Amarillo by Morning (song)

The song is sung from the point of view of a rodeo cowboy, driving at night from San Antonio to a county fair in Amarillo, that will begin the following morning. The man recounts the hardships his occupation has caused him, including divorce, broken bones, and poverty, but states that he does not regret his lifestyle: "I ain't rich/ But Lord, I'm free." The song has appeared in several lists of the best country songs.

Stafford conceived the song after playing with his band at a rodeo in San Antonio, Texas, and then driving back to his home in Amarillo. Stafford conveyed the concept and title he pulled from a FedEx commercial to Paul Fraser over the phone and by the next morning Paul had written the song. ^[5][6]

Stafford recorded the song on his Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose album, released in 1973.^[7][8] The single was released August 2, 1973, by Atlantic Records with the master number 26867. The single "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" had been previously released as an A-side 45 (Atlantic Master 26868; June 7, 1973), but due to the success of "Amarillo by Morning", the single was re-released October 4, 1973, as the A-side (Atlantic Master 26867-1 stereo and Atlantic Master 26867-2 mono), with "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" on the B-side.^[2] The song entered the Cash Box Country Looking Ahead chart November 3, 1973, the Cash Box Country chart on December 15, 1973, peaking at No. 37, the Billboard Country chart December 1, 1973, peaking at No. 31, the Record World Country chart December 15, 1973, peaking at No. 50, and Canada RPM Country chart January 26, 1974, peaking at No. 38.^[8]

George Strait recorded the song for his 1982 album Strait from the Heart (LP MCA 5320). It was released on MCA as a single, release number 52162. The publisher's release was January 14, 1983, and the full release came February 16, 1983. The single entered the Billboard Country chart February 12, 1983, peaking at No. 4.^[4] It has since become one of Strait's signature songs and was certified four-times Platinum by RIAA.^[14][3]

This cover woke up Rick Husband while he piloted the STS-96 scientific space mission,^[15] and was played for the entire crew during STS-114^[16] in honor of the Amarillo-born astronaut.

"Amarillo by Morning" is widely considered to be one of Strait's best songs. Billboard and American Songwriter ranked the song number nine and number six, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest George Strait songs.^[17][18] In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number ten on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.^[19]

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an A grade, saying that he has "finally found his niche as a performer." He goes on to say that the "simple arrangement and understated delivery are the defining elements of just about every Strait record since."^[20]