There are some songs that are so simplistic in nature, it’s hard to believe it took as long as it did for them to be written. That’s the general consensus around George Strait‘s 1999 chart-topper “Write This Down.” The song, simple, sweet, and to the point, spent four weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and remains beloved by country fans to this day.
The magic of ’90s songwriting is undeniable, and the way writers Dana Hunt Black and Kent Robbins crafted the song is nothing short of impressive. The simple tune tells the tale of a man who wants the woman he loves to always know how he feels, even when he isn’t actively saying it aloud. He encourages her to “take a little note” to remind her of his enduring affection—which, at its core, is deeply romantic. But the songwriting story behind the lyrics is just as enchanting.
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How “Write This Down” Became a No. 1 Hit
Black and Robbins, who tragically died in 1997 before the song’s release, routinely wrote music together each week. According to an interview Black did with The Tennessean, the two were “best friends.” Black had already created a No. 1 hit with “Check Yes or No”—another Strait classic—before she began writing with Robbins, yet she still maintains she learned the most working alongside him.
As for making the legendary tune, Black told the outlet it was an experience she’d “never forget.”
“I walked in the door one night, and there was a message on my voicemail, and I listened to it, and it was Kent,” she recalled. “Kent and I were gonna write the next day, and Kent goes, ‘I’ve got a great idea, write this down—’ and then all of a sudden you hear ‘click.’ And I’m thinking, ‘What? Wait, he didn’t tell me the idea.'”
She grabbed a pen and paper, thinking maybe she had just missed part of the message, but sure enough, it was cut off. She didn’t call him back that night, but met up with him the following day. Sure enough, Robbins asked her if she liked his idea.
“I said, ‘I didn’t get the idea, Kent,’ and he goes, ‘Write this down—that’s the idea,'” she added.
Black revealed he had most of the concept mapped out, but the two sat down together to write the finalized lyrics. The first verse came easily, but the second was proving tougher. It wasn’t until the pair were at lunch, and Robbins got a call from his wife about a note on the refrigerator door he had missed, that Black was struck with inspiration. They fashioned the second verse around it, and the rest is history.
On the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Strait boasts a record 44 No. 1 hit singles.
“I’ve always said I’m a melody guy,” Strait once explained to Cowboys & Indians of his ability to claim a chart-topper. “A great melody can sell a song the best. A great lyric with a lousy melody, maybe not so much, but a great lyric along with a great melody is obviously what you’re looking to create.”
There’s no doubt that “Write This Down” is a prime example of melody and lyrics coming together to create country magic.
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