Garth Brooks' "Learning to Live Again": Exploring Cover Versions and the Song's Enduring Appeal
Garth Brooks' rendition of "Learning to Live Again" stands as a poignant exploration of loss, loneliness, and the tentative steps toward rediscovering life after heartbreak. Written by Don Schlitz and Stephanie Davis, the song became a significant hit for Brooks, released in January 1993 as the third single from his album, The Chase. It ascended to the top of the charts, solidifying its place in country music history. While information on official cover versions of "Learning to Live Again" is scarce, the song's themes resonate universally. Examining the song itself, its context within Brooks' career, and the broader landscape of cover songs will illuminate why it has touched so many.
The Original's Story: Loneliness and the Courage to Reconnect
"Learning to Live Again" is a ballad that tells the story of a man grappling with the emotional scars of a past relationship. The narrator expresses feelings of isolation and doubts about his ability to "live again," reflecting a common struggle after experiencing loss. His friends arrange a double date for him at a small café. He feels out of place but is getting along with his date. She asks him to dance but he's forgotten her name. The chorus describes how learning to live again as a single man is killing him. As the evening ends, he musters the courage to ask if he can see her again after kissing her on the cheek on her porch. There is a revelation that she is also learning to live again, but he doesn't know it. This revelation adds a layer of hope, suggesting that both individuals are on a path toward healing and rediscovering connection.
Garth Brooks: Storyteller and Interpreter
Garth Brooks is an epic storyteller who delivers every line he sings as if he’s trying to convey some deep universal truth. Like many a country star before and after him, Brooks is a master of interpreting other people’s words. The origin stories behind many of the songs are a bit more complicated. In Nashville, where songwriting and performing are often separate professions, the notion of what’s an original and what’s a cover is sometimes murky. A songwriter will write a tune and multiple singers will record it until it becomes a hit.
The Murky Waters of Covers and Originals
In Nashville's music scene, the line between original and cover songs can be blurred. Songwriters often create tunes that are then recorded by multiple artists, with the most successful version becoming the definitive hit. This highlights the collaborative nature of the industry and the importance of interpretation in shaping a song's legacy. This collaborative environment emphasizes the role of interpretation and arrangement in shaping a song's identity. While "Learning to Live Again" may not have a plethora of officially recorded covers, its themes of resilience and starting over lend themselves to diverse interpretations across genres.
Themes That Resonate: Why "Learning to Live Again" Endures
The song's power lies in its universal themes of loss, loneliness, and the difficult journey toward healing. The narrator's vulnerability and his tentative steps toward connection resonate with anyone who has experienced heartbreak or isolation. The quiet hope in the song's ending, with the revelation that the woman is also "learning to live again," offers a message of encouragement and the possibility of finding love and companionship after loss.
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Exploring Garth Brooks' Other Covered Songs
While direct covers of "Learning to Live Again" may be difficult to find, examining other songs covered by Brooks sheds light on his approach to interpreting existing material. Brooks' whole catalog does not have too many officially recorded covers. According to Secondhandsongs.com, his most-covered tune is “If Tomorrow Never Comes” from his 1989 self-titled debut, which has 32 covers.
"The Thunder Rolls": A Cross-Genre Inspiration
Of all the tracks on No Fences, “The Thunder Rolls” has inspired the most cross-genre covers, specifically heavy metal covers. It is a cheating song co-written by Brooks and first recorded by Tanya Tucker in 1989 (though she did not release it until 1995). The song was Brooks’ first single to break away from the traditional country sound and into hard rock territory. Dead Season’s cover pushes the song into full hardcore mode. Lead vocalist Ian Truman sings the intro and early verses in a menacing tone.
"New Way To Fly"
Anyone who thought Brooks had forsaken country for hard rock on “The Thunder Rolls,” must have been surprised to hear “New Way To Fly.” On the album’s second track, Brooks’ shifted back into the George Strait/Randy Travis-style neo-traditional country that defined his debut. Secondhandsongs.com lists just one official cover of this country slow dancer.
"Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House"
In the ‘80s, before joining the Allman Brothers Band, Warren Haynes was starting to make a name for himself in Nashville, playing guitar in country outlaw David Allan Coe’s band. Around this time, Haynes, along with Bobby Boyd and country singer Dennis Robbins, penned “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House.” Robbins’ subsequent single made it to number 71 on the country charts in 1987. It subsequently went to number one when Brooks covered it on No Fences. The upbeat country rocker uses card playing and crop rearing imagery as metaphors for marriage and family. Haynes has taken to performing the song live in recent years, turning it into a rowdy piece of roadhouse country blues.
"Victim of the Game"
The story of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s working relationship turned romance is now part of Nashville legend. Long before they married, she sang backup for him on his early records, including No Fences, before becoming a star herself. On her 1991 self-titled debut, she repurposed “Victim of the Game,” a song co-written by Brooks.
Read also: Understanding Phillips Brooks
"Friends in Low Places": A Definitive Rendition
There is no consensus on who did the original version of “Friends in Low Places.” The official origin story is that Brooks recorded a demo of the track on behalf of songwriters Earl Bud Lee and Dewayne Blackwell just before his self-titled debut came out in 1989. Brooks was so enamored with the song he asked them not to give it to any other artists so he could record it for his second album and they agreed. Additionally, before Brooks could record it, country singer Mark Chesnutt cut a version for his 1990 debut album Too Cold at Home, which came out just two weeks after No Fences. There’s no question Brooks’ version is the definitive. Chesnutt’s rendition of “Friends in Low Places,” is a more somber, drown-in-your-sorrows drinking song than Brooks’ rowdy sing-along.
"Rodeo"
Not to be confused with the Rolling Stones’ song of the same name. This is a neo-traditional country song about love and the rodeo. There are not many official covers, so once again we’ll have to go to the YouTube recordings. Ganey Arsement’s take is the standout. Unlike so many YouTubers, he does not sound like he’s trying to channel Brooks.
"Unanswered Prayers"
“Unanswered Prayers” tells the story of a married man attending a high school football game, running into his ex-girlfriend and subsequently thanking God for, well, “Unanswered Prayers.” Whenever Brooks’ performs the track live, the crowd typically sings every line to the song. In this striking cover, Marcus Words drops the country twang and sings it as a piece of folk-gospel.
"Same Old Story"
Before Tony Arata wrote Brooks’ breakthrough hit “The Dance,” he recorded and released an album called Changes on an independent label in 1986. The album included his song “Same Old Story,” a song the label released as a single, but which failed to chart. Tanya Tucker recorded it in 1987. As with “The Thunder Rolls” she did not release the song then, but later included it on her 1995 box set. “Same Old Story” is a breakup song that tells about “One heart holding on, one letting go.” Tucker’s version has more of a glossy pop feel, with a heavy emphasis on the keyboards.
"Mr. Blue"
Mr. “Mr. Blue” was originally recorded by the doo-wop group the Fleetwoods in 1959. It was written by DeWayne Blackwell, who decades later co-wrote “Friends in Low Places.” I’ve always speculated that Brooks included “Mr. Blue” as a way of upping Blackwell songwriter’s percentage for album sales. Listening to the many different covers of the song, it’s very possible that Brooks may have been inspired by David Bromberg’s 1975 rendition. The singer and multi-instrumentalist included it on his album Midnight on the Water, which Eagles’ founding member Bernie Leadon co-produced.
Read also: Investigating Bree Brooks College
"Wolves"
“Wolves” is No Fences’ most existential track. The song is a slow-moving ballad about a cowboy who contemplates his place in the universe after hearing that the bank foreclosed on a friend’s farm. Wendel Adkins is a country outlaw who released several albums in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but whose music never quite broke through to the mainstream. He recorded this cover for his 2010 album Born With the Blues.
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