About The Song
“Check Yes or No” was written by Danny Wells and Dana Hunt Black, and it was both songwriters’ first-ever cut and first song to reach the number one spot on the charts. Hunt Black told WSRE Pensacola that she had the idea for the song before she even moved to Nashville, but the song didn’t come to fruition until she wrote with Wells.
“I actually went to Nashville with that idea, but didn’t write it probably for a year after I moved there,” said Hunt Black. “Danny and I had been working on another song, we were at ASCAP writing this song, and I’ll never forget — we had been trying to write this one particular song and we finally just looked at each other and he ripped it off the pad and threw it in the trash. And we’re like, ‘Now what?’ It just wasn’t going anywhere. I just thought, ‘You know what? I’ve got a little idea.'”
The songwriter says she then started singing the first part of the chorus to “Check Yes or No,” and that’s when the song was born. Wells told a similar story of the writing of the song on an episode of Words & Music, adding that they moved some parts of the songs around before they landed on the winning version heard in the George Strait recording.
The song eventually made its way to Strait, and the country superstar told CMT that he immediately loved it. “Check Yes or No” even received the approval of Strait’s son, Bubba.
“Yeah, ‘Check Yes or No,’ that was a pretty big record. And that was one of the songs though that I knew, right away when I first heard it, I wanted to cut it,” said Strait. “I couldn’t wait to get home and play it for my son. I knew he’d love it. I don’t remember how old he was at the time, but he was pretty young. And I remember I was riding to take him to school, and he’s not a morning person. He’s pretty grumpy. And I said ‘I’ve got a song here I’m gonna play you.’ I stuck it in there and played it and cheered him right up. Boy, big ol’ smile, I knew we had a good one then.”
“Check Yes or No” went on to become Strait’s 28th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country chart, following singles like “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind,” “Oceanfront Property,” “All My Ex’s Live In Texas,” “Ace In The Hole,” “Love Without End, Amen,” “I Cross My Heart,” “Heartland,” and more. The song and many of Strait’s number ones can also be found on his album, 50 Number Ones.
Video
Lyrics
It started way back in third grade
I used to sit beside Emmylou Hayes
A pink dress, a matching bow in her ponytail
She kissed me on the school bus but told me not to tell
Next day I chased her ’round the playground
‘Cross the monkey bars to the merry-go-round
And Emmylou got caught passing me a note
Before the teacher took it I read what she wrote
“Do you love me? Do you wanna be my friend?
And if you do
Well then don’t be afraid to take me by the hand
If you want to
I think this is how love goes
Check yes or no”
Now we’re grown up and she’s my wife
Still like two kids with stars in our eyes
Ain’t much changed, I still chase Emmylou
Up and down the hall, around the bed in our room
Last night I took her out in a white limousine
Twenty years together she still gets to me
Can’t believe it’s been that long ago
When we got started with just a little note
“Do you love me? Do you wanna be my friend?
And if you do
Well then don’t be afraid to take me by the hand
If you want to
I think this is how love goes
Check yes or no”
“Do you love me? Do you wanna be my friend?
And if you do
Well then don’t be afraid to take me by the hand
If you want to
I think this is how love goes
Check yes or no”
Check yes or no
Check yes or no
Check yes or no
Check yes or no
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