About The Song
When Alan Jackson first graced the country music scene in 1990, fame didn’t come easy. Despite his songs that mirror Clint Black’s honky-tonk affinity and Garth Brooks’ storytelling bent, his debut single failed to crack the Top 40. But things changed with the release of his follow-up single, “Here in the Real World.”
The song was actually the title track off his debut album, and it went on to rank No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart – making it his first Top 10 country hit and helped establish Jackson’s status as the original ’90s country star.
From that day forward, Jackson proved to be not just a great singer but also one of the brilliant Nashville songwriters. Other popular songs by Alan Jackson found in his debut album are “Blue Blooded Woman” and “I’d Love You All Over Again” – his first No. 1 hit on the country chart.
Alan Jackson collaborated with songwriter Mark Irwin to write “Here in the Real World,” which tells the story of a man who noted the differences between a fanciful movie scenario and the real world. This includes how “heroes don’t die” and “Good always wins” in the movie, but in reality, it’s not that easy at all. One of the sad truths “is how the boy don’t always get the girl, here in the real world.”
The song was also covered by some of the most notable men in country music – these are Glen Campbell, George Jones, and Charley Pride.
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Lyrics
Cowboys don’t cry, and heroes don’t die
Good always wins, again and again
And love is a sweet dream that always comes true
Oh, if life were like the movies, I’d never be blue
But here in the real world
It’s not that easy at all
‘Cause when hearts get broken
It’s real tears that fall
And darlin’ it’s sad but true
But the one thing I’ve learned from you
Is how the boy don’t always get the girl
Here in the real world
I gave you my love, but that wasn’t enough
To hold your heart, when times got rough
And tonight on that silver screen
It’ll end like it should
Two lovers will make it through
Like I hoped we would
But here in the real world
It’s not that easy at all
‘Cause when hearts get broken
It’s real tears that fall
And darlin’ it’s sad but true
But the one thing I’ve learned from you
Is how the boy don’t always get the girl
Here in the real world
No, the boy don’t always get the girl
Here in the real world