"The Thunder Rolls" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in April 1991 as the fourth and final single from his album No Fences. The song became his sixth number one on the country chart.[3] Co-writer Pat Alger plays acoustic guitar on the track.
The song was first recorded by Tanya Tucker, but it was shelved until 1995 when it appeared on her self-titled box set. Her version includes a fourth verse alluding to infidelity and husband murder.[4] The shorter version of the song was covered by heavy metal band All That Remains on their 2017 album Madness.
Writing and production
"The Thunder Rolls" was written by Garth Brooks and Pat Alger. The original idea was Brooks's, as he wanted to explore the concept of "thunder rolling inside of a marriage and outside at the same time".[5] Almost immediately after hearing this hook, Alger grabbed a guitar and started playing what Brooks described as a "D-minor rolling thing."[5]
The song was pitched to Tanya Tucker. Although she liked it, her producer asked for another verse, which was added by Brooks and Alger. The additional lyrics describe the wife reaching for her pistol to confront the cheating husband, with the narrator saying "tonight will be the last time she'll wonder where he's been."[1] Tucker recorded this version in the late 1980s. Upon learning that the song had been given away, Brooks's producer Allen Reynolds was disappointed; he believed the song was one of the most powerful Brooks had written. Tucker ended up dropping the song from her album project, so Brooks decided to record it for his second album No Fences. Reynolds suggested that they leave off the fourth verse.[6]
During the recording session, Brooks invited Alger to play on it. He was impressed with Alger's work during their writing session and thought his passion would translate well in the recording.[5] Both musicians recorded the song live, with no overdubs and no second take.[6] When they were finished, Brooks suggested that they should add the sound of thunder. Reynolds had that sound on hand from a previous recording session, so Brooks determined when the sound would be heard.[6]
Garth wrote about the song in the CD booklet liner notes from The Hits: "There is no doubt that the toughest song in the GB catalog has to be 'The Thunder Rolls'. This song came out fighting the day it was released. Originally cut by Tanya Tucker in 1988, it was never put on an album. It came back to us in time for No Fences. My hat's off to Pat Alger, a great writer and friend, and to music itself, because only music could withstand what this song has gone through."[7]
Music video
Although the recording featured only the first three verses, Brooks often performed the fourth verse in concert, to the delight of his audience.[8] When he began thinking about a music video for the song, Brooks chose to allude to the fourth verse by including the visual theme of domestic violence.[4] This would tie together the two versions of the song. Brooks chose to play the central part of the philandering husband himself, so that he could "make sure [the character] was so despicable that the whole viewing audience wanted to shoot him."[8]
Before the video's release, Cathy Gurley, the head of public relations at Capitol Nashville, arranged a screening for industry women. They unanimously endorsed the video, describing it as a powerful statement against domestic violence.[9] The video was released to CMT and The Nashville Network (TNN), where CMT immediately named it a "Pick Hit."[9] On May 1, the day after the video's release, TNN banned the video. CMT pulled it soon after, with a CMT representative commenting that the network was "in business to entertain, not to promote or condone gratuitous violence or social issues."[10] TNN offered to resume airplay if Brooks would film a disclaimer for the end.[11] Brooks looked at the TNN script but refused to film himself reading it, saying it felt as if he would be using the controversy to promote the video.[12] Brooks told TNN they could add a disclaimer if they chose, but he was not going to compromise his vision.[12]
Because the video had been pulled so quickly, few people had seen it. Radio stations, country bars, television stations and newspapers began requesting copies of the video so that they– and their audiences– could form their own opinions. Several radio stations in the United States screened the video at quickly organized fundraisers for local battered women's shelters. Capitol Records was contacted numerous times by women's shelters, thanking the company for raising awareness of domestic violence.[12] Six days after TNN banned the video, pop channel VH-1 announced that they would begin playing "The Thunder Rolls."[13]
The following month, Capitol Nashville president Jimmy Bowen sent copies of the video to members of the Country Music Association, so that they could consider it for the upcoming annual awards show. On October 2, the video was awarded the CMA Video of the Year award.[14]
At the 1991 Grammy Awards, the music video, directed by Bud Schaetzle and produced by Martin J. Fischer, was nominated for "Best Music Video – Short Form".
Track listing
U.S. 7-inch singleCapitol Nashville NR-44727, 1991
"The Thunder Rolls" (edited) – 3:30
"Victim of the Game"
Jukebox 7-inch singleLiberty S7-57744-A, 1992
"The Thunder Rolls" – 3:42
"Shameless"
Dutch promo CD singleLiberty/EMI promo CX 519443, 1991
"The Thunder Rolls" – 3:43
Chart positions
"The Thunder Rolls" debuted at number 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of May 18, 1991.[15]
Heavy metal band All That Remains released a cover of The Thunder Rolls on August 22, 2017, from their album Madness. According to lead vocalist Phil Labonte, the band was pushing their boundaries: "Our core audience likes a lot of diverse styles of music and gets it, and I think there's enough stuff on it for people that haven't heard All That Remains before to be kind of lured in. That's always our point: how can we reach out to new people?"[20]
Taste of Country praised the cover commenting that All That Remains honors the song's dark nature with intense electric guitars and drums, coupled with Labonte's haunting vocals. The cover is also notable for containing a signature heavy metal scream on the song's title.[21] All That Remains' cover features Labonte's vocals being layered to create an ethereal effect along with female backing vocals by Diamante Azzura.[22][23] The music video for the cover put All That Remains at No. 1 among trending Vevo metal artists at the time, in addition to ranking high on Soundscan.[24] The band notably performed an acoustic version of the cover at the studios of KAZR, an alternative rock radio station in Des Moines, Iowa.[25]
↑ Molanphy, Chris (November 5, 2020). "Friends in Low Places Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p.54.
Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, with success on the country music single and album charts, multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1991.
"The Dance" is a song written by Tony Arata and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks as the tenth and final track from his self-titled debut album, from which it was also released as the album's fourth and final single in April 1990. It is considered by many to be Brooks' signature song. In a 2015 interview with Patrick Kielty of BBC Radio 2, Brooks credits the back to back success of both "The Dance" and its follow up "Friends in Low Places" for his phenomenal success.
No Fences is the second studio album by the American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 27, 1990, and reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The album also reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. On the latter chart, it stayed in the top 40 for 126 weeks. No Fences remains Brooks' best-selling studio album to date with 18 million copies shipped in the US, and is the album that made him an international star. It was his first album issued in Europe.
Double Live is the first live album by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released on November 17, 1998, and is a two-disc compilation of live songs, recorded during Brooks's 1996–1998 world tour.
"Friends in Low Places" is a song recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 6, 1990, as the lead single from his album No Fences. The song spent four weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs, and won both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association awards for 1990 Single of the Year.
"Unanswered Prayers" is a song by American country music artist Garth Brooks which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in 1991. It was released on October 12, 1990, as the second single from his album No Fences and also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, Double Live and The Ultimate Hits. It was written by Brooks, Pat Alger and Larry Bastian.
"If Tomorrow Never Comes" is a song by American country music artist Garth Brooks. Written by Brooks and Kent Blazy, it was released in August 1989 as the second single from his self-titled debut album. The track was his first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and Brooks refers to it as his signature song. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" was named Favorite Country Single in the American Music Awards of 1991.
"We Shall Be Free" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in August 1992 as the first single from his album The Chase and also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, Double Live, and The Ultimate Hits. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 1992, becoming his first single to miss the Top 10 on that chart due to an airplay ban from some radio stations. "We Shall Be Free" peaked at #22 on the Billboard Christian Songs charts through a marketing deal with Rick Hendrix Company, and earned Brooks a 1993 GLAAD Media Award. This song was written by Brooks and Stephanie Davis.
"That Summer" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in April 1993 as the fourth and final single from his album The Chase and also appears on The Hits, The Ultimate Hits, The Limited Series and Double Live. It reached number-one on the Billboard Country Charts in 1993. The song was written by Brooks, Pat Alger, and Brooks' then-wife Sandy Mahl.
The Limited Series is the first box set released by American country music artist Garth Brooks, released by Pearl Records on May 5, 1998.
American country music artist Trisha Yearwood has released 15 studio albums, nine compilation albums, 43 music videos, 57 singles, 29 other charted songs and appeared on 30 albums. Yearwood's self-titled debut album was released in 1991, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 31 on the Billboard 200. It became the first debut female country album to sell one million copies, later certifying double platinum by the RIAA. The album would spawn an additional three singles, including "The Woman Before Me". Her second studio album was the critically acclaimed Hearts in Armor (1992). It spawned the top five country hits "Wrong Side of Memphis" and "Walkaway Joe". Her third studio record The Song Remembers When (1993) enjoyed similar success and the lead single reached number two on the Billboard country chart. A holiday album appeared before her platinum-selling fourth studio album Thinkin' About You (1995). Reaching number 3 on the country albums chart and number 28 on the Billboard 200, its first two singles topped the Hot Country Singles chart. Her sixth studio album Everybody Knows (1996) spawned Yearwood's fourth number one single, "Believe Me Baby ".
"What She's Doing Now" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released in December 1991 as the third single from his album Ropin' the Wind. It spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was co-written by Pat Alger.
"The River" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. In late 1992, it became his ninth Number One hit on the Billboard country charts. It was released in April 1992 as the fifth and final single from his album Ropin' the Wind, and it has appeared on three albums that have sold more than ten million copies each in the US alone, these being Ropin' The Wind, The Hits and Double Live. The song was written by Garth Brooks and Victoria Shaw.
"Shameless" is a song written by American singer Billy Joel and recorded on his 1989 album Storm Front. His version peaked at No. 40 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. Two years later, the song was covered by country music artist Garth Brooks on his third studio album, 1991's Ropin' the Wind. Brooks' rendering of the song was his seventh No. 1 hit on the Billboard country charts in late 1991. It also reached No. 71 on the UK Singles Chart.
"The Church on Cumberland Road" is a song written by Bob DiPiero, John Scott Sherrill and Dennis Robbins, and recorded by American country music group Shenandoah. It was released in January 1989 as the second single from their album The Road Not Taken. It was their first number-one hit in both the United States and Canada. Robbins himself originally recorded the song and it served as the B-side to his 1987 MCA single "Two Of A Kind " which would later become a No. 1 country hit for Garth Brooks in 1991.
Chris LeDoux was a rodeo cowboy who sang and recorded songs in his spare time and sold his albums from the back of his truck. With his father, he started his own record label, American Cowboy Songs, in 1970. Under that label he released 22 albums between 1971 and 1990. After gaining recognition from the 1989 Garth Brooks song, "Much Too Young " he was signed to Liberty Records, where he released 4 studio albums in four years. He released 6 more albums including a live album under Capitol Records. Horsepower in 2003 was his last studio album before his death in 2005. Nine official compilation albums have been released between 1994 and 2008. 20 Greatest Hits has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
"It's Your Song" is a song written by Pam Wolfe and Benita Hill, and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in November 1998 as the only single from his live album Double Live, reaching a peak of number 9 on the U.S. Billboard country singles charts and number 5 on the Canadian RPM country charts that year, as well as peaking at number 62 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Both the live recording from Double Live and an alternate studio recording were shipped to radio.
"Lost in You" is a song co-written by Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Tommy Sims. It was recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks under the fictitious persona of Australian alternative rock artist Chris Gaines. It was released in July 1999 as the lead single from the album Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines. Originally, the album was intended to be the soundtrack for a movie called The Lamb that would star Brooks as a rock star recalling the different periods of his life. The single was purposefully released over a year in advance from the scheduled film release date to pique interest in Brooks performing rock instead of country. The Lamb, however, was never filmed due to financial and management problems. It debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, giving Garth Brooks his first, and only top 40 hit in his career.
Madness is the eighth studio album by American metal band All That Remains. It was released on April 28, 2017, on Razor & Tie Records. Madness is the first studio album produced by Howard Benson, as well as the first album to feature bassist Aaron Patrick. While this is the band's next-to-last album with guitarist Oli Herbert, it is also their last album to be released in his lifetime.
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