“I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack and Sons of the Desert
Life is definitely full of adventures, both good and bad. It consists of heart-breaking moments and also, life-defining ones. “I Hope You Dance” encompasses a core message of the things a loved one would wish for the people they love. It is a song about hope, love, faith and most importantly, staying true to oneself despite whatever life brings you.
And when life gets tough, Lee Ann Womack wishes for the addressees to keep fighting the good fight. She also voices out against betraying one’s beliefs or organization for monetary or personal gain. Ultimately, the path to success is never easy and can be met with many temptations and fears, of which she hopes we’d still pursue on with integrity and courage.
In the chorus, Sons of the Desert shares vocals with Womack, summing up life in the few lines they cover. Time is, indeed, forever moving. It doesn’t stop for anybody, and it shouldn’t be filled with regret when you look back to the past.
A Mother’s Message to Her Children
While recording the song, Womack often had her daughters in mind and expressed that the message behind it was exactly what she wished for them and their futures. Her daughters, Aubrie and Anna Lise were also featured on the music video.
Did Lee Ann Womack write “I Hope You Dance”?
Despite this being Womack’s signature song, she didn’t compose it. American country music songwriter Mark D. Sanders composed this track with fellow American songwriter, Tia Sillers. Sanders is a well established songwriter whose discography includes collaborations with Diamond Rio, Tracy Lawrence and John Anderson. Sillers, on the other hand, has worked with the likes of Ronan Keating, Jennifer Lopez and Patti Page.
Release Date
The track was released on 3rd of May, 2000 as part of Womack’s third album, “I Hope You Dance.” Both song and album are products of Universal Music Group Nashville.
The Book and Film titled “I Hope You Dance”
In 2000, “I Hope You Dance” (the book) was released. This very inspirational book, whose message is inspired by the song’s lyrics, went on to become a bestseller. The book, which was also written by the writers of the song features an introduction by Womack. It ended up selling over 2 million copies after being promoted by Oprah. According to Oprah, activist Maya Angelou recommended the song to her as it resonated deeply with her.
In 2015, a 95-minute documentary film titled, “I Hope You Dance: The Power and Spirit of Song” came out. The film sheds light on a number of real-life success stories inspired by this song.
Song’s Success
“I Hope You Dance” was nominated for two awards at the Grammys. One of the nominations was for “Best Country Song”, which it won. The other nomination was in the category of the “Song of the Year“. U2 eventually won this category with their song, “Beautiful Day“.
This song of hope grabbed #1 spots on Canada’s Country Tracks chart and US Hot Country Songs. It also was a top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In 2009, the RIAA certified this song Platinum for selling at least a million copies in the US.
Cover Versions of “I Hope You Dance”
The sheer number of music artists that have covered this powerful ballad is a further testament to its greatness. For example, Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating released his version of this song on 27th September, 2004.
In 2020, Kelly Clarkson performed her version on her “The Kelly Clarkson Show”.
American singer-songwriter Gladys Knight released her version as a single from her album, “Another Journey”. It was released on 19th June, 2013.
Husband and wife duo Caleb + Kelsey also dropped their interpretation of this song on 24th May, 2022.
In 2022, at the ACM Awards, American country music singer, Gabby Barrett, performed “I Hope You Dance” live. Prior to the performance, she referred to it as a personal favorite of hers.
