"We Shall Be Free" | ||||
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Single by Garth Brooks | ||||
from the album The Chase | ||||
B-side | "Night Rider's Lament" | |||
Released | August 31, 1992 | |||
Recorded | 1992 | |||
Studio | Jack's Tracks (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:48 | |||
Label | Liberty 57794 | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Allen Reynolds | |||
Garth Brooks singles chronology | ||||
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"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. [2] [3] This song was written by Brooks and Stephanie Davis.
An ordinary man imagines a world where all human beings are free from earthly oppressions. Topics covered in this social commentary include: world hunger, freedom of speech, homelessness, homophobia, racism, and freedom of religion. Brooks would go on to perform this song on a 1996 episode of Muppets Tonight with The Muppets, at Equality Rocks, a gay rights march in Washington, D.C. in 2000, [4] and at the We Are One Concert, a concert held at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. during the Obama inaugural celebration in January, 2009.
According to Brooks, he was inspired to write this song after being in Los Angeles where the ACM Awards were being held during the 1992 L.A. Riots:
"The night the riots hit we watched it all on TV on the bus leaving LA. And as you drove out of LA you could see the buildings on fire. It was pretty scary for all of us, especially a bunch of guys from Oklahoma. Ya know this is intense out here." [5]
Garth provided the following background information on the song in the CD booklet liner notes from The Hits :
"'We Shall Be Free' is definitely and easily the most controversial song I have ever done. A song of love, a song of tolerance from someone who claims not to be a prophet but just an ordinary man. I never thought there would be any problems with this song. Sometimes the roads we take do not turn out to be the roads we envisioned them to be. All I can say about 'We Shall Be Free" is that I will stand by every line of this song as long as I live. I am very proud of it. And I am very proud of Stephanie Davis, the writer. I hope you enjoy it and see it for what it was meant to be." [6]
Garth provided additional information in the 2019 documentary "Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On":
Garth was scheduled to sing the National Anthem at the 1993 Super Bowl and had an agreement with NBC to play the video for "We Shall Be Free" immediately after. On the day of the Super Bowl NBC network executives told Garth that the song was too controversial and they weren't going to play it. Garth refused to sing unless the video was played and left the stadium. NBC caved and agreed to play the video.
The music video for "We Shall Be Free" was directed by Timothy Miller, and premiered on CMT on January 26, 1993. The video is filled with much powerful disturbing to some imagery. The video ends with the text reading onscreen: This video is dedicated to the human spirit. Unbreakable. Relentless. Free. The music video for "We Shall Be Free" won Video of the Year at the 1993 Academy of Country Music awards.
In the introduction, numerous celebrities (including Brooks) are depicted in a matter of seconds and appear throughout the video. They include:
Chart (1992) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [7] | 12 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8] | 12 |
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.
Paul Hamilton Williams Jr. is an American composer, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for writing and co-writing popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World", Biff Rose's "Fill Your Heart", and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays". He also wrote "Cried Like a Baby" for teen idol Bobby Sherman.
Patricia Lynn Yearwood is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the Billboard country singles chart. Its corresponding self-titled debut album would sell over two million copies. Yearwood continued with a series of major country hits during the early to mid-1990s, including "Walkaway Joe" (1992), "The Song Remembers When" (1993), "XXX's and OOO's " (1994), and "Believe Me Baby " (1996).
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1993.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1992.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1991.
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The Chase is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on September 14, 1992, through Liberty Records and sold 403,000 copies in its first week, The Chase debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and Top Country Albums chart and has been certified diamond by the RIAA. It was also successful internationally, reaching number one on the UK country albums chart and remained in the top ten for many months.
The Entertainer is the name of a 5-disc Garth Brooks DVD collection of previously aired television specials and music videos. The collection was released on November 1, 2006 and was sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores. Most of the footage is from different angles than seen on the original broadcast.
"Workin' for a Livin'" is a single by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released in 1982. Included on their 1982 album Picture This, the song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, and number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. A live version appears as a B-side to the single "The Heart of Rock & Roll".
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"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.