Country music star Trisha Yearwood made history following the release of her debut single, “She’s in Love With the Boy.”
Released in March 1991, “She’s in Love With the Boy” was the lead single off Yearwood’s self-titled debut album. The song quickly reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart – making her the first female artist whose debut single reached the top of the charts.
“‘She’s in Love With the Boy’ was the song that I just recorded because I liked it,” Yearwood said. “When it became No. 1, it was my first single, which, at that time, that just didn’t happen. So it made country music history. It was a big big deal.”
While the Georgia native was thrilled to experience such success so early in her career, it also gave her a unique set of challenges. There was more pressure on Yearwood than other, more experienced, and accomplished singers.
“I jokingly said, ‘This is easy,’” Yearwood recalled. “It did catapult me to instant ‘Who is this girl?’ [status] because no one had ever done anything like that. But then it was almost harder because you know a lot of bands and artists who have one hit, and it’s huge, and it’s the only thing you sing for a year, and then you never heard from them again.”
“You had to have more than one hit if you want to have longevity,” she added. Remarkably, “She’s in Love With the Boy” was the first of the five No. 1s on the country chart for Yearwood.
A Song That Will Surely Remind You of Your First Love
Written by Jon Ims, “She’s in Love With the Boy” tells the tale of a teenage couple, Katie and Tommy. The two got engaged after Tommy proposed with his high school class ring. However, Katie’s father fiercely disagreed with the relationship and wasn’ afraid to voice his opinion.
“Her daddy says he ain’t worth a lick. When it comes to brains, he got the short end of the stick. But Katie’s young and man; she just don’t care. She’d follow Tommy anywhere. She’s in love with the boy,” Yearwood sings.
One evening, the young couple came home late from a date. Katie’s angry father was waiting for them, but when he was about to confront the young man, Katie’s mother jumped into Tommy’s defense. She reminded him of how her father once disapproved of him the way he does with Tommy.
“My daddy said you wasn’t worth a lick. When it came to brains, you got the short end of the stick. But he was wrong, and honey, you are too; Katie looks at Tommy like I still look at you,” says Katie’s mother.
More than two decades later, Yearwood re-recorded the tune for her PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit compilation album. She admitted that the song now sounds a bit different, perhaps due to the changes in her voice.
“I definitely had to channel the 26-year-old Trisha for ‘She’s in Love With the Boy,’” she said. “I think my voice is just; it sounds more mature to me. It sounds like it’s a little fuller, a little deeper, and I like it. I like it now better. I don’t know when it starts to go the other way, you know, but right now, I really like where it is.”
This hit love song will surely get you thinking about your first love. Tune in and watch Trisha Yearwood in her incredible performance of “She’s in Love With the Boy.”