Unanswered Prayers
Encyclopedia
"Unanswered Prayers" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American
Country Music
artist Garth Brooks
which hit #1 on the country billboard charts in 1990. It debuted on his second album No Fences
and also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series
, and Double Live. It was written by Brooks, Pat Alger
and Larry Bastian.
The song is one of Brooks' most popular recordings, and is one of the key tracks that helped his No Fences album stay on the top of the charts for many months (the album spent over 30 weeks at #1 on Billboards Country Charts).
"Man, 'Unanswered Prayers' was a big part of my heart that went out on that record. A true life thing that happened to Sandy and myself. In October of '89, I saw my old high school flame. And I can say this now at the time I couldn't. For the first two years of my married life, I really thought the girl that was for me was still that girl that was in high school. And now man just the realization that what you have is the best for you, and the best you could ever do in your lifetime. It sure makes you sleep well at night."
Garth provided the following background information on the song in the CD booklet liner notes from The Hits:
"Pat Lager and I worked on this song quite a long time without a hook, without the line. We passed it by Larry Bastian and it was as if it was meant to be. Larry, his wife Myrna and I were taking a walk down 18th Avenue, and he looked at me and said, 'Oh, that's simple. This song should be called 'Unanswered Prayers' because some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.' This is probably the truest song I have ever been involved with as a writer. This actually happened to my wife and me when we went back home to Oklahoma. Ever time I sing this song, it teaches me the same lesson... happiness isn't getting what you want, it is wanting what you've got."
, a co-writer of the song, recorded his own version of "Unanswered Prayers" in 1994. It was included as the closing track on his album Seeds.
Tony Oller
was in a TV version of this song
that appeared on Lifetime TV network in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Country Music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Garth Brooks
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...
which hit #1 on the country billboard charts in 1990. It debuted on his second album No Fences
No Fences
No Fences is the second studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 27, 1990 and reached #3 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart...
and also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series
The Limited Series (1998 box set)
The Limited Series is a box set released by country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on May 5, 1998 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the Top Country Albums chart with 372,410 copies sold. It features re-issues of Garth's first six albums, with a bonus track added to each...
, and Double Live. It was written by Brooks, Pat Alger
Pat Alger
Pat Alger is a country music songwriter, singer and guitarist.-Biography:Alger attended Georgia Tech studying architecture but decided to concentrate on writing songs. He started as a solo folk performer at folk clubs...
and Larry Bastian.
The song is one of Brooks' most popular recordings, and is one of the key tracks that helped his No Fences album stay on the top of the charts for many months (the album spent over 30 weeks at #1 on Billboards Country Charts).
Content
A man runs into his high school sweetheart at a football game in their hometown. As he introduces her to his wife, he reminisces about that past relationship and how he had once prayed so fervently that this girl would be his significant other forever. He realizes that both of them have changed and then looks to his wife and realizes that God knew what He was doing all along.Background and Production
According to Brooks, the song is based on a true story:"Man, 'Unanswered Prayers' was a big part of my heart that went out on that record. A true life thing that happened to Sandy and myself. In October of '89, I saw my old high school flame. And I can say this now at the time I couldn't. For the first two years of my married life, I really thought the girl that was for me was still that girl that was in high school. And now man just the realization that what you have is the best for you, and the best you could ever do in your lifetime. It sure makes you sleep well at night."
Garth provided the following background information on the song in the CD booklet liner notes from The Hits:
"Pat Lager and I worked on this song quite a long time without a hook, without the line. We passed it by Larry Bastian and it was as if it was meant to be. Larry, his wife Myrna and I were taking a walk down 18th Avenue, and he looked at me and said, 'Oh, that's simple. This song should be called 'Unanswered Prayers' because some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.' This is probably the truest song I have ever been involved with as a writer. This actually happened to my wife and me when we went back home to Oklahoma. Ever time I sing this song, it teaches me the same lesson... happiness isn't getting what you want, it is wanting what you've got."
Chart positions
| Chart (1990-1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Other versions
Pat AlgerPat Alger
Pat Alger is a country music songwriter, singer and guitarist.-Biography:Alger attended Georgia Tech studying architecture but decided to concentrate on writing songs. He started as a solo folk performer at folk clubs...
, a co-writer of the song, recorded his own version of "Unanswered Prayers" in 1994. It was included as the closing track on his album Seeds.
Tony Oller
Tony Oller
Tony Oller is an American actor and musician from Cypress, Texas. He is known for his role as Walt Moore on Gigantic, Jesse in Lifetime's "Unanswered Prayers". and as Daniel "Danny" Neilson on As the Bell Rings.-Career:...
was in a TV version of this song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
that appeared on Lifetime TV network in 2010.