Independence Day (Martina McBride song)
| "Independence Day" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "True Blue Fool"[1] |
"Independence Day" is a song written by Gretchen Peters, and performed by American country music singer Martina McBride. It was released in April 1994 as the third single from her album The Way That I Am. The song peaked at number 12 on Hot Country Songs.[2] Peters later recorded it herself on her 1996 album The Secret of Life. It was first offered to Reba McEntire, who turned it down.[3]
In 2003, it ranked 50th in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music. The following year, it ranked #2 in CMT's 100 Greatest Videos in Country Music. The song was also featured in CMT's Controversy in terms of release and included interviews from "The Today Show" reporter Tiki Barber, Brad Paisley, McBride herself, and former National Organization for Women president Patricia Ireland. In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #77 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs.[4] The song has sold 550,000 copies in the US as of July 2015.[5]
Songwriter Gretchen Peters received the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award in 1995 for "Independence Day."[1]
Content
In the song, a daughter recalls a tragic incident she experienced as a child. Her mother was involved in a domestic abuse with her alcoholic father. On Independence Day, the daughter walks to the town fair and hears rumors going on about the father's abuse. That day, the mother burns down their house and the daughter is sent to a county home. According to McBride, the mother does not die in the fire, as she has now gained her independence from an abusive relationship. The music video was produced by American director team Deaton-Flanigen Productions, consisting of William Deaton III and George Flanigen IV.
The lyrics have a double meaning in that the woman in the story is finally gaining her "freedom" from her abusive husband. Thus, it is her "Independence Day." The title also refers to the fact that the events noted in the song happened on the United States' Independence Day, or July 4.
According to National Public Radio as broadcast on April 3, 2017, the song is about Francine Hughes, an American woman who, after 13 years of domestic abuse, set fire to the bed of her live-in ex-husband Mickey Hughes, on March 9, 1977. Mickey was killed and the house destroyed in the resulting fire.[citation needed]
In media
Beginning shortly after September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, Sean Hannity began using part of the chorus as an opening bumper for his Premiere Radio Networks radio talk show. The song is about domestic violence, not patriotic values, according to the writer of the song, Gretchen Peters, who does not agree with Hannity's use of the song. Since she cannot stop his use, she collects royalties from him every time it is played and uses those royalties to donate to her causes.[6]
Hannity chose the elements that could be seen as applicable to the people, culture, and geopolitics surrounding the attack and the American response: "Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing. Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning. Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong, roll the stone away, let the guilty pay, it's Independence Day."
Chart performance
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] | 15 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 12 |
Awards
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Video of the Year[9] | Nominated |
| 1995 | Grammy Awards | Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female | Nominated |
| 1995 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Song | Nominated |
| 1995 | Country Music Association Awards | Song of the Year[10] | |
| 1994 | Country Music Association Awards | Video of the Year [11] |
Cover versions
In 2002, singer Taylor Horn covered the song for her debut album taylor-made at the age of nine.
In 2003, 1980s pop superstar Pat Benatar performed the song in a duet with McBride on the CMT television series Crossroads.
On American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Lil Rounds, and Tristan McIntosh have each performed the song on the show. Underwood also released the song as a B-side track with her single of "Inside Your Heaven".
In 2011, Little Big Town performed Independence Day as a tribute to McBride, who was being honoured as part of ACM's Girls Night Out - Superstar Women of Country show.
References
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 262. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Martina McBride
- ^ Reba :: The Official Site - Backstage
- ^ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/100-greatest-country-songs-of-all-time-20140601/77-martina-mcbride-independence-day-1994-0281278
- ^ Matt Bjorke (July 13, 2015). "The Top 30 Digital Country Singles: July 13, 2015". Roughstock.
- ^ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=7957
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2576." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 29, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
- ^ "Martina McBride Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Who's won the most CMA Awards? Get the answer here. Gretchen Peters". Country Music Association Awards. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ "Who's won the most CMA Awards? Get the answer here. Martina McBride". Country Music Association Awards. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
