"She Let Herself Go" is the title of a song written by recorded by Dean Dillon

Dean Dillon

Dean Dillon is an American country music artist. Between 1982 and 1993, Dillon recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts. Although he has not charted since 1993, Dillon has continued to write several hit songs for other artists, most...

 and Kerry Kurt Phillips, and recorded American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 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...

 singer George Strait

George Strait

George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...

. It was released in September 2005 as the second single from Strait's 2005 album Somewhere Down in Texas

Somewhere Down in Texas

Somewhere Down in Texas is an album by American country music singer George Strait. This album was released on June 28, 2005 on the MCA Nashville Records label. This album was certified platinum and peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200...

. The song reached the top of the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 chart in January 2006. The song became Strait's 40th Number One single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 charts, tying the record held at the time by Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...

.

Content

The song is a mid-tempo describing a woman whose male lover has just left her. Although the male presumes that the female will "let herself go" in the traditional sense of that expression; in other words, that she will refrain from keeping her physical, emotional, or aesthetic stature in check. The phrase "she let herself go" is then given a different meaning in the chorus, where it is revealed that she "let herself go" on excursions that he had never let her do before, such as going on a singles cruise, a spa in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, or on a trip to the beach.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a "clever breakup tale".

Chart positions

"She Let Herself Go" debuted at #49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of September 17, 2005.

Chart (2005-2006)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	54