On this day (June 26) in 1987, Randy Travis was at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart with “Forever and Ever, Amen.” It was the only multi-week No. 1 of the year, spending three consecutive weeks in the top spot. The song also won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Song, as well as Song of the Year at the CMA and ACM Awards. It all started with a sweet kid who was learning how to pray.
This was written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schiltz, the same songwriting duo behind “On the Other Hand” and “Deeper Than the Holler,” both major hits for Travis. Schlitz got the idea for the song from his fiancée’s young son.
In an interview with Songfacts, Overtstreet recalled how the song came together. “I had played about 36 holes of golf that day, and Don says, ‘I’ve got this idea we have to write.’ His new fiancée’s little boy was just learning the Lord’s Prayer, and he was going around saying ‘forever and ever, amen,’ after everything,” he recalled. “He would say, ‘Mommy, I love you. Forever and ever, amen.”
Overstreet thought it was a great idea, but was exhausted. He suggested getting together with Schlitz the next day. “No. Now,” was his reply. So, they sat on the porch and wrote the song in a couple of hours. Knowing they had a hit on their hands, they recorded a demo the next day.
“Forever and Ever, Amen” Almost Didn’t Go to Randy Travis
It’s hard to think of a world where “Forever and Ever, Amen” wasn’t a Randy Travis song. After hearing him sing it, any other voice would fit the bill. However, when Don Schiltz and Paul Overstreet wrote the song, they had someone else in mind.
“I wanted to take it to George Jones,” Overstreet told American Songwriter. “Our publishing company wanted to take it to Randy. So, they got that song.”
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Author: Clayton Edwards