A Real Good Place To Start, released in 1997, is a country music song by the iconic artist George Strait. The song found a home on Strait’s studio album Carrying Your Love With Me. This project marked a continuation of Strait’s long-standing collaboration with producer Tony Brown. Brown had been behind the boards for many of Strait’s previous successes, and A Real Good Place To Start would add to their impressive track record.

While songwriter credits can sometimes be a complex web, A Real Good Place To Start is credited to the songwriting duo of Dean Dillon and Gary Nicholson. Dillon was already a well-established Nashville songwriter by the time he co-wrote A Real Good Place To Start. He had found particular success collaborating with Strait, having written The Cowboy Rides Away and All My Ex’s Live In Texas, both chart-topping hits for the country music superstar. Nicholson, the other half of the songwriting team for A Real Good Place To Start, had his own accomplishments on Music Row. Songs like Kiss The Girl Goodbye for Garth Brooks and She’s Leaving Home for The Road Rovers had already shown his talent for crafting relatable and commercially successful country songs.

A Real Good Place To Start itself did not disappoint. The song resonated with listeners, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and holding that position for two weeks. This success was not necessarily a surprise. Strait was already a major force in country music by 1997. Carrying Your Love With Me, the album that featured A Real Good Place To Start, was Strait’s 22nd studio album. He had already racked up 13 Platinum albums, and Carrying Your Love With Me continued that commercial streak, achieving Platinum certification itself. A Real Good Place To Start can be seen as a contributing factor to this ongoing success.

The song’s themes of heartbreak, healing, and finding new love in a familiar place are classic country music tropes. However, A Real Good Place To Start delivered these themes in a way that felt fresh and genuine to listeners. Strait’s signature vocals, along with the expert production by Tony Brown, helped make A Real Good Place To Start a country music hit that continues to be enjoyed by fans today.

Video: