With more than 64 million albums sold worldwide, 18 #1 singles, with seven as co-writes, Seven Grammys, and countless other accolades---all achieved with four albums in less than eight years---some artists might feel as though they’d earned the right to rest on their laurels, but not Carrie Underwood. Fueled by a restless creative spirit, good-natured competitive streak and abundance of God-given talent, Carrie unleashes her most ambitious project yet with Blown Away.
Teaming again with producer Mark Bright, Carrie delivers a 14-song collection that covers a particularly vast expanse of emotional territory. She celebrates the understated pleasures of small town living in “Thank God for Hometowns” and explores the exquisite fragility of life in “Forever Changed.” She’s not averse to tackling abuse and betrayal then doling out a little sweet revenge with such compelling tracks as “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs.” Musically the songs range from rollicking up-tempo anthems, such as the hit first single “Good Girl” to the island-flavored escape of “One Way Ticket” and the steel guitar-laced country lament of “Wine After Whiskey.”
Such musical and lyrical diversity is the foundation of Carrie’s artistry. After all, this is a young woman who has performed with Steven Tyler on a top-rated edition of CMT’s “Crossroads,” scored a No. 1 country hit with good friend Brad Paisley on “Remind Me,” and sang with the iconic Tony Bennett on the 2012 Grammy telecast, delivering the classic “It Had to be You,” their collaboration on Bennett’s Duets II album.
The Oklahoma native is a fan of all types of music, yet she’s purposefully planted herself in the country format, even while her eclectic tastes have influenced her creative output. She’s been careful to not get pigeonholed and prides herself on not being predictable. “I feel like I’ve taken all of my albums into as many different directions as possible while still keeping them cohesive,” she says. “I love this album from start to finish and love every song on it. There’s not one single song that’s like another song I’ve ever done. I think it’s my best album. I really do think there’s something for everyone.”
Her ability to be unique yet accessible has been crucial to Carrie’s career from the beginning. She became America’s sweetheart in 2005 when she won the fourth season of American Idol, a vehicle that transformed her from a shy Oklahoma girl with a great voice to a budding superstar. Since then she’s become the popular franchise’s most successful alumni.
She’s won a vast array of awards including three female vocalist awards from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). In 2010, when Carrie garnered her second win as ACM Entertainer of the Year, she became the first female artist to win the award twice, and only the 7th female to take the award in the 40-year history of the ACM category, among Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, and the Dixie Chicks. Carrie also received the ACM Triple Crown Award, thanks to her past wins for the categories of Entertainer of the Year, Top Female Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist, which has been won by only one other female artist – Barbara Mandrell in 2004. In addition to the above, Carrie’s won 7 American Music Awards, 6 People’s Choice Awards, 9 CMT Music Awards, 9 American Country Awards, and 7 BMI Songwriter Awards. Carrie also received a Golden Globe nomination in 2010 for “Best Original Song” for “There’s A Place For Us” from Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader which she both recorded and co-wrote.
Carrie’s 2005 debut Some Hearts topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart for 27 weeks, has sold over 7 million copies, and was voted #1 Country Album of the Decade by Billboard. Both her 2007 sophomore album, Carnival Ride and 2009’s Play On debuted at No. 1. Her current album, Blown Away, debuted atop the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, where it held the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks. Over the course of four albums, she’s saturated country radio with such hits as “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Before He Cheats,” “So Small,” “Last Name,” “Just A Dream,” “Cowboy Casanova,” “Temporary Home,” “All-American Girl,” “Undo It,” “Mama’s Song,” “Good Girl,” and “Blown Away.”
Carrie’s highly acclaimed concert tours have further helped to establish her into the elite status of the country music community, or in any genre of music, with her stellar performances. In 2008, after wrapping her “Carnival Ride Tour” she became the top selling country female touring artist of the year selling out many of the 137 shows before 1.2 million fans. In that year, Carrie also became the most-heard artist at country radio and was named the #1 Hot Country Songs Artist by Billboard and #1 Top Country Artist by Radio & Records. In 2010, her next headline arena tour, the “Play On Tour,” played 108 shows with one million fans attending which resulted in Carrie being named again as the top-ranked female country touring artist of the year. Carrie is currently on her critically-acclaimed international “Blown Away Tour”, which began at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall, and continued throughout Australia, before launching in North America in September of 2012.
Carrie is a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry and expanded her resume making her acting debut in the 2011 film “Soul Surfer.” She can be seen in print and TV ads as the North American face of Olay beauty products, and has a long-running deal with vitaminwater®. One of Country Music’s most respected young ambassadors, Carrie has served as co-host of the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley the past five years.
Yet for those who think they know Carrie, Blown Away is likely to catch them by surprise, particularly the cinematic title track with its swirling, atmospheric production and intense lyric about abuse and revenge. “I got chills,” she says of the first time she heard the Josh Kear/Chris Tompkins penned stunner. “I remember where I was when I heard it and called my manager and said, ‘Do not let anyone else have this song. It’s my song’ . . . It’s such a visual song. You listen to it and you can see everything that is happening. It’s so dramatic. I’m not a drama person, but when you can make a movie in song form in 3 ½ minutes, it’s surreal.”
“Blown Away” finds a daughter getting revenge on an abusive, alcoholic father and the next song, “Two Black Cadillacs,” also has a larger-than-life cinematic quality which makes both tunes feel like mini-movies set to music. “Two Black Cadillacs” relates the story of a wife and mistress who conspire to get even with the man who betrayed them both. “It’s just more drama,” says Carrie, who co-wrote the tune with Josh Kear and Hillary Lindsey. “It was so much fun creating all this drama and singing about it. That’s the great thing about being an entertainer; you’re just a big actor. When we start sitting down and writing songs, you just never know what’s going to come out.”
Carrie co-wrote eight of the 14 songs on Blown Away, including the first single, Good Girl" which reached number 1 on the country airplay charts and is certified platinum. ‘Good Girl’ was one of the last ones I wrote for the album,” she says of the tune she penned with Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley. “We wanted something a little more fun and up-tempo. Chris DeStefano is just a mad scientist with his Pro Tools and he can play every instrument. We walked out of that writing session with a demo. It sounded awesome. It was ready to go. We let everybody hear it and everybody was so excited.”
“Cupid’s Got a Shotgun” is another of the album’s high-energy tracks and it gets an extra kick from Paisley contributing his signature guitar licks. “Once we got into the studio, I was like Brad Paisley HAS to play on this. He’ll make the song,” Carrie says of the tune, she wrote with Kear and Tompkins. “We left so much space in the song for him to come in and play. He did his thing and sounded awesome. He added that last piece of the puzzle and it’s just so country. It’s really cool.”
In addition to being musically inventive, Carrie has long been known for delivering songs with substance, and the new album delivers its share of potent messages. “Nobody Ever Told You,” which Carrie wrote with Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, boasts an empowering lyric and a breezy, engaging melody. “People need to hear compliments more,” she says of the song’s life-affirming lyric. “People need to hear ‘I love you’ more. People need to hear ‘You are beautiful’ more.”
“Good in Goodbye,” co-written by Carrie, Lindsey and Ryan Tedder, is a bittersweet look at life beyond heartbreak that offers tender truth in the lines “As bad as it was/As bad as it hurt/I thank God I didn’t get what I thought I deserved.” On the other end of the emotional spectrum, “Thank God for Hometowns” is a sweet salute to small town life. “I heard that one when I was going back to my 10 year high school reunion,” the Checotah, OK native says. “I listened to the demo when I was driving in to go stay with my parents. It was just very fitting in my heart at that time.”
“Forever Changed” is a beautiful ballad that brings tears to Carrie’s eyes as she discusses it. “I had a hard time recording it and I still have a hard time listening to it,” she says of the Tom Douglas/Hillary Lindsey/James T. Slater penned ballad. “That is the most wonderfully well written song I’ve ever heard in my life. There’s this young girl meeting the love of her life, getting married and having a baby. It takes you back in time and there is something old fashioned about it. At the end, the mom’s obviously slipping a way a little bit. It is a sad song, but it’s not meant to be a sad song. It’s about love, being forever changed, forever loved.”
In a few short years, Carrie has seen the power music has to change lives---to incite dialog, to instill hope, and to simply entertain. She’s aware of the platform she’s been given. She respects it and appreciates every moment. “I’m very happy in my life and I count my blessings every day,” she says. “Seven years ago when I decided to try out for American Idol, my life changed completely in the blink of an eye. I went down a different train track and took off at about a million miles per hour. I feel like I’m still learning. In the beginning, it was like, ‘Oh, I have a No. 1. That’s awesome!’ I didn’t really understand what that meant. ‘Jesus, Take The Wheel’ and ‘Before He Cheats’ were No. 1 for several weeks, and that doesn’t happen often, but I had no idea. I realize now what hard work it actually is and I feel like I can appreciate those victories even more. Touring is more fun because I know what it’s like to headline a tour. I feel like I’m able to be more and more creative all the time. I always feel like I’m taking steps forward.”
Independence Day
Carrie Underwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though she looked a little worried and weak
She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again
But daddy left the proof on her cheek
And I was only eight years old that summer
And I always seemed to be in the way
So I took myself down to the fair in town
On Independence Day
Well word gets around in a small, small town
They said he was a dangerous man
But mama was proud and she stood her ground
She knew she was on the losin' end
Some folks whispered, some folks talked
But everybody looked the other way
And when time ran out, there was no one about
On Independence Day
Let freedom ring
Let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know
That today is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong
Let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
On Independence Day
Well she lit up the sky the fourth of July
By the time that the firemen came
They just put out the flames and took down some names
And sent me to the county home
Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong
But maybe it's the only way
Talk about your revolution
It's Independence Day
Let freedom ring
Let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know
That today is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong
Let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
On Independence Day
The song "Independence Day" by Carrie Underwood tells a story about a little girl who witnesses domestic violence in her family, and how it eventually leads to her mother setting fire to their house in an act of rebellion and liberation. As the song begins, it is dawn on July 4th and the girl notices her mother's bruises from her father’s abuse. The mother tries to hide the signs but cannot conceal them. The girl, feeling like a burden, decides to go to the town's fair. Meanwhile, in the small town, the rumors spread that her mother is in danger, but no one intervenes. The mother eventually decides to take matters into her own hands, setting fire to the house and committing suicide in the process.
The song sends a strong message about the issues of domestic violence, small town gossip, and the powerful impact of Independence Day. This is a story about a mother who, after years of suffering, decides to liberate herself, and in that process, she breaks free from the abusive cycle but sacrifices her own life in the process of doing so. It's a shout-out to everyone who has ever had to fight for their independence and freedom, from an abusive home, from a toxic relationship or even from a small town.
Line by Line Meaning
Well she seemed alright by dawn's early light
At the beginning of the day, the singer's mother appeared okay
Though she looked a little worried and weak
However, she seemed slightly concerned and not completely healthy
She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again
She attempted to ignore the fact that her husband was an alcoholic
But daddy left the proof on her cheek
But her husband physically abused her, leaving a visible mark on her face
And I was only eight years old that summer
During that time, the artist was only eight years old
And I always seemed to be in the way
Feeling like a burden, the singer always felt like they were in the middle of things
So I took myself down to the fair in town
Therefore, the singer went to the local fair
On Independence Day
It happened to be July 4th, the day of American independence celebrations
Well word gets around in a small, small town
In a small town, it's easy for news to spread
They said he was a dangerous man
People in town perceived the mother's abusive husband as a threat
But mama was proud and she stood her ground
Despite that, the singer's mother was proud and stood up for herself
She knew she was on the losin' end
Despite knowing that she didn't have the upper hand, she still stood up to her husband
Some folks whispered, some folks talked
People in the town gossiped and murmured about the family's situation
But everybody looked the other way
Despite the abuse being quite noticeable, people ignored it
And when time ran out, there was no one about
When everything came to a head, no one was there to help
On Independence Day
Again, this incident happened on the same day as the American celebration of independence
Let freedom ring
The chorus of the song repeatedly states to let freedom ring
Let the white dove sing
The song calls for peace to prevail, as represented by a white dove
Let the whole world know
The song asks for the news of change to spread everywhere
That today is a day of reckoning
Today is the day that wrongs will be righted, and the guilty will be punished
Let the weak be strong
Let the ones who have been downtrodden be empowered
Let the right be wrong
Things that were once deemed as right may now be realized as wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
The song calls for the hiding of the bad things to be brought to the forefront
Well she lit up the sky the fourth of July
The mother set their house on fire on July 4th, Independence Day
By the time that the firemen came
The authorities arrived significantly after the incident had occurred
They just put out the flames and took down some names
The authorities simply contained the situation and got some information
And sent me to the county home
As a result of the mother's actions, the singer was sent to a care facility
Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong
Finally, the song acknowledges the ambivalence of the artist's mother's action
But maybe it's the only way
Perhaps, the mother thought that this was the only course of action for her and her child
Talk about your revolution
The song compares the mother's actions to a revolution, indicating their importance and gravity
It's Independence Day
The song ends by repeating the phrase that symbolizes freedom and taking action
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gretchen Peters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hridoye Bangladesh, from Bangladesh
Lyrics:(গানের কথা): দুর্বলকে শক্তিশালী হতে দিন..👍
Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today, is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay,
it's Independence Day
গানের কথা:
স্বাধীনতা বেজে উঠুক, সাদা ঘুঘু গান করুক
গোটা বিশ্ব জানুক আজ হিসাব-নিকাশের দিন
দুর্বলকে শক্তিশালী হতে দিন, সঠিককে ভুল হতে দিন
পাথরটি সরিয়ে দাও, দোষীদের শাস্তি দিতে দিন,
এটি স্বাধীনতা
blackberryheels
I agree. Simon's prediction came true, she has sold the most albums. And won the most music awards. Go Carrie!! < 3 She made me like country music. xD
felldowntherabbitho13
CAN SHE GET ANY BETTER???!! God, I always have goosebumps when I hear her sing!! AMAZING!!!
rnasap
You don't take on a song like this without some balls, and she pulled it off, just a glimpse of thing to come.
Hilary
anyone that can sing Independence Day like Martina is an AMAZING artist in my book. I don't care how they got where they are, they certainly know how to sing!!!!
chrispynov1963
Not a huge fan of Carrie, but you gotta give her credit, she did a damn good job on this song ! Martina would be proud!
Joe19904
She is so great. I love Martina's version but this is even better. This little girl is just getting started. Watch out world, here she comes.
lcl0784
She's amazing, this performance rivals that of McBride's. Carrie, you rock!!!
Sean Serritella
She did a better job with this version than in the finale.
Debbie Rodriguez
Bless this girl, she can sing!!! Love her!!!
THSChoir
She has a fantastic voice. She is unique. I am glad she won.