By the time George Strait finished recording his 2013 album Love Is Everything, the musicians were preparing to put away their instruments. The recording sessions were nearly over, and another collection of songs from the King of Country Music was ready for release.
But Norma Strait believed something important was missing.
There was one song George Strait had helped write but had decided not to record. It was deeply personal, inspired by a tragedy that had touched families across America and brought back painful memories from George Strait’s own life.
George Strait had reasons for leaving it out. Norma Strait had a reason for wanting it included.
And because Norma Strait spoke up, a song that might never have reached the public became one of the most meaningful recordings on the album.
A Tragedy That Brought Back Painful Memories
On December 14, 2012, the country was devastated by news from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty children and six adult staff members lost their lives.
Like millions of Americans, George Strait watched the television coverage. But the heartbreaking news carried a particularly personal meaning.
In June 1986, George Strait and Norma Strait had lost their 13-year-old daughter, Jenifer Strait, in a car accident in Texas.
The family rarely discussed that loss publicly. George Strait had continued recording, touring, and building one of the greatest careers in country music, but the memory of Jenifer Strait remained part of the family’s life.
Watching the grieving families in Connecticut, George Strait understood something about the pain those parents were experiencing.
Rather than making a public statement immediately, George Strait began writing down thoughts about grief, faith, and the possibility of finding hope after an unimaginable loss.
A Father and Son Begin Writing the Same Song
One remarkable detail about the song’s creation involved George Strait’s son, George “Bubba” Strait Jr.
After watching the news, George Strait contacted Bubba Strait to discuss what had happened and the possibility of writing a song.
As George Strait later recalled, Bubba Strait had independently been thinking about the same subject.
Father and son began developing their thoughts, and Bubba Strait eventually worked with longtime George Strait collaborator Dean Dillon to complete the composition.
They called the song “I Believe.”
The title was simple, but the meaning was substantial. The song acknowledged grief without pretending that sadness could easily disappear. Its central message was about holding on to faith even when life offered questions that seemed impossible to answer.
The lyrics also contained a specific historical detail: the number 26.
That number represented the twenty children and six adults who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It was an unmistakable connection between the song and the families whose loss had inspired it.
Why George Strait Hesitated to Record “I Believe”
Despite helping write the song, George Strait was uncertain about recording it.
George Strait worried about how the families in Newtown might receive a song inspired by their tragedy. George Strait did not personally know those families and feared that a recording, however well-intentioned, might bring additional sorrow.
There was also the concern that listeners might misunderstand the purpose of the tribute.
When George Strait entered the studio to record Love Is Everything, “I Believe” was not initially included in the recording plans.
For an artist with dozens of No. 1 country hits, the decision might have seemed routine. Every album involves choosing some songs and leaving others behind.
But this was different. George Strait had helped write “I Believe” because the subject mattered personally. Leaving the song unrecorded meant that its message might never be heard in George Strait’s voice.
Norma Strait Changed the Decision
After listening to the album playback, Norma Strait urged George Strait to record “I Believe.”
By that point, the studio musicians were already preparing to pack up their instruments.
Instead of ending the session, George Strait asked the musicians to get their instruments ready again and record one more song.
It was an unusually meaningful last-minute addition.
Norma Strait had not written the song, and Norma Strait was not the person standing behind the microphone. But Norma Strait’s encouragement became the deciding factor in bringing the recording to life.
For a couple who had shared decades of marriage, family life, extraordinary success, and profound loss, that decision carried a significance beyond the recording studio.
The Song That Almost Never Reached Listeners
On May 14, 2013, George Strait released Love Is Everything, with “I Believe” appearing as the album’s tenth track.
The recording was subsequently released as a country radio single in July 2013.
Unlike the upbeat celebrations and romantic stories found throughout George Strait’s catalog, “I Believe” offered a quiet expression of sorrow, compassion, and spiritual conviction.
The song did not become another chart-topping hit. But commercial success was never what made its creation remarkable.
What made “I Believe” different was the deeply personal journey behind it: a national tragedy, a father’s memories of losing a daughter, a song written with his surviving son, and a wife’s conviction that the message deserved to be heard.
George Strait later described the finished song as a statement of faith.
And perhaps that is what makes this story so moving. A recording that almost remained unheard ultimately became a tribute to twenty-six lives and a reminder of the comfort that some people find in faith during their darkest moments.
Sometimes the most meaningful song on an album isn’t the one an artist first plans to record. It’s the one someone who knows the artist best believes should never be left behind.