The Garth Brooks The Dance Lyrics were written by Tony Arata...see the lyrics for "The Dance" and watch Garth's performance here. . .
The Garth Brooks The Dance Lyrics were written by Tony Arata. Garth Brooks The Dance was released in 1989 and became a country music classic. While visiting The Bobby Bones Show on Tuesday morning, Bobby surprised country music superstar Garth Brooks by playing the original demo of “The Dance,” written and recorded by Tony Arata. This moment was very emotional for Brooks, watch his reaction below!
Let’s take a step back and learn about how the song that ‘no one would touch’ became a massive hit for the Oklahoman. The iconic song is the work of singer-songwriter Tony Arata, who painstakingly worked to perfectly compose the piece and champion his creation. The ballad blossomed into what we now know as Garth Brooks‘ “The Dance,” which originally appeared on the country star’s 1989 self-titled debut album and debuted on the country charts on May 5th, 1990.
According to Nashville-based music publisher Don Tolle, the song was inspired by the Kathleen Turner movie Peggy Sue Got Married. “It just hit me so hard,” Arata explained in a 2013 Tennessean interview about classic song. “It hit me that you don’t get to pick and choose your memories in life. You have to go with things as they play out. You don’t get to alter them.”
Initially, Nashville’s biggest labels passed on “The Dance” despite Tolle and Arata’s determined pitches. After three years of being turned down, the single went to country music newcomer Garth Brooks after the pair met the Oklahoma native at the Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe. Brooks has heard Arata playing “The Dance” and asked for permission to record the track once he singed with a major record label— the rest is history. Watch “The Dance” video and check out the lyrics below.
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known you’d ever say goodbye
And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I’d have to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn’t I the king
But if I’d only known how the king would fall
Hey who’s to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I’d of had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I’d of had to miss the dance
Garth explained the meaning behind the song “The Dance” in an interview. With the release of ‘The Anthology Part I, The First Five Years,’ Garth Brooks explains the story behind The Dance, the final track from his self-titled debut album that is considered by many to be his signature song.
See related article: The Incredible Story Behind Garth Brooks The Dance Song.
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