A Broken Wing
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"A Broken Wing" is a song written by James House, Sam Hogin and Phil Barnhart, and recorded by American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
singer Martina McBride. It was released in September 1997 as the second single from McBride's album ''
Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
''. In January 1998, "A Broken Wing" became McBride's second Number One single.


Background

The song is in the key of B major. It has a
time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
. The verses use a chord progression of I–ii–IV–I three times, followed by I–ii7–IV–V–I; the
refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...
uses vi–iii7–ii7–I followed by I–ii7–IV–V–I. Instrumentally, McBride's 1998 version features acoustic guitar, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, piano, bass guitar and drums.


Content

In the song, the narrator recounts a young woman escaping from an emotionally abusive relationship. Regarding the second verse, wherein the husband finds "a note by the window / and the curtains blowin' in the breeze," the authors of the book ''My Country Roots'' wrote the song's conclusion could be interpreted to indicate the woman either escaped or committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
. Producer Paul Worley told ''
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'' magazine in 1998 the track, except for the
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
, was recorded in one day, while other tracks on the album were recorded in pieces over time.


Music video

The
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was directed by Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV, also collectively known as
Deaton-Flanigen Productions Deaton-Flanigen Productions is an American film company based in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., headed by Robert Deaton. The company has between 10 and 50 employees. Overview The company was named after the surnames of founders Robert Deaton III ...
. The video features McBride singing the song at the Croft House in the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. Interspersed throughout the clip is a woman locked in an abusive relationship with her husband. While making dinner, the husband complains about the salad she made for him. Later, when the woman is on the phone, her husband interrupts the call. Eventually, the wife gets up out of the bed and the husband goes upstairs, only to find a note left by the disappeared wife. It was nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 1998
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...
awards.


Personnel

* Bob Bailey – backing vocals * Joe Chemay – bass guitar * Dan Dugmore – pedal steel guitar * Kim Fleming – backing vocals * Vicki Hampton – backing vocals * Dann Huff – electric guitar * Martina McBride – lead and backing vocals, tambourine * Biff Watson – acoustic guitar * Billy Joe Walker Jr. – acoustic guitar * Lonnie Wilson – drums


Other versions

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...
covered the song on her 2007 EP ''
Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...
''. Her version of the song made number 66 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.


Chart positions

"A Broken Wing" debuted on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
) charts dated for September 13, 1997. The song spent twenty-five weeks on that chart, peaking at number one on the charts dated for January 10, 1998.


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broken Wing 1997 singles Martina McBride songs Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions Songs written by James House (singer) Song recordings produced by Paul Worley RCA Records Nashville singles Songs written by Sam Hogin Songs written by Phil Barnhart (songwriter) 1997 songs Songs about domestic violence Songs about suicide