lonely. "The King of Broken Hearts" and "Where the Sidewalk Ends" were written or co-written and originally recorded by Jim Lauderdale on his album, Planet of Love. The former was later recorded by Mark Chesnutt on his 1995 album Wings, and by Lee Ann Womack on her 2008 album Call Me Crazy. The latter was also recorded by Jann Browne on her 1991 album, It Only Hurts When I Laugh.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartland"Steve Dorff, John Bettis2:16
2."Baby Your Baby"Phil Thomas, Hal Newman2:42
3."I Cross My Heart"Dorff, Eric Kaz3:30
4."When Did You Stop Loving Me"Donny Kees, Monty Holmes2:48
5."She Lays It All on the Line"Clay Blaker2:30
6."Overnight Male"Richard Fagan, Kim Williams, Ron Harbin2:36
7."Last in Love"J. D. Souther, Glenn Frey3:35
8."Thoughts of a Fool"Mel Tillis, Wayne P. Walker2:12
9."The King of Broken Hearts"Jim Lauderdale3:08
10."Where the Sidewalk Ends"Lauderdale, John Leventhal3:08
11."Heartland (Main Title Sequence)" (featuring Bubba Strait)Dorff, Bettis2:42

Personnel

Production

Chart positions

Singles

Year Single Peak positions
US Country CAN Country
1992 "I Cross My Heart" 1 1
1993 "Heartland" 1 1
"When Did You Stop Loving Me" 6 6

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Pure Country at AllMusic
  2. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ^ Album reviews at CD Universe
  4. ^ CMT.com: George Strait: Videos
  5. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  8. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  9. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  10. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  11. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "Canadian album certifications – George Strait – Pure Country". Music Canada. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  14. ^ "American album certifications – George Strait – Pure Country (soundtrack)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
Categories