Marty Robbins – To Think You’ve Chosen Me: A Masterclass in Humble Devotion and the Miracle of Love
In the golden autumn of our lives, we often find ourselves sifting through the melodies of the past, looking for those rare songs that capture the sheer, staggering disbelief of being truly loved. Marty Robbins, a man whose voice could command the vastness of the Texas plains or the intimacy of a dimly lit room, gave us exactly that in 1966. Released as a standout track on his soul-stirring album The Drifter, “To Think You’ve Chosen Me” is a song that does not boast of conquest; instead, it bows its head in quiet gratitude. It is a song for the seasoned heart that knows all too well its own flaws, making the mystery of a partner’s devotion feel like nothing less than a divine gift.
The song arrived during a landmark year for Marty Robbins, as The Drifter ascended to Number 6 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. While the world was reeling from the loud, psychedelic shifts of the mid-60s, Robbins remained an anchor of traditional elegance. Although the song was originally a pop standard from the early 1950s—most famously recorded by Eddy Howard—Marty reclaimed it for the country-folk genre with such sincerity that it felt as though he had breathed life into it for the first time. When he performed this song in live settings, whether on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry or during his intimate televised appearances, the room would invariably fall into a sacred silence. There was no need for the theatricality of a gunfighter ballad here; there was only a man, a spotlight, and a confession of pure, unadulterated humility.
The story within the lyrics is a timeless internal monologue. The narrator looks at the person beside him—the “one in a million”—and pauses to wonder why, out of all the people in the world, he was the one deemed worthy of her hand. It captures that specific moment of evening reflection when the house is quiet and you look at your spouse of twenty, thirty, or forty years and realize that your life’s greatest achievement was simply being noticed by them. The lyrics speak of a “lucky star” and a “dream come true,” but beneath those classic tropes lies a deeper, more vulnerable truth: the feeling of being “not enough,” yet being loved anyway.
The profound meaning of “To Think You’ve Chosen Me” resonates so strongly with a mature audience because it mirrors our own journeys through the complexities of companionship. It moves beyond the fiery, impulsive “first love” of youth and enters the realm of lifelong partnership. It acknowledges:
- The Wonder of Selection: In a world of billions, the fact that two souls found one another and stayed remains life’s most beautiful coincidence.
- The Healing Power of Acceptance: To be “chosen” implies that the other person saw our shadows, our mistakes, and our “crooked little smiles” and said, “Yes, this one.”
- A Legacy of Gratitude: It reminds us that the greatest riches aren’t found in what we have acquired, but in the person who continues to choose us every single morning.
Marty Robbins delivers this performance with a voice as smooth as aged mahogany. He eschews his usual rhythmic vibrato for a steady, grounded delivery that feels like a hand-written letter. For those of us who grew up watching him transition from the “Gentle Giant” of Western lore to the sophisticated balladeer of the Nashville Sound, this song remains a pinnacle of his artistry. It is a nostalgic embrace, a reminder that in the long, winding road of our lives, the most important destination was always the heart of the one who chose to walk beside us.