Martina McBride released her honky tonk-flavored debut album The Time Has Come in 1992. Her first big hit was the single "My Baby Loves Me" from her more pop-oriented second album, 1993's The Way That I Am. She became even more visible in 1994 with the crossover success of her anti-domestic violence anthem "Independence Day", also from this album.
In 1995 McBride released the album Wild Angels; "Safe in the Arms of Love" and the title track were country hits, later being her first #1 hit. Her 1997 album Evolution sold over two million units, and included an adult contemporary crossover hit in "Valentine" as well as four number one or number two country hits. The album Emotion came out in 1999; "I Love You" was a big hit in both country and adult contemporary circles. So was the socially conscious "Love's the Only House", a trend that would continue with 2003's "This One's for the Girls", which would become the theme song for the 2005 NCAA Women's Basketball championship tournament. [1] This was followed by the hit singles "How Far" (written by fellow country singer Jamie O'Neal) and "God's Will".
The Long Distance Lullaby Songfacts states that Eleven was Martina's first album for Republic Nashville, ending a 20 year association with RCA. Label head Scott Borchetta encouraged her to write more songs for the record than she had on any of her previous 10 albums, and she ended up co-writing six of the 11 tracks. Eleven was released October 11, 2011.
As of 2005 McBride is generally recognized as one of the top female singers in popular music; with her strong and pure soprano voice she has been labelled "the Céline Dion of country music." Also in 2005 she released a 18-track CD of classic country music standards, which landed at #1 on the Billboard Country Album Chart in its opening week and received much critical acclaim for its authenticity towards traditional country.
She is a four-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year winner (a record she holds with Reba McEntire), three-time Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year winner and a Grammy Award winner. This left-hander performed The Star-Spangled Banner at Game 3 of the 2004 World Series.
"Independence Day" is used as the introductory music for Sean Hannity's popular talk radio show. McBride has appeared at benefit events organized by Hannity, but has declined to take an active political stance. [2] McBride has performed free for fans, such as in a July 3, 2004 show in Owensboro, Kentucky to celebrate the grand opening of the new Independence Bank headquarters.
Recently she helped out contestants on the Canadian version of "American Idol". The winner worked on a song with McBride as well as went on tour with her across Canada.
Martina has sold over 13 million albums in USA alone.
Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Martina McBride Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you're puttin' on the style
And you've never once looked back
At your home across the track.
You're the gossip of the town
But my heart can still be found
Where you tossed it to the ground.
Pick me up on your way down.
Pick me up on your way down,
When you're blue and all alone
When their glamor starts to bore you,
Come on back where you belong.
You may be their pride and joy,
But they'll find another toy
And they'll take away your crown,
Pick me up on your way down.
They have changed your attitude,
Made you haughty and so rude,
Your new friends can take the blame,
Underneath you're still the same.
When you learn these things are true
I'll be waiting here for you,
As you tumble to the ground
Pick me up on your way down.
The song Pick Me Up On Your Way Down by Martina McBride tells the story of a protagonist who has been jilted by their lover. The opening lines suggest that the lovers were only together for a short while, but the other person has moved on and is now "puttin' on the style", which means that they have become pretentious and have adopted a new persona. However, the singer's heart is still with the other person, even though they have been publicly humiliated by their abandonment. The singer's sense of pride and dignity has been affected, but they still hope that the other person will return to them.
The chorus, "Pick me up on your way down", is a plea to the other person to come back to the singer when they are feeling lonely and dejected. The singer acknowledges that the other person may be admired by their new social circle, but they will eventually tire of them and discard them. The singer is willing to forgive and forget if the other person realizes that they have made a mistake by leaving. The final verse suggests that the other person's new friends have had a negative impact on their behavior, but the singer still believes that they are the same person underneath the fashionable veneer. They promise to be waiting for them with open arms when they eventually come crashing back down to reality.
Line by Line Meaning
You were mine for just a while,
We had a brief relationship in the past,
Now you're puttin' on the style
You're displaying a new persona or image,
And you've never once looked back
You haven't shown any remorse for leaving or hurting me,
At your home across the track.
At your lower-class neighborhood,
You're the gossip of the town
Everyone is talking about you and your new lifestyle,
But my heart can still be found
I'm still in love with you despite everything,
Where you tossed it to the ground.
Where you left me broken-hearted,
Pick me up on your way down.
Come back to me when your facade fades and you hit rock bottom.
When you're blue and all alone
When you're feeling down and have no one else to turn to,
When their glamor starts to bore you,
When you realize that your new lifestyle isn't as fulfilling as you thought it would be,
Come on back where you belong.
Return to your roots and to the person who truly cares about you,
You may be their pride and joy,
You may be their cherished and prized possession,
But they'll find another toy
They'll move on to the next shiny thing that catches their eye,
And they'll take away your crown,
And they'll strip you of your status and influence,
Pick me up on your way down.
I'll still be here for you when you come crashing down from your pedestal.
They have changed your attitude,
They have influenced you to adopt a different mindset and behavior,
Made you haughty and so rude,
They have inflated your ego and made you arrogant and disrespectful,
Your new friends can take the blame,
Your new associates can bear responsibility for your behavior,
Underneath you're still the same.
Despite your transformation, you're still the person I loved,
When you learn these things are true
When you realize that your new life isn't as great as it appears,
I'll be waiting here for you,
I'll still be here, holding onto hope that we can be together again,
As you tumble to the ground
As you fall from grace and lose everything,
Pick me up on your way down.
I'll still be here to catch you and help you start again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, LEGACY OF HARLAN PERRY HOWARD, LLC
Written by: Harlan Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind