Even though this song did not reach the top spot in the country music charts, “Marina Del Rey” was a certified platinum. Released in 1982, this hit by George Strait was the second single in his album Strait from the Heart.

What the Song is all about

“Marina Del Rey” peaked at No. 6 here in U.S. and No. 2 in Canada. This romantic ballad of King George was all about a love affair on the beach and the setting was in Marina Del Rey, California. In the song, two people got together and had a good time on their vacation. As they were enjoying their time, they made many memories and then they separated ways to go back to their normal lives.

The Scribes Tell the Story of the Song

From the tunesmiths of George Strait’s first No. 1 Hit, “Unwound,” this song was written by Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus. In an interview, the Dillon told the inspiration of the song was actually from his a love affair that he had when he was in Marina Del Rey. He wrote the about her on his way going back from Marina Del Rey. Thereafter, he played what he finished for Dycus and then they finished the song.

In another interview, Dycus told the story how the brokenhearted Dean Dillon brought the song to him saying that:

“He’s one of these guys that falls in love. Every time a girl looked at him he fell in love with her. He said ‘I left my heart in Marina Del Rey.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘She was just cruel. I fell in love with her. All she said was I had a good time as she walked away.’ I turned to my wife and said ‘Tammy bring me a pen’ … She brought a pen and I said ‘tell me about it, son.’ We sat down and wrote ‘Marina Del Rey.'”

Another inspiration that Dillon had was like James Taylor and Carole King performances. He explained:

“When I heard those melodies that Carole and James were writing, a light bulb went off in my head and I thought, Man, if you could take that kind of melody and pair it with a great country lyric, you’d really have something. That’s who inspired those melodies. ‘Marina del Rey’ at the time was about as far as you could push an envelope in country music.”

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Bless Your Heart!