"The Red Strokes" is a single by country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 artist Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks

Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...

 from his album, In Pieces

In Pieces

In Pieces is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 31, 1993. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. It was also a huge hit outside the United States. In Great Britain it was Brooks' highest placed album on...

. While only charting on the country charts in the U.S. (#49) and Canada (#38) as an album cut, it became one of his most popular songs in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, peaking at #13. This song has not been featured on any of Garth's greatest hits albums in the United States.

Content

"The Red Strokes" is a mid-tempo love ballad played predominantly on the piano and electric guitar. The narrator describes a romantic evening and compares it to a work of art, using multiple color metaphors to describe the two lovers' passions; for example saying that the blues are blue, and jealousy is green and most of all, that passion is red.

Music video

The video opens with an all white room. As the music begins to play, Garth is shown rising out of the floor from a red puddle like it was water in an all white suit and barefoot sitting at a white piano. As the music builds up, different colors of paint are splashed across him and the piano. During the guitar solo, another Garth is standing over the first garth on the piano wearing the black and red outfit from the cover of In Pieces

In Pieces

In Pieces is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 31, 1993. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. It was also a huge hit outside the United States. In Great Britain it was Brooks' highest placed album on...

. The video ends with him sinking back into the floor.

Release Notes

In the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, "The Red Strokes" was released as a two part single. Both parts containing the song as well as other songs from previous albums. Part two was released one week after part 1 and contained an interview with Brooks.

Track listing

7" Jukebox single
Liberty S7-18554, 1993

1. "The Red Strokes" - 3:43
2. "Burning Bridges"

UK CD single
Capitol PM515, 1993

Part 1

1. "The Red Strokes"
2. "Ain't Goin' Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)"
3. "The Dance"
4. "That Summer"

Part 2

1. "The Red Strokes"
2. "Friend in Low Places"
3. "Every Now and Then"
4. Interview

UK Cassette single
Liberty TC-CL 704, 1993

Sides 1 & 2

1. "The Red Strokes"
2. "Ain't Goin' Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)"

Dutch CD single
Liberty 7243 8 81127 2 7, 1993

1. "The Red Strokes" - 3:44
2. "Ain't Goin' Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)" - 4:31
3. "The Dance" - 3:41
4. "That Summer" - 4:47

Chart positions

Chart (1994)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	49
Canadian R.P.M. Country Tracks	38
U.K. Singles Chart	13