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"Scarecrow" | ||||
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Single by Melissa Etheridge | ||||
from the album Breakdown | ||||
Released | 1999 | |||
Studio | Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 5:21 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | Melissa Etheridge | |||
Producer(s) | Melissa Etheridge, John Shanks | |||
Melissa Etheridge singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Scarecrow" is a single from Melissa Etheridge's 1999 album, Breakdown .
This ballad tells the story of the kidnapping, torture, and homicide of 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, motivated by anti-gay sentiment. [1] [2] The image of a scarecrow was chosen because the bicyclist who found Matthew Shepard, tied to a fence, first thought that he was a scarecrow. The song criticizes hypocritical and deprecatory attitudes towards gay people in media and society.
Etheridge was actually supposed to write a theme song for the US women's soccer team when the news about Matthew Shepard reached the headlines. In her autobiography The Truth Is... she tells that it was "Like somebody just dropped a huge brick in her kitchen" as she realized that being a big gay rock star did not help her changing the world. This led her to supporting some of her friends including Ellen DeGeneres who organized a trip to the Denver hospital. Etheridge also states that Shepherd's death made her especially sad since he looked like a gay friend of hers in high school which made her "cry uncontrollably".
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist.
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a gay American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. He was taken by rescuers to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days later from severe head injuries received during his beating.
Breakdown is the sixth album by singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released in 1999. A Limited Edition version of the album was simultaneously released featuring three bonus tracks.
Julie Cypher is an American film director best known for being the former partner of musician Melissa Etheridge.
Yes I Am is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released by Island Records on September 21, 1993. The title is generally thought to refer to Etheridge's recent coming out as a lesbian, confirming long-standing rumors about her personal life. However, in 2018, Etheridge clarified that in fact the title for the track and album were not statements regarding her sexual identity. Yes I Am is the pivotal album that gave Etheridge national and international recognition. The rock ballad "Come to My Window" was the first single released from the album, which peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its video featured the actress Juliette Lewis having a nervous breakdown. This single was quickly followed by "I'm the Only One", which became a major hit in the US and reached No. 8 on the Hot 100, and "If I Wanted To", which reached No. 16.
"Come to My Window" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released as the second single from her fourth studio album, Yes I Am (1993). This was the first song to become a hit after Etheridge publicly announced that she was a lesbian. With the driving force of gay rights, the song gained substantial airplay on radio stations, mostly through call-in requests. The song debuted on the Billboard charts after the first week of its release, reaching number 25 on the chart. The song also charted in Canada, reaching number 13 on the RPM Top Singles chart. It was the second song from Etheridge that earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
"I'm the Only One" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge from on her fourth studio album, Yes I Am (1993). It was released as the first single in 1993, reaching number 12 in Canada and number 26 in the Netherlands. In the United States, it was slow to gain momentum, but after the success of "Come to My Window", it was re-released, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in January 1995. It remains Etheridge's biggest hit on either chart.
"I Need to Wake Up" is a song by Melissa Etheridge, written for the 2006 documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth. It is the first instance of a documentary film winning the Best Song category, beating three songs nominated from the musical film Dreamgirls and one from the Pixar animated film Cars.
The Awakening is the ninth album by rock singer Melissa Etheridge and her ninth studio album. It was released on September 25, 2007. The rock album conveys Etheridge's current autobiographical, religious and political perspectives. Etheridge made the album to convey parts of her story and journey along with her love for God. In the album's booklet, she included a letter to all who buy it starting with "Dear Friend".
"Message to Myself" is a song by Melissa Etheridge and the first single of her album The Awakening released in 2007.
"No Souvenirs" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, release as the second single from her second album, Brave and Crazy, in August 1989. Despite peaking at number 95 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the song experienced more success internationally, reaching number 30 in Australia and number four in Canada, where it became her highest-charting single until "I Want to Come Over" reached number one in 1996.
"Bring Me Some Water" is the debut single of American singer Melissa Etheridge. It was released in 1988 and became a hit in several countries, reaching the top 20 in Australia, New Zealand, and on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.
"Like the Way I Do" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released as the second US single from her first album, Melissa Etheridge (1988). In the United Kingdom, "Don't You Need" was released as the second single.
"Angels Would Fall" is a 1999 Melissa Etheridge song and the first single from her album Breakdown.
Cultural depictions of Matthew Shepard include notable films, musical works, novels, plays, and other works inspired by the 1998 Matthew Shepard murder, investigation, and resulting interest the case brought to the topic of hate crime. The best known is the stage play The Laramie Project, which was adapted into an HBO movie of the same name. Matthew Wayne Shepard was an openly gay university student who was brutally attacked near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998 and left for dead by his attackers.
Judy Shepard is the mother of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at University of Wyoming who was murdered in October 1998 in what became one of the most high-profiled cases highlighting hate-crimes against LGBT people. She and her husband, Dennis, are co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and advocates for LGBT rights.
The Truth About Jane is a Lifetime Original Movie directed by Lee Rose and starring Stockard Channing, Ellen Muth, Kelly Rowan, Jenny O'Hara and RuPaul. The film is about a teenage girl named Jane (Muth) who struggles not only with her sexuality, but with a mother (Channing) who refuses to accept her. It first aired on TV on August 7, 2000. The film was nominated for several awards, including Outstanding TV Movie by GLAAD, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries (Channing) Screen Actors Guild, and Original Long Form by WGA.
John Matthew Shanks is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist.
4th Street Feeling is the twelfth studio album by American rock musician Melissa Etheridge, released on September 4, 2012 by Island Records, produced by Jacquire King and Steve Booker, with all tracks co-produced by Etheridge. The album was recorded at the "House of Blues Studio" in Encino, California. It features twelve tracks on the standard release and three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.
This Is M.E. is the thirteenth studio album by American rock/pop musician Melissa Etheridge, released on September 30, 2014 by Etheridge's own label ME Records, which is distributed by Primary Wave Records. It features eleven tracks on the standard release and four bonus tracks on the Target exclusive version.