New Appreciation for Garth Brooks - We Shall Be Free

[TigressDem]

Some little story online about "controversial music lyrics" brought up this song and I think I have heard it but haven't been a major fan of country music because the stations tend to ban people, like the Dixie Chicks and songs like this one. So unlike some songs I can't hear the whole thing in my brain as I read the lyrics.

But THE LYRICS are perfect for NOW. An Anthem for DUers and everyone who wants an America and a World that lives in the mindset of loving others as they are and keeping your own self in line is not only Patriotic but deeply Christian as Jesus never spent time outing gays or worshiping all the rich folk for their blessed selves.


https://www.facebook.com/GarthBrooks/videos/we-shall-be-free/1314014632011300/


https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garthbrooks/weshallbefree.html


Garth Brooks Lyrics
"We Shall Be Free"

This ain't comin' from no prophet
Just an ordinary man
When I close my eyes I see
The way this world shall be
When we all walk hand in hand

When the last child cries for a crust of bread
When the last man dies for just words that he said
When there's a shelter over the poorest head
We shall be free

When the last thing we notice is the color of skin
And the first thing we look for is the beauty within
When the skies and the oceans are clean again
Then we shall be free

We shall be free
We shall be free
Stand straight, walk proud
'Cause we shall be free
When we're free to love anyone we choose
When this world's big enough for all different views
When we all can worship from our own kind of pew
Then we shall be free
We shall be free

We shall be free
Have a little faith
Hold out
'Cause we shall be free

And when money talks for the very last time
And nobody walks a step behind
When there's only one race and that's mankind
Then we shall be free

We shall be free
We shall be free
Stand straight, walk proud, have a little faith, hold out
We shall be free

We shall be free
We shall be free
Stand straight, have a little faith

We shall be free




Garth Brooks wrote this song in response to the 1992 Los Angeles Riots when the six-day disturbance spread through the city including the beating of Rodney King, an African American taxi driver, by the police.

Many radio stations refused to play this track because of the line "When we're free to love anyone we choose". This message was seen as a call to defend gay rights. That's why Garth Brooks missed the country chart's top 10 for the first time.

The singer recalled the controversy in a 1993 Rolling Stone interview, "I feel bad any time somebody brings up the Christian aspect against 'We Shall Be Free'. Because it was meant to be a gospel song. It was meant to be the truth as I saw it. And being called Brutus and Judas, all kinds of things, really hurts. I do believe that God exists. I do believe in the Bible. But I can't see that loving somebody is a sin."

For his second compilation album, "The Hits", Garth Brooks wrote, "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."

[TigressDem]

1. The Muppets Version

[CentralMass]

2. I will have to reassess my opinion of him as well.

[highplainsdem]

3. I was a Garth Brooks fan even before he recorded this song, but it made me admire him

even more. Especially when he succeeded in getting the very controversial video shown before the Super Bowl in 1993. He was scheduled to sing the national anthem, but told them he wouldn't unless they aired his video first.

I've posted the video he forced them to show here: https://democraticunderground.com/103481144 .

Your OP reminded me of that confrontation. I thought about posting it in a reply here, but the video and the controversy deserved attention, and people don' t always read replies or even glance at them. But I wanted to link to it here, and to thank you for the reminder.

[TigressDem]

4. I saw that, thanks.

Mostly because I thought of Country as "my Dad's music" and was not fond of the old twangy tunes and whinny attitude.

I preferred blues and rock or pop or even classical.

Love Cuban Fusion Jazz that takes classical and amps it up with samba and other rhythms.

Like the Klazz Brothers.

I am an odd child. I know.

So I never disliked Garth, just never realized he had the chops to stand up to the system.

[highplainsdem]

5. Had never heard the Klazz Brothers, but I like that video! Thanks for

posting it!

And I don' t think you were "odd" to feel that way about your dad's music, and want something different.

My dad liked the Rat Pack, big bands, and jazz. I wanted to hear rock and blues.

But I like all kinds of music.

[TigressDem]

6. I've been called "ecclectic" in my music taste.

When I was a toddler, Mom said I used to go and turn up the TV when there was a classical music program playing Beethoven.

Got to school and joined choir, kept it up through college and church.

Journey was one of the groups I loved.

Any power ballad by someone like Celine or Cher or Streisand.

My BFF says the main thread through every thing I like is they are "story songs" IE: must tell a story about life or love.

[highplainsdem]

7. IMO eclectic is always good.

Last edited Sun Aug 28, 2022, 03:33 PM - Edit history (1)

That's cool that as a toddler you would always turn up the TV to hear Beethoven louder.

I had almost no exposure to classical music when I was a kid, until a music teacher - I was in 5th or 6th grade - decided to play parts of a couple dozen symphonies for us, telling us to make notes and remember for testing later in the semester. I loved the music but the notes couldn't have been too helpful since I couldn't have had the vocabulary I needed. But the music hit me hard enough that when the teacher played it again a few weeks later and asked the students to identify each selection, I was the only one to get them all right. (I have a weird memory.)

I like Journey, though I usually prefer harder rock.

And I do like power ballads, though these days I can't hear, say, Lady Gaga or Adele without wanting to replace the vocals in at least one section of the song with an instrumental section, preferably guitar. I'm weird that way.

One of my favorite power ballads. This was the second Top 10 single off an album that reached #2 on the UK charts. The Seahorses, the short-lived band formed by guitarist John Squire of the Stone Roses, after the Roses broke up the first time.

[TigressDem]

8. Lately I'm into Accappella groups, like Voice Play and Home Free

My husband got me watching them, and the bass in Voice Play actually teaches online courses on how to use subvocals to get even lower in a range, although he can actually go to A1, B1 on the standard scale.

AND he does some good work even in tenor area. Geoff Castelucci has like a 7 octave range. That was also why I liked Journey, Steve Perry had what I thought was a huge range at the time due to his falsetto work.

Never even knew I wanted Norse Sea Shanty music in my life until this video from Voice Play. Between the beat boxer, Lane and Eli the high tenor and guest Rosario, J None kinda got a little lost, but his costume was cool.

[TigressDem]

9. Like I said, not much into country, but an exception is Elvira with Home Free and the Oak Ridge Boys

[TigressDem]

10. Here is a Queen Mashup by VoicePlay

[highplainsdem]

11. I have to admit I'm not usually a big fan of a cappella music, but VoicePlay

and Home Free are both really, really good, and I'll check out more of their music. Thanks!

[TigressDem]

12. I was in Accappella in High School, and a few things we did were awesome, but these guys!!

We once won a competition in Mexico City.

We had this Ave Maria we did that was so different that people didn't clap at first because it was like just WHOA.

But other than that, give me drums, dance beat, lots of guitar and bass.

Thing is Voice Play manages a lot of that with the beat boxer and Geoff doing rhythm.

I think it's the creativity that gets me though.

[highplainsdem]

13. That must've been an amazing performance of Ave Maria! Kudos on

winning the competition!