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"Blue Clear Sky"
Single by George Strait
from the album Blue Clear Sky
B-side	"I Ain't Never Seen No One Like You"
Released	March 25, 1996
Recorded	September 27, 1995
Genre	Country honky-tonk Western
Length	2:52 (album version) 2:34 (single edit)
Label	MCA 55187
Songwriter(s)	Bob DiPiero John Jarrard Mark D. Sanders
Producer(s)	Tony Brown George Strait
George Strait singles chronology
"I Know She Still Loves Me" (1995) "Blue Clear Sky" (1996) "Carried Away" (1996)

"Blue Clear Sky" is a song written by Bob DiPiero, John Jarrard and Mark D. Sanders, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in March 1996 as the first single and title track from Strait's album of the same name. "Blue Clear Sky" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at Emerald Studios. The song reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts.

Background

Strait told Billboard that he loved the song when he first heard it, but he was also concerned. "I thought that 'Blue Clear Sky' didn't sound right to me, it should have been 'Clear Blue Sky.' Tony and I talked about it, and we came so close to messing it up. We finally called Bob DiPiero , and he said he got the line from Forrest Gump. Bob DiPiero writes in the GAC (Great American Country) featured article, Bob DiPiero Reveals The Story Behind "Blue Clear Sky" about the idea of the song. Bob says, "I went to see the movie "Forrest Gump." About halfway through the movie, Forest has a dialogue where he is talking about his girlfriend, Jenny. The dialogue went something like this...

"Jenny was gone, then all of a sudden, out of the blue clear sky, she was back."

Well, of course it's backwards. The real term is "out of the clear blue sky," but it grabbed my attention. The next day I was in a songwriting session with John Jarrard and Mark D. Sanders. I told them about this backwards idea and we wrote "Blue Clear Sky" about how love seems unfindable and then out of the blue, you find it."

Cover versions

Country music singer Dierks Bentley covered the song from the television special George Strait: ACM Artist of the Decade All Star Concert.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying "that readily identifiable, likeable, warm Texas voice totally sells this sweet song about the joys of finding love." She discusses the "catchy, melodic introduction to the steel guitar weaving throughout this lively uptempo number." Her review was well received despite Erv Woolsey's (Erv Woolsey Talent Agency) statement, "He's becoming an event, and all he does is stand up there and sing", which may suggest that Strait could be seen as inactive up on stage.

Chart performance

"Blue Clear Sky" debuted at number 41 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 6, 1996.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

1. Latest Greatest Sraitest Hits (CD). George Strait. MCA Nashville. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. Weiner, Natalie (May 18, 2022). "Best George Strait Songs: 20 Country Anthems". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
3. "Top 20 Western Songs of the Last 20 Years". American Cowboy. July 7, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
4. "George Strait Album: "Blue Clear Sky"". Website. BestCountrySingers.com. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
5. Billboard, April 20, 1996
6. DiPiero, Bob. "Bob DiPiero Reveals The Story Behind "Blue Clear Sky"". GAC. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
7. Billboard, April 6, 1996
8. Billboard, April 20, 1996
9. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2994." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. June 10, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
10. "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
11. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM. December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
12. "Best of 1996: Country Songs". Billboard. 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
13. "American single certifications – George Strait – Blue Clear Sky". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 18, 2024.

• 1996 singles
• 1996 songs
• George Strait songs
• Songs written by Bob DiPiero
• Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer)
• Songs written by John Jarrard
• Songs written by Mark D. Sanders
• MCA Records singles