Introduction
Released in May 1997, “Carrying Your Love with Me” was penned by Steve Bogard and Jeff Stevens and recorded by George Strait as the second single and title track from his then-latest album . The song unveiled a heartfelt theme: a man hitting the road, but buoyed by the love he carries with him—“Baby all I got is this beat-up leather bag… I’m carrying your love with me… West Virginia down to Tennessee”.
Bogard later recalled that Stevens first proposed the song title, but it took them six months before the lyrics came together—sparked by the metaphor of that “beat-up leather bag” . Once the idea clicked, the rest of the song practically wrote itself in just a few hours .
When released, the single quickly climbed the charts—claiming No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks and holding strong for four consecutive weeks . The song’s traditional country sensibility stood out during a time when pop-country dominated the airwaves, reaffirming Strait’s reputation as a steadfast keeper of neotraditional country . Its success helped propel the album to multi-platinum status and earned a nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards.
Accompanying the song was a cinematic music video, directed by Christopher Cain, that premiered on CMT as a “Hot Shot Video of the Week” in May 1997. The video begins in stark black-and-white, transitions to vivid color, and visually mirrors the song’s journey—highways, rain, longing, and ultimately, the solitude of an emptied auditorium .
More than two decades later, “Carrying Your Love with Me” continues to resonate with listeners. In 2022, it found renewed popularity through a viral TikTok trend and a country-rap reinterpretation by David Morris—sampling the beloved chorus and introducing the song to a new generation .