"Round About Way" is a song written by Steve Dean and Wil Nance, and recorded by the American country music singer George Strait. It was released in January 1998 as the fourth and final single from his CD Carrying Your Love With Me. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

"Round About Way"
Single by George Strait
from the album Carrying Your Love with Me
B-side"She'll Leave You with a Smile"
ReleasedJanuary 5, 1998
RecordedSeptember 28, 1996[1]
Genre
Length
  • 3:05 (album version)
  • 2:50 (single edit)
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Steve Dean, Wil Nance
Producer(s)Tony Brown, George Strait
George Strait singles chronology
"Today My World Slipped Away"
(1997)
"Round About Way"
(1998)
"I Just Want to Dance with You"
(1998)

The song's B-side, "She'll Leave You with a Smile", is a different song from the single "She'll Leave You with a Smile", included on Strait's album The Road Less Traveled.[2]

Musical style and composition

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"Round About Way" is a honky-tonk and Western swing song dominated by its fiddle and pedal steel guitar instrumentation.[3][4]

Critical reception

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Larry Flick, of Billboard magazine, reviewed the song favorably, saying that "fiddle and steel guitar dominate this uptempo romp." He goes on to say that Strait's performance is "packed with personality."[3]

Chart positions

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"Round About Way" re-entered the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks as an official single at number 45 for the week of January 10, 1998.

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] 1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 1

Year-end charts

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Chart (1998) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] 38
US Country Songs (Billboard)[8] 44

References

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  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. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 406–408. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  3. ^ a b Billboard, May 3, 1997
  4. ^ Coyne, Kevin (August 18, 2022). "Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties: George Strait, "Round About Way"". Country Universe. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3479." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 9, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  6. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1998". RPM. December 14, 1998. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  8. ^ "Best of 1998: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.