Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” topped country chart

I Hope You Dance Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert

Writer(s): Mark D. Sanders, Tia Sillers (see lyrics here) First Charted: March 25, 2000 Peak: 14 US, 24 RR, 111 AC, 13 A40, 15 CW, 40 UK, 75 CN, 65 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.09 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.94 radio, 79.2 video, 94.03 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “I Hope You Dance” was a mid-tempo country pop ballad which encourages one to live life to the fullest. Tia Sillers, one of the songwriters, said she was going through a painful divorce when writing the song. During a beach vacation, she said, “I felt so small and inconsequential…As I was leaving the beac, I remember thinking that things weren’t really so bad, that I would get through it.” SF It has become adopted as an anthem for people who’ve lost someone as well as a message from parent to child about “taking chances and not being afraid to try something new.” SF Womack dedicated the song to her daughters Aubrie (9) and Anna Lisa (1), AMG who appeared in the video with her. Billboard magazine called it “a career record…It’s one of those life-affirming songs that makes you pause and take stock of how you’re living…Her sweet, vulnerable voice perfectly captures the tender sentiment of the lyric.” WK USA Today’s Ken Barnes said, “Uplifting message song whose greeting-card sentiments and imprecise rhymes are outweighed by a gorgeous performance by today’s reigning pure-country vocalist.” WK Womack talked about the song on The Early Show, saying “I can’t predict if something’s going to be a big hit or not. But it certainly hit home with a lot of people.” WK On The Today Show, she said, “You can’t hear those lyrics and not think about children and…hope for the future and things you want for them…It turned into like a prom and graduation theme.” WK The song cleaned up on awards, taking Song and Single of the Year honors from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. It also won the Grammy for Country Song of the Year and was named the BMI Country Song of the Year. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lee Ann Womack AMG All Music Guide SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 11/1/2021; last updated 10/23/2022.