The Dance (Garth Brooks song)
Encyclopedia
"The Dance" is a song recorded by country singer Garth Brooks
. The song, written by Brooks' friend, Tony Arata
, was a key track on his self-titled debut album Garth Brooks
and a #1 chart hit. It is considered by many to be Brooks' signature song.http://www.garthbrooks.com/dialup/index.cfm?id=2
about the end of a passionate relationship, and a story of someone dying because of something he believes in, after a moment of glory.
, directed by John Lloyd Miller, shows several American icons and examples of people who died for a dream. These include archive footage of the following:
It was awarded Video of the Year at the 1990 ACM Music Awards.
, Europe
, Ireland
, etc, charting inside the British pop Top 40 http://www.zobbel.de/. In 1990, it was titled both Song of the Year and Video of the Year by the Academy of Country Music
. It was awarded the #14 position in the CMT
100 Greatest Songs of Country Music broadcast and also the #5 position on the network's The Greatest: 100 Greatest Music Videos special.
In 2001, after the death of Dale Earnhardt
, Brooks was invited to the NASCAR Awards Ceremony that was honoring Earnhardt to play the song as a tribute.
Capitol Nashville NR-44629, 1990
US 7" Jukebox single
Liberty S7-17441-A, 1990
UK CD single
Capitol CDCLS-735, 1993
Disc 1
Disc 2
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
. The song, written by Brooks' friend, Tony Arata
Tony Arata
Tony Arata is an American singer-songwriter. He was born and grew up in Savannah, Georgia, attended the Georgia Southern University, and moved to Nashville in 1986....
, was a key track on his self-titled debut album Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks (album)
Garth Brooks is the self-titled debut album of American country music artist Garth Brooks, released on April 12, 1989. It was both a critical and chart success, peaking at #13 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the Top Country Albums...
and a #1 chart hit. It is considered by many to be Brooks' signature song.http://www.garthbrooks.com/dialup/index.cfm?id=2
Background
At the opening of the music video, Brooks explains that the song is written with a double meaning - both as a love songLove song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
about the end of a passionate relationship, and a story of someone dying because of something he believes in, after a moment of glory.
- Key: G Major
- Length - 3:42
Music video
The song's music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by John Lloyd Miller, shows several American icons and examples of people who died for a dream. These include archive footage of the following:
- Lane FrostLane FrostLane Clyde Frost was a professional bull rider and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association member, who died in the arena at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo as a result of injuries sustained riding the bull "Takin' Care of Business".-Early life:Lane was born on October 12, 1963. At that time,...
- World Champion Bull rider, who was killed by a bull after riding it for a full eight seconds in the arena. - Keith WhitleyKeith WhitleyJackie Keith Whitley , known professionally as Keith Whitley, was an American country music singer. Whitley's brief career in mainstream country music lasted from 1984 until his death in 1989, but he continues to influence an entire generation of singers and songwriters...
- Country singer who died from alcohol poisoning. The Whitley scenes featured his then-wife Lorrie MorganLorrie MorganIn 1996 Morgan married Jon Randall, a singer/songwriter now credited with writing the 2004 Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss hit "Whiskey Lullaby"; they divorced three years later in 1999....
. - Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
- BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
ministerMinister of religionIn Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
who is best known for his involvement in the American civil rights movementAfrican-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
and was assassinated in 1968. - The crew of the Space Shuttle ChallengerSpace Shuttle ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
, shortly before it disintegratedSpace Shuttle Challenger disasterThe Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
after its launchSTS-51-LSTS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time an ordinary civilian, schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, had flown aboard the Space Shuttle. The mission used Space Shuttle Challenger, which lifted off from the Launch Complex 39-B on 28 January...
in 1986. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy - President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
who was assassinated in 1963. - John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
- Film actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his roles in Westerns.
It was awarded Video of the Year at the 1990 ACM Music Awards.
Release and reception
Released near the beginning of his career, "The Dance" was a big hit single around the world, including the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, etc, charting inside the British pop Top 40 http://www.zobbel.de/. In 1990, it was titled both Song of the Year and Video of the Year by the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
. It was awarded the #14 position in the CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
100 Greatest Songs of Country Music broadcast and also the #5 position on the network's The Greatest: 100 Greatest Music Videos special.
In 2001, after the death of Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
, Brooks was invited to the NASCAR Awards Ceremony that was honoring Earnhardt to play the song as a tribute.
Track listing
US 7" promotional singleCapitol Nashville NR-44629, 1990
- "The Dance" - 3:37
- "The Dance"
US 7" Jukebox single
Liberty S7-17441-A, 1990
- "The Dance" - 3:41
- "If Tomorrow Never Comes"
UK CD single
Capitol CDCLS-735, 1993
Disc 1
- "The Dance"
- "Friends in Low PlacesFriends in Low Places"Friends in Low Places" is a song released by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was the first single from his second album, No Fences. The song spent four weeks at #1 on the U.S...
" - "Victim of the Game"
- "Kickin' & Screamin'
Disc 2
- "The Dance"
- "Friends in Low Places"
- "The River" (Live acoustic version)
Chart positions
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 36 |
Other cover versions
- Jazz musician Dave KozDave KozDave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
recorded it for his 1999 album, The DanceThe Dance (Dave Koz album)-Personnel:* Dave Koz - Saxophones* Gloria Agustus - Background Vocal* Marc Antoine - Spanish Guitar* Burt Bacharach - Piano* Glen Ballard - Keyboards* David Benoit - Piano* Wayne Bergeron - Flugelhorn, Trumpet* Chris Botti - Trumpet...
. - In 2006, the song was recorded by WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
and included on their album, The Love AlbumThe Love Album (Westlife album)The Love Album is the seventh studio album and second cover album by boy band Westlife from the Republic of Ireland and it was released on 20 November 2006. The songs on the album centers around the theme of "love". During their Face To Face Tour, the band performed "The Dance". The song was said...
. - Country singer Mindy McCreadyMindy McCreadyMelinda Gayle "Mindy" McCready is an American country music singer. Active since 1996, she has recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997's If I Don't Stay the...
recorded it for her 2010 album, I'm Still HereI'm Still Here (album)-Critical reception:Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars, stating "the songs are generally a mixed bag, veering from sweetly melancholy to syrupy, but McCready has never been more sensitive as a vocalist, pulling the album through the rough patches and...
.