{"id":17073,"date":"2019-07-29T07:44:45","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T13:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1809581"},"modified":"2019-07-29T07:44:45","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T13:44:45","slug":"martina-mcbrides-independence-day-is-burned-into-our-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/music-news\/martina-mcbrides-independence-day-is-burned-into-our-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"Martina McBride\u2019s \u201cIndependence Day\u201d Is Burned into Our Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:ao:image:cmt.com:678935?width=1200&amp;height=675&amp;.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline\">by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/morrise\/\" title=\"Posts by Edward Morris\" rel=\"author\">Edward Morris<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\">15m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/artists\/martina-mcbride\">Martina McBride<\/a> may be second only to Thomas Jefferson in being identified with the word \u201cindependence.\u201d For Jefferson, it was the Declaration of Independence; for McBride, who turns 53 today (July 29), it was the emotionally explosive song and music video, \u201cIndependence Day.\u201d In both instances, the underlying message was \u201cstand up to your oppressor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-five years ago this summer, McBride\u2019s anthem smoldered on the country charts and established her as an artist with something to say.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4VPpAZ9_qAw?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4VPpAZ9_qAw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>Although endowed with a soaring voice, the diminutive McBride\u2019s chief claim to fame until she recorded \u201cIndependence Day\u201d was having been a T-shirt seller for Garth Brooks. Signed to RCA Records, she charted her first single, \u201cThe Time Has Come,\u201d in 1992. It peaked at No. 23, while the two follow-ups died in the low 40s.<\/p>\n<p>McBride got some chart leverage in 1993 when her \u201cMy Baby Loves Me\u201d hit No. 3 and the next year when \u201cLife No. 9\u201d made it to No. 6.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5Q3LyECse3g?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5Q3LyECse3g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>Then came \u201cIndependence Day.\u201d Written by future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Gretchen Peters, it told, through the eyes of a child, the story of an abused wife and mother who burns down her house to kill her abusive husband. (Since the lyrics don\u2019t make it clear, it\u2019s still debated whether or not the wife died in the fire too. The lyrics say the child was sent to \u201cthe county home,\u201d but was it because she\u2019s an orphan or because her mother\u2019s in jail for the crime?)<\/p>\n<p>As dramatic as the song was, it topped out at a modest \u2014 and disappointing \u2014 No. 12. Still, after all these years, it\u2019s the Martina McBride song that everyone who\u2019s ever heard of her knows. It\u2019s to her what \u201cThe Gambler\u201d is to Kenny Rogers or \u201cStand by Your Man\u201d was to Tammy Wynette.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Zbv5iJEDzN8?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Zbv5iJEDzN8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>What propelled \u201cIndependence Day\u201d to the forefront of public consciousness was a remarkable music video, a Felliniesque torrent of black and white footage of the beatings, the bruises, the broken glass, the burning house, an Independence Day parade, clowns pummeling each other and the increasingly haunted face of the child through whose eyes we see the cascading horrors.<\/p>\n<p>The production was so forceful that \u201cIndependence Day\u201d won both the CMA song and video of the year prizes in 1995. It also made McBride a de facto advocate for women\u2019s causes and sparked a series of \u201cindependent women\u201d singles over the years, among them \u201cPhones Are Ringin\u2019 All Over Town,\u201d \u201cSwingin\u2019 Doors,\u201d \u201cCry on the Shoulder of the Road,\u201d \u201cA Broken Wing,\u201d \u201cWrong Again,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s My Time,\u201d \u201cWhen God Fearin\u2019 Women Get the Blues,\u201d \u201cThis One\u2019s for the Girls\u201d and \u201cWrong Baby Wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Gy4Asoj4o08?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Gy4Asoj4o08?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>In spite of her diminished presence on radio, McBride continues to record and tour \u2014 and \u201cIndependence Day\u201d persists as the crowd rouser. She will accept the ACM Cliffie Stone Icon Award in August in recognition of her career achievements.<\/p>\n<p>Let freedom ring.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<div class=\"description\">Edward Morris is a veteran of country music journalism. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a frequent contributor to CMT.com.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1809581\/martina-mcbrides-independence-day-is-burned-into-our-memory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Edward Morris 15m ago Martina McBride may be second only to Thomas Jefferson in being identified with the word \u201cindependence.\u201d For Jefferson, it was the Declaration of Independence; for McBride, who turns 53 today (July 29), it was the emotionally explosive song and music video, \u201cIndependence Day.\u201d In both instances, the underlying message was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-12 17:06:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KRKY Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17073\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}