Thirteen years ago today, on June 3, 2009, George Strait's Troubadour album was certified platinum, for sales of one million copies. The record, Strait's 25th studio album, includes two No. 1 singles, "I Saw God Today" and "River of Love," as well as one Top 10 single, the title track.

""I Saw God Today" is such a well-written song,” Strait says of his first single from Troubadour, written by Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell and Wade Kirby. “Sometimes we take a lot of things for granted, especially anybody that’s had a child ... If they’re in the delivery room or not — when they first see that child, it truly is a miracle. And you just realize that all of these things that God has given us, sometimes you just take for granted. But if you step back and take a look around, you’ll see what beauty we have around us in the things that He has created for us.”

George Strait Troubador album cover
MCA Nashville
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"River of Love," which was penned by Billy Burnette, Shawn Camp and Dennis Morgan, almost became a hit for Josh Turner instead.

"When Josh didn’t take it, the song was pitched to George," Camp recalls to The Boot. "When we were standing backstage on the CMA [Awards] show, waiting to go on with George and sing "River of Love," Josh was back there with us. I turned to him and jokingly said, 'You know, this one could have been yours.'"

Troubadour, which became Strait's 18th chart-topping record, won Best Country Album at the Grammy Awards; it also won Album of the Year at the CMA Awards. "I Saw God Today" won a CMA as well, for Single of the Year.

This story was originally written by Gayle Thompson, and revised by Annie Zaleski. 

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