When Lee Ann Womack emerged on the country music scene in 1997, she was described as “the old-fashioned style of Tammy Wynnette and Dolly Parton.” For her 2000 break-away hit I Hope You Dance, she used some pop elements as well. She hails from Jacksonville, Texas and her country music sound really relfects several themes: heart-break, cheating, love, country living and having a good ole’ time! She was already 32 when she recorded her first album in 1997 but won Top New Female Vocalist from the Country Music Awards (ACMA) and Top Artist of the Year from Billboard.
In 2000 Lee Ann Womack performed I Hope You Dance at the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert. I remember hearing this song on the radio almost every day that year, and I remember this clearly because I was pregnant for most of the year with my number 3 child! Of course, having been made a Mommy twice already, I was already in the frame of mind to want the best for my children as they grew up and that includes the hope that they embrace life and enjoy it to the fullest. The song has been covered by Carrie Underwood and Gladys Knight, to name just a few.
I Hope You Dance ~ Lee Ann Womack
STRUM: D DuDuDu, or uDuD D or any Country style
INTRO: [C] [D] [G] [G], [C] [D] [G] [G]
I [G] hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your [Em] fill to eat but always have that hunger
May you [C] never take one single breath for granted
God for-[D]bid love ever leave you empty-handed
I hope you [C] still feel small when you [D] stand beside the [G] ocean
Whenever [C] one door closes [D] I hope one more [G] opens
Promise [Am] me that you’ll give fate the fighting [C] chance
And when you [D] get the choice to sit it out, or dance
I hope you [Em] dance [C] [G] [D] I hope you [Em] dance [C] [D]
~
I hope you [G] never fear those mountains in the distance
Never [Em] settle for the path of least resistance
Living [C] might mean taking chances, but they’re worth taking
Loving [D] might be a mistake, but it’s worth making
Don’t [C] let some hell-bent [D] heart leave you [G] bitter
When you come [C] close to selling [D] out, recon-[G]sider
Give the [Am] heavens above – more than just – a [C] passing glance
And when you [D] get the choice to sit it out, or dance
I hope you [Em] dance [C] [G] [D] I hope you [Em] dance [C] [D]
(Quitely – single strums)
I hope you [C /] still feel small when you [D /] stand beside the [G /] ocean
Whenever [C /] one door closes [D /] I hope one more [G /] opens
Promise [Am /] me that you’ll give fate the fight-[C /]ing chance
And when you [D /] get the choice to sit it out, or dance…. (slight pause)
(With gusto)
[Em] Dance!!!! [C] [G] [D] I hope you [Em] dance! [C] [D]
I hope you dance [Em] dance! [C] [G] [D] I hope you [Em] dance! [C] [D]
I hope you (slow down)…. [G]….. dance!
Converted to Uke by Cat, from original guitar score in 2011.
That would be She’s Got You, 1962.
Strawberry Wine was the lead-off single from Deana Carter’s debut album Did I Shave My Legs For This? in 1996. The song launched her to country singing stardom when it became a No. 1 hit and was the most successful single song of her career overall. They recorded it in the key of D flat major, which proved difficult to translate to ukulele so I just dropped it down to C.
Country music has really exploded with new sound and trends in the last 2 decades, with hip new stars melding a pop sound into one of the oldest musical genres in North America. With all modesty I have the opinion that Canada seems to produce many talented country and Western music stars, whether they move to Nashville or not.
Cat's Ukulele Songs 