Introduction
Released in June 1991, “You Know Me Better Than That” is the second single from George Strait’s album Chill of an Early Fall. The song was written by Anna Lisa Graham and Tony Haselden. The track was recorded on September 25, 1990.
With its release, the song was a major success for Strait. It quickly climbed the country charts in both the U.S. and Canada—reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and also topping the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The song’s popularity helped strengthen the commercial performance of Chill of an Early Fall, which included other hits as well.
Lyrically, “You Know Me Better Than That” stands out as one of Strait’s more introspective and self-aware songs. The narrator, freshly out of a relationship, imagines how a new partner sees him—how she praises him, perhaps even idealizes him. But he knows that person will sooner or later discover all his flaws—his moods, his insecurities, his “getting lazy,” and so on. He’s confident his ex did, though, because she knows him better than that.
An interesting bit of behind-the-song lore: co-writer Anna Lisa Graham says that some industry folks thought parts of the lyrics—as humorous and blunt as the line about getting “lazy and fat”—were too risky or might be softened. She and Haselden resisted cutting or altering those lines. Strait, however, embraced them. The result is a song with honesty, charm, and a voice audiences could connect with.