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“I Saw My High School Flame” – Garth Brooks Explains How His Early ’90s Hit, “Unanswered Prayers,” Came To Be
Garth Brooks giving a little bit more insight into one of his big hits from the 90s.
It’s always interesting to peek into an artist’s mind and see how a song came to be. Some songs are probably obvious (beer drinking songs are often inspired by… drinking beers), but others with more depth can always leave the listener wondering, “How did this one come together?”
If you’ve ever asked that question about Garth Brooks’ “Unanswered Prayers,” he actually included the story that inspired this song in the liner notes of his 1994 compilation album The Hits. The track, which was included in his sophomore album No Fences, was co-written by Garth, Pat Alger and Larry Bastian.
And as Garth explained, his co-writers had a big role in bringing the song to life:
“Pat Alger and I worked on this song quite a long time without a hook, without the line. We passed it by Larry Bastian, and it was as if it was meant to be. Larry, his wife Myrna, and I were taking a walk down 18th Avenue, and he looked at me and said, ‘Oh, that’s simple. This song should be called ‘Unanswered Prayers’ because some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.’”
The hit song from Garth explains God working through unanswered prayers by telling the story about a husband and wife running into the man’s high school sweetheart. The husband realizes that if the Lord would have answered his prayers to keep he and his high school love together, he wouldn’t have ever met and married his wife.
As made evident in the chorus:
“Sometimes, I thank God, for unanswered prayersRemember, when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairsAnd just because, he doesn’t answer, doesn’t mean he don’t careSome of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers.”
It’s an interesting way to tell the story, and Garth describes it as the “truest song” he’s ever penned:
“This is probably the truest song I have ever been involved with as a writer. This actually happened to my wife and me when we went back home to Oklahoma. Every time I sing this song, it teaches me the same lesson… happiness isn’t getting what you want, it is wanting what you’ve got.”
In a 1995 radio special, Garth went into more detail:
“Man, ‘Unanswered Prayers’ was a big part of my heart that went out on that record. A true life thing that happened to Sandy and myself. In October of ’89, I saw my old high school flame. And I can say this now at the time I couldn’t. For the first two years of my married life, I really thought the girl that was for me was still that girl that was in high school. And now man just the realization that what you have is the best for you, and the best you could ever do in your lifetime. It sure makes you sleep well at night.”
The only problem? Garth Brooks wrote and released that song while he was with his first wife, Sandy Mahl. They divorced in 2001, and Brooks later married Trisha Yearwood in 2005. So maybe the song doesn’t match up perfectly with the romance in Garth’s own life? Then again, maybe Brooks was always meant to be with Yearwood? That’s all unknown, but what is known is that “Unanswered Prayers” was a massive hit for the country music star.
It was a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 1991, and helped Garth’s No Fences album stay at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Charts for over 30 straight weeks. Fans really connected with the song, and the hit helped propel Garth Brooks into country music stardom. Ironically, it sounds like “Unanswered Prayers” may have been an answered prayer?
“Unanswered Prayers” by Garth Brooks
The post “I Saw My High School Flame” – Garth Brooks Explains How His Early ’90s Hit, “Unanswered Prayers,” Came To Be first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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