September 21, 2026 • 51 mins
Bobby continues his year-by-year countdown through country music in the ’90s with 1997. In this episode, he looks back at Shania Twain releasing Come On Over, Garth Brooks taking over Central Park, Tim McGraw’s massive Everywhere album, George Strait’s Carrying Your Love With Me, Kenny Chesney and Trace Adkins landing their first No. 1 hits, and the unusual battle between LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood over “How Do I Live.” Bobby also shares conversations with several of the artists about the songs, careers, and moments that shaped the year, while mixing in the movies, sports, and pop culture that made 1997 unforgettable.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Welcome back to another episode of the 90s Country Podcast.
Today we are rewinding the clock to 1997, a year
when country music felt like it was everywhere. Without spoiling
anything up front, because I tend to do that, let's
jump right in. These are the top 10 events in
country music from the year of 1997. Number 10. Let's
(00:37):
talk about the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 1997.
In the year of 1997, you could have learned a
lot about country music by looking at who the industry
chose to honor. Because the Hall of Fame is rarely
about what's new. It's about what still holds up after
the trends disappear and after the waves show up, like
what is remaining. That year, the Country Music Hall of
(00:59):
Fame inductees were legendary songwriters Harlan Howard and Cindy Walker
and the musical icon Brenda Lee. The common thread of
this class isn't about a certain style or sound.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
As I mentioned already, it's more about durability.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
These careers were built on writing songs people wanted cut,
delivering performances that people will remember, and then doing it
for decades. We can start with Harlan Howard. He's one
of those writers where the name might not be front
and center for casual fans, but the collection of hit
songs that he wrote is up there with the best
of them. He had this gift for writing in a
way that sounded, I don't know, like a person was
(01:34):
just telling the truth.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Howard coined the phrase, three chords and the truth. You
ever hear that?
Speaker 1 (01:40):
That country music is just three chords and the truth.
That's Harlan Howard. He wrote over 4,000 songs, including songs
like I Fall to Pieces by Patsy Cline, I've Got
a Tiger by the Tail by Buck Owens, and so
many more. His philosophy behind the line three chords and
(02:01):
the truth guided his career and influenced many other hits
for many other stars in country music. And it also
cemented him as the Dean of Nashville Songwriters. Just fun fact,
or for trivia one day, I'll say it again. Harlan Howard,
three chords and the truth, the Dean of Nashville Songwriters.
(02:22):
All right, let's move on and talk about Cindy Walker
for a second. She came out of Texas and wrote
with a level of control that's hard to teach. Song structure,
clean hooks, and a sense of how to get you
to the scene and get you there quickly. Cindy was
known for her tailor-made songwriting. She produced over 500 records,
had top 10 hits across five consecutive decades from the
(02:44):
40s all the way to the 80s. Yeah, 50 years
worth of top 10 hits. Five different decades. That's five
different sounds because the sounds change pretty much every decade.
That's five different kind of stars, but it's one person
still able to write hits for them. And that might
not even be the most impressive part of her induction.
(03:04):
because Cindy was the first woman to ever be inducted
into the Country Music Hall of Fame, specifically as a songwriter.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Then there's Brenda Lee.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Most people know her as the voice of Rockin' Around
the Christmas Tree, which, by the way, hit number one
again recently, breaking a ton of records. But her legacy
in Nashville goes way deeper than a holiday hit. Her
induction was a massive moment, because she was the first
woman to ever get the nod from both the Country
and Rock and Roll Hall of Fames. She basically built
(03:34):
the bridge between both of those two worlds. There have
been other guys that have done it, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley,
but Brenda Lee, first woman to ever do it. And
what's cool is she didn't just take the trophy and retire.
If you follow the Hall of Fame today, Brenda is
still the one who will often announce the new class
every single year. She's essentially the matriarch of the institution.
(03:54):
She's in her 80s and still the most energetic person
in the room most times. Brenda's song, Rockin' Around the
Christmas Tree, oddly... wasn't a massive hit until decades after
it was released. I was talking to Brenda about this specifically.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I mean, it was played, but I'll tell you when
it really took off. One of my friends called me
one night and said, Brenda, have you seen the movie
Home Alone? And I said, no. They said, well, your
song's all over it. And I said, which song? And
they said, Rockin'. And that was really the catalyst that
(04:30):
brought it to.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Where it is.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
I never dreamed in the world that that would be
my signature song. I always thought I'm Sorry would probably
be it. And that song was written by the great
Johnny Marks, who was Jewish, who wrote all the great
Christmas songs. And I said to him one day, I said, Johnny,
you don't even believe in Christmas. I said, how are
(04:55):
you writing these songs? He said, I don't know. But
when I sit down to write, that's what comes out.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So the 1997 Hall of Fame class is a great
way to kick off the countdown because it framed that
year by defining country music's long-term values, prioritizing impactful songwriters
and authentic vocalists whose work is considered great, but mostly
timeless and enduring. Number nine, Trace Adkins, first number one.
(05:21):
Trace Adkins in 1997 is a good example of how
the music industry worked before the days of social media.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
It's not one magic night.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
It's a bunch of small steps, a bunch of small
nights that finally line up. Remember, there's no TikTok, there's
no Instagram, there's no YouTube. So in order to be heard,
someone has to be at one of your shows, hear
about you by word of mouth, or just randomly come
across one of your records. So let's talk about Trace's
story real quick and the steps he took for his
career to line up the way that it did. Trace
(05:51):
is from a small town in Louisiana. He didn't come
in as some polished industry kid. He went to Louisiana Tech.
He worked regular jobs. including time on oil rigs and
kept music on the side until it turned into something
that could possibly be an actual career.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Once Trey starts releasing.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Music, and the first thing that I think everybody notices
is his voice. It's very deep. It's very steady. And
you don't really confuse it for anybody else. And that's
great until you realize it also narrows the options. Because
a voice like that doesn't fit every kind of song.
If the production is too polished... or the lyric feels
too manufactured, it can sound forced. Trace needed straightforward songs
(06:31):
with some sort of backbone, stuff that he could sing
and sound like he was actually saying it and meaning it.
In 1996, he drops his debut album, Dreamin' Out Loud.
And that's where.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Every light in the house.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
That's where that song shows up, or every light in
the house. The song is basically Trace's introduction. It lets
people hear the voice, hear the style, and decide whether
it was for them or not. The song did not
go number one, which is crazy to think about because
that is such a legendary song.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
But it did land in the.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Top five, and it was big enough to put him
on the map and give him a second shot. So
by the time 1997 rolls around, Trace isn't a total
newcomer anymore. He's got a couple songs out there. People
know the voice. And now he just needs a song
to really stick. And that song is This Ain't No Thinkin' Thing.
Straightforward song. built around how it feels more than analysis.
(07:25):
And I think that's why Trace fits it so well.
He can deliver it without pushing or dressing it up
like we just talked about. He doesn't have to do
extra if extra sounds inauthentic. He sings it clean and
direct and it sounds natural coming from him. And that's why, frankly,
it became his first number one song in 1997. This
ain't no thinking thing was a jam and Trace didn't change.
(07:49):
He stayed who he was and he finally got the
right song for that distinct voice that people already noticed.
It's the moment, in 1997, where Trace became an artist
with a real signature hit that launched his.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Real signature career. Number 8.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Alison Krauss and Union Station release So Long, So Wrong.
If we're putting together a top 10 list for 1997,
which we are, the album So Long, So Wrong from
Alison Krauss and Union Station belongs on it because It's
one of those records that quietly ends up everywhere, but
not in a, I heard this song every 15 minutes
(08:26):
on the radio kind of way. You know, not the
overplayed single kind of way. More like people who care
about musicianship, harmony, songs that hold it up and keep
pointing back to this album kind of way. By 1997,
Alison Krauss isn't brand new. She'd already spent years building
her reputation in bluegrass and acoustic country and And she'd
(08:46):
already proven she could pick material with real taste, like
quality material. The big difference with So Long, So Wrong
is that it feels like the moment where the band's
identity fully clicks. It wasn't just Alison Krauss with some band.
It was Alison Krauss and Union Station, and it all mattered.
And it was also the first Union Station album to
(09:08):
feature Dan Tominski, who ends up being a big piece
of the group's sound going forward. So why is the
album successful? Well, the song choices are smart. It's not
14 songs that all do the same thing. You get
heartbreak songs that don't drag, though. You get melodies that
really stick, and you get enough variety that it feels
like a full listen instead of a, hey, pick two tracks,
(09:32):
and those are the good ones kind of album. They
also weren't afraid to bring in outside writers and unexpected material.
Like cutting Michael McDonald's I Can Let Go Now. Michael
McDonald of, well, Michael McDonald, and also the Doobie Brothers.
And they could cut a song like that and make
it sound like it belongs on a Union Station record. Second,
its blend of voices. Allison's voice always is the center,
(09:56):
and rightfully so. And the record works because of that. However.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
this is the.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
First time where you really felt like the band was
more than a band, even vocally. The band members trade
off leads and spots. The harmonies feel like a signature,
not a decoration. Tominski's taken lead on multiple songs on
the album, and it's what makes it feel like a
true band record instead of a solo project with backings.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Third, the playing is ridiculous. Maybe I shouldn't have to
say this, but I will.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Most of the time, people that come from a bluegrass
background can play the crap out of music. But man,
did they ever on this record. And the thing is,
it never really feels like they're showing off. And this is,
in my opinion, where the album separates itself. Listen, they're
technically elite, but the goal isn't to dazzle you with speed.
It's tight arrangements, clean dynamics, and a lot of control.
(10:49):
You're going to hear instrumentals like Lil Liza Jane, which
isn't just a fun break, because on some records, it
does feel like that whenever they're doing an instrumental. This album,
it didn't feel like that. It really feels like the
band is showing you their talent. The album reached number
four on Billboard's Top Country Album chart, which is a
pretty wild thing for a record rooted in bluegrass and
acoustic music. The great thing was, it didn't have to
(11:12):
stop being what it was to reach a bigger, broader
country audience.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
And then when the award.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Shows hit, man, That's what seals this as the top
10 moment of the year. The 1998 Grammys, so reflecting
back on 1997. So Long, So Wrong wins Best Bluegrass Album,
Best Country Instrumental Performance for Lil' Liza Jane, and Best
Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for
(11:37):
Looking in the Eyes of Love. That combination is the
whole story. The album's respected in bluegrass, but it's also
winning in straight-up country categories and not just a niche record.
It's a record the broader country world had to acknowledge.
So if you're wondering why Alison Krauss and Union Station
make the 1997 countdown, pretty simple. So Long, So Wrong
was one of the year's standard albums in the space.
(11:59):
It connected outside its core bluegrass crowd, it picked up
major awards, and it helped define the group's sound in
a way that carried into everything that they did next.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Number 7.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Kenny Chesney's first number one with She's Got It All.
If you're looking at Kenny Chesney's career in 1997, the
story isn't that he suddenly shows up out of nowhere.
It's that he finally gets the kind of record that
makes the earlier years all add up.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Kenny had already been putting in the work. He'd released
a few albums. He'd had singles chart.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
He'd lived that in-between phase when you're good enough to
stay in the game, but you're still trying to figure
out what works. And you haven't quite hit it big yet,
but you can see big. You're also figuring out what
kind of songs sound natural in your voice. What kind
of tempo that you carry best. What version of yourself
feels honest on a record. And that's a normal part
(12:52):
of the artist in Nashville timeline. Most artists that get
to Nashville don't actually arrive with a fully formed sound.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
They find it by trial and error.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Cutting songs, learning what sticks, writing with better people, re-recording songs,
having great influences, and slowly narrowing their lane. Kenny Chesney
had a similar build-up through the early to mid-90s, and
you could hear the talent early, but it took a
few records to narrow the lane to find the sound
that fit him the best. By 1997, he was on
(13:24):
his fourth studio album. But, even though that's a lot,
things were just starting to settle in, and that's where
She's Got It All comes and says hello. The song
was written by Craig Wiseman and Drew Womack. It's upbeat,
straight ahead.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
You know the song. She's got it all.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
It's built around a simple concept. Listing out what makes
the person, you know, that person, so appealing. The song
is also produced by Buddy Cannon and Nora Wilson. And
that's an important detail in their career timeline because Cannon
becomes such a major part of Kenny's sound over time.
He worked with Kenny on songs like She Thinks My
Tractor's Sexy, How Forever Feels. In 1997, you can hear
(14:06):
the beginning of what later becomes Kenny's sweet spot. Songs
that feel easy to step into with a vocal that
doesn't strain to sell it. She's Got It All releases
in May of 1997 and it's the lead song off
the album I Will Stand, which comes out July 15th, 1997.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
That album's a.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Little funny in hindsight because that's basically what this moment is.
Kenny finally getting something that lets him stand on his
own in the format that is, well, Kenny. And then
Just watch the song go up the charts, and that's
exactly what happened. She's Got It All becomes Kenny's first
number one on Billboard's Hot Country singles and tracks, hitting
(14:49):
the top spot August 30th, 1997, and staying there for
three weeks. By the end of the year, it finishes
in the top 10 on the top songs of the
whole year of 1997. So when you're building a 1997 countdown,
Kenny's inclusion is pretty straightforward. This is the year his
career stops, well, building, and it starts becoming something that
(15:11):
will eventually be legendary. One song, the right fit, the
first number one, and from there, it's easier to see
the path that leads to everything that became Kenny later.
I asked Kenny one time where his artist persona and
his sound came from, because it's very beach, right? Especially
from a guy who grew up in East Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
This is what he said.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I always loved the ocean. I feel creative next to it.
I feel humbled next to it. I feel very humble
all on a boat on it. And I have written,
so me and Dean Dillon would go to the Virgin
Islands and write songs on my boat at least two
or three times a year. It was so much fun.
And I don't know, I just feel different there.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
I feel creative.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
And I've always felt that way, even as a child.
But I got the love for sunlight and the ocean
and the music that you listen to in those situations
from my mother.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Did anybody ever in Nashville, when you started to have
more of a beach town, go, hey, that's not really
what we're doing here?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yeah, a few people.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
But I had made the decision that I was going
to take my life, that I was living very authentically.
And I had music to connect.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
All the dots.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
And once I started to take what was in my
heart and my life experiences at the time, and it
found its way into my songwriting. It found its way
into the studio and then on my records and then
on the road. And that's when my life really changed.
When I stopped trying to be this model, this thing
that everybody in town was trying to be. And that was,
(16:46):
there was a lot of people doing that because it
was successful. You know, I was one of those acts
that was doing just about anything you could do to
get your song on the radio or get noticed or whatever,
but it was in this, this specific model. And, Once
I stopped doing that is when my life changed.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Hang tight. The Bobby cast will be right back. Number six,
number six, number six. The How Do I Live split
release saga.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
If you want a snapshot of how unpredictable a career
can get, 1997 gives you one of the strangest. One song,
two versions, two very different moments. Both real, both lasting. Man,
this was awkward. The song, How Do I Live? How
do I live without you? Written by Diane Warren. And
if you know her music, you know the lane. Big chorus,
(17:43):
clear emotion. Heck, you probably know that song. That song
is a gigantic song. It's the kind of song that
can work in a lot of places at once. Radio,
grocery stores, weddings, movie credits. And the movie part is
where the weirdness of this song starts. How Do I
Live was written for Con Air, the movie. with Nick Cage.
It was a monster movie. It was an awesome movie.
(18:05):
And it was an awesome song for an awesome movie.
And Leigh-Anne Rimes records it first. Leigh-Anne Rimes, 14 years old,
she is right off her song Blue that launched her career.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
But the film company doesn't stick with her recording.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
The decision, according to the reporting that's been repeated for years,
is that her version didn't have the maturity that they
wanted for the movie.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
So they go to Trisha Yearwood to cut it instead.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
And Trisha said that she didn't even know Leigh-Anne had
already recorded it. So now you have the ingredients for
tension without anyone necessarily trying to create it. A major songwriter,
a huge movie, a teen star whose label wants to
protect the momentum, and an established vocalist stepping into a
song that's already been cut and she didn't know it.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And here's where the actual drama kicks in.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Once Trisha's version is picked for the film, Leigh-Anne's label,
Curb Records, is hesitant about releasing her version at all.
From their perspective, the movie version is the official version,
and they don't want it to look like they're chasing
a song that they just lost. The twist is, Diane Warren,
the songwriter, gets involved directly. She calls the founder and
chairman of Curb Records, Mike Curb, and says, hey, release
(19:16):
Leigh-Anne's version anyway. Then it turns into that real, public,
awkward tug-of-war, because both versions get serviced to radio the
same day in May of 1997.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
That puts radio programmers in a weird spot.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
They're getting two singles with the same title, same lyric,
same hook, and they're being asked to pick, I don't know,
which one do you like best? Billboard even described it
as a ballad battle because it's what it looked like
from the outside.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
This lasted all the way into award season.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
At the 40th Grammy Awards, which is February 98, now remember,
it's in 98 because it reflects everything that happened in 97,
both Trisha and Leigh-Anne are nominated for the same category,
Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for that same song. Trisha wins.
Leigh-Anne performs it during the TV show. That's an odd
(20:08):
sentence to say out loud because... That's exactly what happened.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I've watched it back. It's so awkward to see.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
So when you say, this caused drama, it's not gossip.
It's industry mechanics colliding in public. Then movie executives making
a call. Then label heads reacting. And then radio getting
put in the middle. And then the Grammys turning into
a head-to-head moment, even if they didn't want to be head-to-head.
And the reason it makes the 1997 countdown as simple,
(20:37):
it's one of those rare cases where a single doesn't
just help a career It creates a whole situation around
two careers at once. And here's a 1997 extra. Princess
Diana passes away. Even if you don't follow the royal family,
there's a good chance you knew who Princess Diana was
in 1997. She was on the magazines. She was in
the news. And somehow she was part of everyday conversation,
(21:00):
even in America. Even if you didn't care about the
royals at all. It wasn't like what you see now
with social media and and reality television, and it was
just all about them all the time, overexposure. It wasn't
like that at all. She was mostly on the cover
of things because she was so well-liked. She was kind
of a pioneer for making the royal family into a
(21:22):
pop culture thing because of how she carried herself. Early on,
she had this knack for cutting through the formality, talking
to regular people like a regular person, showing up in
places the royal family didn't typically go, and doing it
all with paparazzi everywhere. Over time, that turned her into
something closer to a modern-day celebrity that people could relate to,
(21:43):
or at least they thought they could, more than a royal,
which they couldn't relate to at all. By the mid-90s,
her life was also the clearest example of how intense
fame had gotten. Her divorce in 96, the constant attention,
the paparazzi, everything was public, and it felt like people
were watching her story in real time.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So when she died August 31, 1997, it hit differently.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And the details became part of the reason why. Diana
was in Paris leaving the Ritz, and the car she
was in sped away from paparazzi trying to snap a
picture of her, and it crashed. She was taken to
the hospital. She did not survive. This started to change
some things culturally. It made people way more aware of
the ugly side of celebrity, how the chase for photos,
(22:26):
how dangerous it was, how headlines can turn into something reckless.
It also shifted how the public talked about the royal family.
A little more human, more emotion, more scrutiny. and the
expectation that they act a little more like humans and
not just like symbols. Diana's legacy didn't just live in
charities or fashion or quotes. It lived in how pop
(22:47):
culture started thinking about fame, and who fame serves, and
who fame hurts, and inevitably, what fame costs.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Number five. Tim McGraw drops the Everywhere album.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
If you're talking about Tim McGraw in 1997... It's hard
to top what happens around the album everywhere because this
is one of those records where the results are not
subtle at all. The album comes out June 3rd, 1997,
which by the way, it lasted long beyond that. It's
still lasting today. Let's start with the singles. It's your
(23:20):
love with Faith Hill everywhere just to see you smile
where the green grass grows. And it's not like the
rest of the track list disappears either. He's also got
a pair of number two hits off the same album.
One of these days and for a little while. Then
you get into how big the biggest songs were. It's
Your Love hits number one on Billboard's country chart June 1997.
(23:42):
And it's one of those songs that instantly, even when
it was new, felt like a staple.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
It obviously is a staple now.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
And if you were a junior high kid like me
and this song came on, it was basically your only
time to dance with a girl. When this song came on,
you felt like this is a good slow song. And
if anybody wants to dance with me, it's going to
happen right now And most times it didn't. But sometimes
it did. And it was because of this song, It's
Your Love. Not only was it number one, it also
(24:10):
got ACM Awards. Single of the Year, Song of the Year,
Video of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year. Which,
by the way, that Vocal Event of the Year award
is two artists. Because it was Tim and Faith doing
It's Your Love. Now, if we move from that song
to Just to See You Smile, which is an awesome song.
He's played it in studio for us even recently. It
still holds up, obviously. It was released August of 97
(24:32):
as a single. It spent six weeks at number one.
It stayed on the chart for 42 weeks, which at
the time was a record in the SoundScan era. Billboard
even said it was the number one country song of
1998 because with that August 97 release, it was released
so late in the year, it didn't even really start
gaining steam until 98. The album obviously was a monster.
(24:55):
It was number 28 of all of 1997. And I'm
not talking about country music. I'm talking about all albums.
And even though it came out halfway through the year,
it was the number five country album of the year
for 1997. So if you're asking why Tim's on a
1997 countdown, it's pretty practical. Everywhere is one of the
defining albums of the decade. Multiple number ones, multiple additional hits,
(25:18):
major awards.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
It's just amazing. It still holds up to this day.
It's still that amazing.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It's also funny to see Tim and Kenny together in
this year because, well, They've been together so far many years,
and they're going to be together for many, many, many
years to come. But yeah, Tim McGraw on that album,
it was amazing.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Number four.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
George Strait, Carrying Your Love With Me.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
By the time 1997 rolls around, George Strait's career is
already what most artists.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Look for at the end of their career. But he
was in the middle of it.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
You know, most artists want a long run where the
basics stay strong.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
He had the hits. He had the albums.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
He had built a reputation for picking songs that fit
him instead of trying to chase whatever the new thing is.
So when Carrying Your Love With Me comes out on
April 22, 1997, it doesn't feel like a reset or
a pivot. It feels like George Strait doing what George
Strait does, putting together a tight, listenable album where the
(26:18):
songs are on point and the singing is steady. The
record is produced by Tony Brown, and it has that clean,
traditional George Strait sound. When I say that, I mean
clear vocals, strong band, nothing distracting from the writing. The
easiest way to see why this album belongs on a
1997 countdown is to look at what came off the album.
(26:39):
It's one of those albums that didn't just have a
big moment. It had a bunch of big moments, which
means the album stayed very active.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
You get One Night at a Time first. It goes
number one.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
It's classic straight in the sense that it's simple without
being plain, if you can imagine that. The song maintained
its position at the top for five consecutive weeks, and
it charted on other charts that his music didn't traditionally chart.
Then the track, which was the biggest hit, the namesake,
Carrying Your Love With Me. It goes number one, obviously.
(27:11):
It's basically a road song, and wherever it goes, you know,
it's carrying the love. You know, get it, Carrying Your
Love With Me. That song was written in just a
few hours by Steve Bogard and Jeff Stevens. It spent
four consecutive weeks at number one. It got George nominated
for multiple awards at the ACMs that year. All right,
coming up next, Today My World Slipped Away. It peaked
(27:33):
at number three. Now, that was still a hit, but
just not a number one. But people still knew and
loved the song. And then later, Roundabout Way comes along,
another number one. So you're looking at three number one
singles from the album and a fourth single that hit
the top three. That kind of single run tells you
what you need to know about the album's shelf life.
(27:53):
It was not a one-week story. It stayed in rotation.
It kept producing more and more songs. To them, it
was having to decide which one was the next single,
not do we have another single that works. And even
on the year-end side, it ranks across both worlds. Number
24 on Billboard's year-end 200, all. That's all genres. And
number four on the top country albums list. Then let's
(28:16):
go to the awards, which is really what solidified the
album in 1997. The 1997 CMA Awards Carrying Your Love
With Me wins album of the year. Now that's not
a single award. That's not a popularity spike. That's all
the folks in the industry saying the full album, track
one to the last track, was the best statement in
the format that year.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
And it doesn't stop there.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
The album gets a Best Country Album nomination at the Grammys,
and it ends up three times multi-platinum, which is a
reminder that it wasn't just a critical win, that people
actually bought it. That's the whole multi-platinum thing. So massive
commercial run as well. So if you're placing it on
a 1997 countdown, the case.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Is pretty straightforward.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Major album release, multiple big singles, album of the year
win at CMAs, nomination over at the Grammys, and it
just sold like crazy. And has one of the greatest
country songs of all time on it, which is the
name of the album, Carrying Your Love With Me. Okay,
here's my 1997. Non-country music, things from my life that
(29:17):
I remember... from the great year of 1997. And what
comes to mind first is that my ACT score was
finally high enough to go to school wherever I wanted. Now,
minor flex, I took the ACT in the seventh grade,
and I believe I got a 24.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Maybe it was a 23. It felt like a 24.
One of those where.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
I had a scholarship to go wherever I wanted in
the state, which was awesome because I was in seventh grade,
and obviously we weren't going to be able to pay
for college. But my junior year is the first time
that I hit 28 or 29 on the ACT. I
ended up taking it more and going up a little
bit from there as well. But in 1997, I hit
that mark of tuition, room and board, food, all that
(30:06):
being paid for because of the ACT. Big year for
me at Mountain Pine High School, 1997. So I'm going
to start with that. Now also in this, and I've
really tried over the past episodes to not be focused
on sports so much, but 1997 was a massive year
for really wild things happening in sports. So I will
(30:29):
not go full analytics nerd on you sports wise, but
I do have three things that I think are pretty
crazy that all happened in 1997. Michael Jordan's flu game.
Now this was a game that he is wildly known for.
It was a part of the documentary. If you saw
(30:51):
it called the last dance, I mean, He's a legend
for this game. There are pictures of him with the
towel over his head and he's got the flu and
he goes out and he plays like crazy. Michael Jordan
and the flu game, really one of the coolest games
ever in the history of NBA basketball because he was
so sick and it was the NBA finals and it
was the greatest player of all time.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
It was June 11th, 1997, game five.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
It was the Bulls and the Jazz. It was tied
two to two. The night before the game, Michael Jordan
became violently ill The flu. That's what everybody was saying. He,
according to stories, spent most of the night vomiting, couldn't sleep,
severely dehydrated, barely able to stand, according to the folks
around him. He played 44 minutes of the game. He
(31:37):
scored 38.7 rebounds, five assists, three steals. Late in the game,
he hit a three-pointer that pretty much sealed the game.
And so there's an iconic image of Jordan collapsing into
the arms of Scottie Pippen after the game. The Bulls
won 90-88 by two points. A couple days later, they
won game six and they won the championship. And so
it's the flu game. It's called the flu game. It's
(32:01):
wildly famous. However, I'm going to give you a little
twist here. Years later, Michael Jordan's trainer, whose name was
Tim Grover, suggested that maybe it wasn't the flu. Now,
according to Grover... Jordan ordered a pizza late at night
the night before. Several people showed up to deliver it.
(32:23):
Jordan was the only one who ate it. That trainer
believes that Jordan suffered food poisoning rather than the flu.
And so now Jordan has talked about a little bit
and he says, yeah, food poisoning is possible, but it
was the flu game.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
It's still called the flu game, right?
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Even if it was food poisoning, well, it's a little
easier to bounce back from food poisoning for sure. then
the flu because the flu stays and food poisoning. Like
once it all screams out of your body, you just
start feeling better. Kind of doesn't matter if it was
flu or food poisoning. The legend is the best player
in the world was down and out. Couldn't get off
the couch and scored 38 points and they won the
(33:00):
game by two points. That was pretty crazy. So the
flu game happened in 1997. Also 1997 was a year
that I was really getting into sports. Now I always
played sports and, I was always a nerd for sports.
It was really something that my stepdad, who was my
stepdad at the time, because my mom married Arkansas Keith
(33:20):
when I was like 13 or 14.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
They divorced when I was 18 or 19. So there
was just a window.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
But for me to get close to him, we did
two things. We listened to a lot of classic rock radio,
cool 95, good times, great oldies. And we also just
watched baseball games. and quizzed each other on baseball trivia
from the 60s, 70s, the 80s, and the 90s. And
so sports became a big part of my life because
(33:47):
I naturally was drawn to sports, but also it was
my way to have a relationship with my stepdad. So
this is one of those years for me where I
was dialed into all kinds of sports. So Michael Jordan
flu game, that's number one. Tiger Woods wins the Masters
at 21 years old, Tiger won by 12 strokes. If
(34:12):
you don't know golf, you're like, dang, sounds like it's
pretty good. 12 strokes is unheard of. So, and Tiger
Woods at 21 years old, what he was doing on
the PGA tour was unheard of. Tiger Woods was cool.
Tiger Woods dressed cool. Tiger Woods was like not an
(34:35):
old crotchety white dude. So it completely changed golf. I mean,
golf is cool now because of what Tiger Woods did
back in 1997. So back in 1997, one of the
most important moments in sports history, a 21.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Year old Tiger Woods destroys the field.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
At the time he was the youngest champion ever. 12
strokes is still the most anyone has ever won by.
golfer to win the masters so tiger instantly changed golf
because golf was for old people tv ratings were fine
(35:18):
but now they were just about to get mainstream good
golf stars were kind of niche famous but now tiger
woods was michael jordan famous and so the other golfers
he was competing with all the rising tide lifts all
boats that type thing golf became cool to kids So
I got to put that there. I got to put
(35:41):
1997 with Tiger Woods winning his first Masters. I'm going
to do another one. Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield's
ear in 1997. This is one of the most infamous
moments in boxing history. During a heavyweight title fight, Tyson
bit Holyfield's ear twice. The first time, Holyfield's like, hey,
bit my ear. The second time, Tyson bit like a
(36:03):
chunk of it off. Tyson was getting beat. And so
That's wild. That's three crazy.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
Hmm. I don't want to say transcendent, but okay. Why not?
Transcendent sports moments from 1997.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
All three of those, the Tyson one's kind of goofy,
but the Michael Jordan game is super famous and Tiger
Woods saying, Hey, what's up?
Speaker 2 (36:24):
I now own golf.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Really one of the biggest sports moments in the past 50.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Years or so. Now I'm not going to make this
all about golf.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Because I feel like that would be very selfish of
me being a massive sports fan. I'm also going to
throw in there Titanic, the movie, cultural phenomenon. You probably
knew about the boat a little bit from some sort
of history class, but DiCaprio, James Cameron, it was super long.
I remember Valentine's day, 1997. I went to this with
(36:55):
my neighbor, Scotty, no date. I didn't have a girl.
I didn't have girlfriends in high school, but me and
my neighbor, Scotty, who was a couple of years older
than me, We went to watch Titanic, the movie together,
and it was pretty much all couples there, except for
Scotty and myself.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
The movie would eventually become the highest grossing film ever.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
It's been surpassed since then a few times, but DiCaprio
already famous, obviously, but this took him and left him
as one of the biggest, most famous actors of all time.
But Titanic in 97. And then also Austin Powers. If
you were like, 17. And you're listening to this or 25.
(37:35):
And you're listening to this, you know, about Austin powers.
Cause this is the stupid, like, Oh, but everybody was
doing the quotes from Austin powers. And so Austin powers,
international man of mystery hits theaters.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
And you know what? It was not crazy big at
first it grew.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
And by the time the Austin powers, the two came out,
There were lines outside of movie theaters. It's crazy to
think how big that franchise was and how cool and
quotable Austin Powers movies were and how Mike Myers, who
was Saturday Night Live, was Wayne's World. But Austin Powers,
when we're talking about movies or TV shows or games
(38:20):
that elevate people to a whole new level, That was
Austin Powers for Mike Myers. And so I'm not just
gonna hit you with three sports. I'm also gonna hit
you with two movies.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
That is my 1997.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
I'd also like to say this. My bulldog is underneath
my feet. And if you have, for some reason, heard
him snoring as I've been talking about this, or there's
a faint in the background, that's my bulldog. You're not crazy.
I'm not sure if you can hear him. All I
know is I can hear him. And Bulldogs snore like crazy.
(38:55):
So thank you, 1997. Back to you. Number three, John
Denver passes away. John Denver's story starts long before people
knew him as the guy singing about country roads and
Rocky Mountain skies.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
John Denver was born in 1943.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
And because his dad is in the Air Force, he
grows up moving around in a lot of different places.
Music was the one steady thing in his life as
a kid. He gets a guitar at a young age.
and he starts writing early, the way a lot of
folk singers do. Learn the chords, play the rooms, and
keep going until it turns into a job, and then
keep going after that. Now, in the early 60s, he
(39:32):
leaves college and heads to Los Angeles, right into the
folk club circuit. Not long after that, he joins the
Chad Mitchell Trio in 1965, which is basically the first
time he got paid real money. I would say that's
his entrance into the professional lane of music. It's where
he learns touring. It's where he learns how to hold
a room with just a voice and a guitar. Now,
(39:54):
before he was a household name as a singer, he
was already making noise as a songwriter. He wrote,' Cause
I'm leaving on a jet plane, for Peter, Paul, and Mary.
And they go on to record it. It goes number
one in 1969. Also, his version of that song is
awesome as well. That's a big part of his career. Like,
that was his first major commercial success. Then his solo
(40:16):
breakthrough hits in 1971. Take Me Home Country Roads, which
climbs to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. From there, boom, boom, boom,
we can go Rocky Mountain High or Sunshine on My Shoulder.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
It's a jam. Annie's song. Thank God I'm a country boy.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
All those.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
All those. John Denver was so legit. He's everywhere.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Records and TV and he's doing specials and If you
want a very country history snapshot of how big he got,
the 1975 CMA Entertainer of the Year moment is still infamous.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
Charlie Rich, it's up, reads the award, doesn't like it.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
He burns the envelope with John Denver's name in it
to protest him winning. That's crazy, because they're like, John
Denver's not country.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Do I need to say what the songs are he
wrote and sang?
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Rocky Mountain High, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Take
Me Home Country Roads, this is one of the more absurd,
this person isn't country or that's not country music that's
ever happened. But it happens every generation. Then as the
70s move into the 80s, his career shifts a bit.
He keeps recording, he keeps touring, and he starts leaning
(41:32):
harder into causes like environmental work, hunger relief.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
He's doing a lot.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
That's a big part of his career now and his
public life. Now, something else Denver did a lot in
this time was flying. He became an avid pilot and
not just as a casual hobby. He was deep into aviation,
and he spends a ton of time in and around planes.
There's even a story, if we go back to 1989,
where he's involved in a plane incident on the ground,
(41:59):
walks away unharmed, but at this point in 1997, he's
been in planes a lot for at least a decade.
By 1997, he's still musically active, but he's also doing
a lot more of what he loves that's not music,
like flying. October 12th, 1997, John Denver's flying an airplane,
and it's one he had been experimenting with, and it
(42:20):
crashes into the water near Pacific Grove in Monterey Bay.
He's the only person on board, and he tragically dies.
So when his death hits in 1997, it isn't the
end of a career that disappeared years earlier. It's the
end of a life that stayed busy, music, touring, causes,
and flying. And when you place it into the 1997 countdown.
(42:42):
It's not because he belongs in one format. It's because
his catalog sits right in the overlap that country music
has always been a part of. Storytelling, clear writing, big melodies,
and songs that outlast the decade they came from.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Hang tight. The Bobbycast will be right back. Number two.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
Garth Brooks takes over Central Park. By 1997, Garth Brooks
was already operating on a scale of his own. And
he was getting a lot of criticism, too.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
It's our country?
Speaker 1 (43:18):
That's too big. That stage show is too rock and roll.
It's crazy how that's always a theme in every decade.
And Garth is selling out stadiums. Garth is a household name,
not just to country fans, but, well, to all households.
He's basically the biggest thing that country music has going
and one of the biggest things in music, period. So
when Garth Brooks announces a free concert in Central Park
(43:39):
August 7, 1997... It's one of those ideas that sounds
simple until you realize, well, what it means. New York City,
an open public space, no ticket barrier, and one of
the biggest stars and the biggest country star in America
showing up just like it's.
Speaker 2 (43:56):
Another tour stop.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
The turnout becomes the headline almost immediately. Depending on where
you look, estimates say high hundreds of thousands.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
There's a figure out there that says 980,000 to over
1 million people in the park.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
The New York City Fire Department, they did estimate that
it was over 950,000. Either way, it goes down as
the largest concert crowd that Central Park has ever seen.
But the crowd is really only one side of it.
The other side is that the whole thing is broadcast
live on HBO as Garth live from Central Park. And
(44:31):
in a 1997 context, it's a big deal because live
TV events were rare. And when they did happen, they
were a massive deal. People planned around them. Because you
can't catch it later. There were no clips on TikTok.
You can't go back into your TiVo.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
That was later. Or your DVR. That was later.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
You had to either record it on your VCR, which
nobody could really figure out how to do, or be
there live. HBO had a huge night, including a 15.2 rating,
which was a record for them at the time. 15.2
means basically 15% of all people watching television were watching
the Garth Brooks special in Central Park. Now you got
two versions of the same moment happening at once, a
(45:14):
packed park in New York and a national audience watching
from home, both setting records, both massive. And that's where
the concert becomes one of a kind because it wasn't
just a big crowd. It wasn't just a TV special.
It was both on the same night and both versions
fed each other. If you were there, you were a
part of something massive. If you're watching at home, it
(45:35):
felt like you were tuned into the main event. It
was nicknamed Garth stock because Garth, I mean, it was
literally just Garth, and it was bigger than any music
festival that had ever been there. To scale, this thing
was unrivaled.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
I could use other words. Unparalleled. Unlike anything ever.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
And the show itself isn't some weird New York special
version of Garth. He does what he does. And there
were some surprise moments. For example, Billy Joel, who wrote
and recorded Shameless... before Garth ever sang it, was there.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
They did that. Don McLean with American Pie. It was
really cool.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
After the fact, the impact of that special showed up
in the ways that people just referenced it. The concert
is still used as the benchmark whenever Central Park is
brought up about a live event or comparisons about how
many people were at a show. It's basically Garth's stock
they compare it to. It also turned into an award story.
That HBO special picked up multiple Emmy nominations. and is
(46:34):
repeatedly cited as one of the most watched concert broadcasts
of that year and of all time. So when you
land on Garth at number two in 1997, it's because
there aren't many nights like that, where a country artist
takes over Central Park, New York City, pulls a near
unthinkable crowd, and simultaneously turns it up to a national
(46:55):
TV audience.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Remember, not edited. They didn't record it and edit it.
It was all there. He swang on the rope, live,
And it was so cool then, and it's so cool now.
Number one. One, one, one, one, one, one, one. That's
not an effect. That's my voice. Number one.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Shania Twain releases Come On Over. By the time Shania
releases Come On Over, November 4th, 1997, she's already a star.
But this is the album that puts her from superstar to, well,
you're in a league all by yourself now. The first
thing to know about this is that the album didn't
just produce hits and go away. It's the kind of
(47:33):
album that keeps finding new life month after month.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
It's the kind of album that people still play.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
It's the kind of album that I still play when
I'm doing the radio show or I'm doing the Friday
morning dance party. Like it still feels good and at
times new and fresh. And on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart,
come on over in 1997. Well, and then it had
to roll into the next year. Spent 50 weeks at
number one. 50 weeks at number one on the album chart.
(48:03):
Nothing for a year on the top. I just want
to say this again. Nothing for basically a year on
the top country albums chart. Knock that record off. That's
the all-time mark.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
You do the math. Is there 52 weeks in a year?
And it's 50. It's only two weeks.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
Dang. Thanksgiving week, Christmas week. Other than that, number one.
Now we can talk about the singles as well. I mean,
the album spins off so many amazing songs.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Let's do it. Let's walk through this.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
In 1997 because commercially, Come On Over becomes the best-selling
country album ever, selling 40-plus million records worldwide, putting it
in the rare tier of albums that aren't just big
for a genre. It's big for the all-time conversation. This
album manages gold and platinum awards, 20 times platinum. That's
20 million units. They certified that thing November 15, 2004. Now, remember,
(48:50):
we started this in 1997, which tells you how long
sales stayed strong well after the release. Seven years, it
stayed so strong they didn't want to classify it yet
because it wasn't done selling with momentum.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
That's wild.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Awards-wise, the Grammys were the cleanest snapshot of how dominant
this era was. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999,
so basically two years, the album is nominated for Album
of the Year and Best Country Album. And the single,
You're Still the One, we talk about slow dance songs again.
That was one of the greatest slow dance songs ever.
(49:23):
Wins Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.
Then the next year at the Grammy Awards in 2000,
the album is still generating singles that are getting played
so much like Man I Feel Like a Woman. And
then Come On Over wins Best Country Song. it's historic
it's absurd and i think that's why i'm getting a
little too excited here because we really haven't seen anything
(49:44):
like what happened like two years later at the grammys
the songs are still winning awards so when you put
shania at the very top of 1997 which we're doing
you're not just picking one hit single some of the
singles well they weren't a hit till two years later
because the singles before that didn't stop being hit so
why would you put out a new hit if the
other songs not finished being a hit yeah exactly and
(50:06):
you know what it was hard to beat garth and
central park And Shania did with Come On Over, November 4th, 1997.
You know, one of the songs that don't impress me much,
everybody knows all the words to it. I asked Shania
the first thing she thinks of when she hears that
song decades later.
Speaker 2 (50:21):
This is what she said.
Speaker 5 (50:22):
This one was a little different than some of the
other things that we'd done. It was more poppy and
sassy in a different way. It was still this Shania
sense of humor, playing with the sexes and taking charge
of being a woman with a sense of humor in
a non-offensive way so that everybody could be a part
of it and enjoy it together. So it didn't separate
(50:43):
us as men and women. That was never the idea
to separate us. It was always the idea to bring
us together. And a song like that, I think really
did that.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
And that's our top 10 for 1997, a year where
a few careers took a real step forward, a few
songs became permanent, and an album, well, that set new standards.
If you've got a 1997 moment you would add, or
you want.
Speaker 2 (51:05):
To swap in, let me know. Comment on our page.
Comment on our Spotify.
Speaker 1 (51:09):
Go to iHeartRadio. Put a little something up there. I'm
always curious what people remember from the year. Thanks for
listening to the 90s Country Podcast. You know what's next, 1998.
We'll do that soon. Love this episode of the Bobbycast?
Subscribe on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Welcome back to another episode of the 90s Country Podcast.
Today we are rewinding the clock to 1997, a year
when country music felt like it was everywhere. Without spoiling
anything up front, because I tend to do that, let's
jump right in. These are the top 10 events in
country music from the year of 1997. Number 10. Let's
(00:37):
talk about the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 1997.
In the year of 1997, you could have learned a
lot about country music by looking at who the industry
chose to honor. Because the Hall of Fame is rarely
about what's new. It's about what still holds up after
the trends disappear and after the waves show up, like
what is remaining. That year, the Country Music Hall of
(00:59):
Fame inductees were legendary songwriters Harlan Howard and Cindy Walker
and the musical icon Brenda Lee. The common thread of
this class isn't about a certain style or sound.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
As I mentioned already, it's more about durability.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
These careers were built on writing songs people wanted cut,
delivering performances that people will remember, and then doing it
for decades. We can start with Harlan Howard. He's one
of those writers where the name might not be front
and center for casual fans, but the collection of hit
songs that he wrote is up there with the best
of them. He had this gift for writing in a
way that sounded, I don't know, like a person was
(01:34):
just telling the truth.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Howard coined the phrase, three chords and the truth. You
ever hear that?
Speaker 1 (01:40):
That country music is just three chords and the truth.
That's Harlan Howard. He wrote over 4,000 songs, including songs
like I Fall to Pieces by Patsy Cline, I've Got
a Tiger by the Tail by Buck Owens, and so
many more. His philosophy behind the line three chords and
(02:01):
the truth guided his career and influenced many other hits
for many other stars in country music. And it also
cemented him as the Dean of Nashville Songwriters. Just fun fact,
or for trivia one day, I'll say it again. Harlan Howard,
three chords and the truth, the Dean of Nashville Songwriters.
(02:22):
All right, let's move on and talk about Cindy Walker
for a second. She came out of Texas and wrote
with a level of control that's hard to teach. Song structure,
clean hooks, and a sense of how to get you
to the scene and get you there quickly. Cindy was
known for her tailor-made songwriting. She produced over 500 records,
had top 10 hits across five consecutive decades from the
(02:44):
40s all the way to the 80s. Yeah, 50 years
worth of top 10 hits. Five different decades. That's five
different sounds because the sounds change pretty much every decade.
That's five different kind of stars, but it's one person
still able to write hits for them. And that might
not even be the most impressive part of her induction.
(03:04):
because Cindy was the first woman to ever be inducted
into the Country Music Hall of Fame, specifically as a songwriter.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Then there's Brenda Lee.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Most people know her as the voice of Rockin' Around
the Christmas Tree, which, by the way, hit number one
again recently, breaking a ton of records. But her legacy
in Nashville goes way deeper than a holiday hit. Her
induction was a massive moment, because she was the first
woman to ever get the nod from both the Country
and Rock and Roll Hall of Fames. She basically built
(03:34):
the bridge between both of those two worlds. There have
been other guys that have done it, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley,
but Brenda Lee, first woman to ever do it. And
what's cool is she didn't just take the trophy and retire.
If you follow the Hall of Fame today, Brenda is
still the one who will often announce the new class
every single year. She's essentially the matriarch of the institution.
(03:54):
She's in her 80s and still the most energetic person
in the room most times. Brenda's song, Rockin' Around the
Christmas Tree, oddly... wasn't a massive hit until decades after
it was released. I was talking to Brenda about this specifically.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I mean, it was played, but I'll tell you when
it really took off. One of my friends called me
one night and said, Brenda, have you seen the movie
Home Alone? And I said, no. They said, well, your
song's all over it. And I said, which song? And
they said, Rockin'. And that was really the catalyst that
(04:30):
brought it to.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Where it is.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
I never dreamed in the world that that would be
my signature song. I always thought I'm Sorry would probably
be it. And that song was written by the great
Johnny Marks, who was Jewish, who wrote all the great
Christmas songs. And I said to him one day, I said, Johnny,
you don't even believe in Christmas. I said, how are
(04:55):
you writing these songs? He said, I don't know. But
when I sit down to write, that's what comes out.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So the 1997 Hall of Fame class is a great
way to kick off the countdown because it framed that
year by defining country music's long-term values, prioritizing impactful songwriters
and authentic vocalists whose work is considered great, but mostly
timeless and enduring. Number nine, Trace Adkins, first number one.
(05:21):
Trace Adkins in 1997 is a good example of how
the music industry worked before the days of social media.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
It's not one magic night.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
It's a bunch of small steps, a bunch of small
nights that finally line up. Remember, there's no TikTok, there's
no Instagram, there's no YouTube. So in order to be heard,
someone has to be at one of your shows, hear
about you by word of mouth, or just randomly come
across one of your records. So let's talk about Trace's
story real quick and the steps he took for his
career to line up the way that it did. Trace
(05:51):
is from a small town in Louisiana. He didn't come
in as some polished industry kid. He went to Louisiana Tech.
He worked regular jobs. including time on oil rigs and
kept music on the side until it turned into something
that could possibly be an actual career.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Once Trey starts releasing.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Music, and the first thing that I think everybody notices
is his voice. It's very deep. It's very steady. And
you don't really confuse it for anybody else. And that's
great until you realize it also narrows the options. Because
a voice like that doesn't fit every kind of song.
If the production is too polished... or the lyric feels
too manufactured, it can sound forced. Trace needed straightforward songs
(06:31):
with some sort of backbone, stuff that he could sing
and sound like he was actually saying it and meaning it.
In 1996, he drops his debut album, Dreamin' Out Loud.
And that's where.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Every light in the house.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
That's where that song shows up, or every light in
the house. The song is basically Trace's introduction. It lets
people hear the voice, hear the style, and decide whether
it was for them or not. The song did not
go number one, which is crazy to think about because
that is such a legendary song.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
But it did land in the.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Top five, and it was big enough to put him
on the map and give him a second shot. So
by the time 1997 rolls around, Trace isn't a total
newcomer anymore. He's got a couple songs out there. People
know the voice. And now he just needs a song
to really stick. And that song is This Ain't No Thinkin' Thing.
Straightforward song. built around how it feels more than analysis.
(07:25):
And I think that's why Trace fits it so well.
He can deliver it without pushing or dressing it up
like we just talked about. He doesn't have to do
extra if extra sounds inauthentic. He sings it clean and
direct and it sounds natural coming from him. And that's why, frankly,
it became his first number one song in 1997. This
ain't no thinking thing was a jam and Trace didn't change.
(07:49):
He stayed who he was and he finally got the
right song for that distinct voice that people already noticed.
It's the moment, in 1997, where Trace became an artist
with a real signature hit that launched his.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Real signature career. Number 8.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Alison Krauss and Union Station release So Long, So Wrong.
If we're putting together a top 10 list for 1997,
which we are, the album So Long, So Wrong from
Alison Krauss and Union Station belongs on it because It's
one of those records that quietly ends up everywhere, but
not in a, I heard this song every 15 minutes
(08:26):
on the radio kind of way. You know, not the
overplayed single kind of way. More like people who care
about musicianship, harmony, songs that hold it up and keep
pointing back to this album kind of way. By 1997,
Alison Krauss isn't brand new. She'd already spent years building
her reputation in bluegrass and acoustic country and And she'd
(08:46):
already proven she could pick material with real taste, like
quality material. The big difference with So Long, So Wrong
is that it feels like the moment where the band's
identity fully clicks. It wasn't just Alison Krauss with some band.
It was Alison Krauss and Union Station, and it all mattered.
And it was also the first Union Station album to
(09:08):
feature Dan Tominski, who ends up being a big piece
of the group's sound going forward. So why is the
album successful? Well, the song choices are smart. It's not
14 songs that all do the same thing. You get
heartbreak songs that don't drag, though. You get melodies that
really stick, and you get enough variety that it feels
like a full listen instead of a, hey, pick two tracks,
(09:32):
and those are the good ones kind of album. They
also weren't afraid to bring in outside writers and unexpected material.
Like cutting Michael McDonald's I Can Let Go Now. Michael
McDonald of, well, Michael McDonald, and also the Doobie Brothers.
And they could cut a song like that and make
it sound like it belongs on a Union Station record. Second,
its blend of voices. Allison's voice always is the center,
(09:56):
and rightfully so. And the record works because of that. However.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
this is the.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
First time where you really felt like the band was
more than a band, even vocally. The band members trade
off leads and spots. The harmonies feel like a signature,
not a decoration. Tominski's taken lead on multiple songs on
the album, and it's what makes it feel like a
true band record instead of a solo project with backings.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Third, the playing is ridiculous. Maybe I shouldn't have to
say this, but I will.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Most of the time, people that come from a bluegrass
background can play the crap out of music. But man,
did they ever on this record. And the thing is,
it never really feels like they're showing off. And this is,
in my opinion, where the album separates itself. Listen, they're
technically elite, but the goal isn't to dazzle you with speed.
It's tight arrangements, clean dynamics, and a lot of control.
(10:49):
You're going to hear instrumentals like Lil Liza Jane, which
isn't just a fun break, because on some records, it
does feel like that whenever they're doing an instrumental. This album,
it didn't feel like that. It really feels like the
band is showing you their talent. The album reached number
four on Billboard's Top Country Album chart, which is a
pretty wild thing for a record rooted in bluegrass and
acoustic music. The great thing was, it didn't have to
(11:12):
stop being what it was to reach a bigger, broader
country audience.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
And then when the award.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Shows hit, man, That's what seals this as the top
10 moment of the year. The 1998 Grammys, so reflecting
back on 1997. So Long, So Wrong wins Best Bluegrass Album,
Best Country Instrumental Performance for Lil' Liza Jane, and Best
Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for
(11:37):
Looking in the Eyes of Love. That combination is the
whole story. The album's respected in bluegrass, but it's also
winning in straight-up country categories and not just a niche record.
It's a record the broader country world had to acknowledge.
So if you're wondering why Alison Krauss and Union Station
make the 1997 countdown, pretty simple. So Long, So Wrong
was one of the year's standard albums in the space.
(11:59):
It connected outside its core bluegrass crowd, it picked up
major awards, and it helped define the group's sound in
a way that carried into everything that they did next.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Number 7.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Kenny Chesney's first number one with She's Got It All.
If you're looking at Kenny Chesney's career in 1997, the
story isn't that he suddenly shows up out of nowhere.
It's that he finally gets the kind of record that
makes the earlier years all add up.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Kenny had already been putting in the work. He'd released
a few albums. He'd had singles chart.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
He'd lived that in-between phase when you're good enough to
stay in the game, but you're still trying to figure
out what works. And you haven't quite hit it big yet,
but you can see big. You're also figuring out what
kind of songs sound natural in your voice. What kind
of tempo that you carry best. What version of yourself
feels honest on a record. And that's a normal part
(12:52):
of the artist in Nashville timeline. Most artists that get
to Nashville don't actually arrive with a fully formed sound.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
They find it by trial and error.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Cutting songs, learning what sticks, writing with better people, re-recording songs,
having great influences, and slowly narrowing their lane. Kenny Chesney
had a similar build-up through the early to mid-90s, and
you could hear the talent early, but it took a
few records to narrow the lane to find the sound
that fit him the best. By 1997, he was on
(13:24):
his fourth studio album. But, even though that's a lot,
things were just starting to settle in, and that's where
She's Got It All comes and says hello. The song
was written by Craig Wiseman and Drew Womack. It's upbeat,
straight ahead.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
You know the song. She's got it all.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
It's built around a simple concept. Listing out what makes
the person, you know, that person, so appealing. The song
is also produced by Buddy Cannon and Nora Wilson. And
that's an important detail in their career timeline because Cannon
becomes such a major part of Kenny's sound over time.
He worked with Kenny on songs like She Thinks My
Tractor's Sexy, How Forever Feels. In 1997, you can hear
(14:06):
the beginning of what later becomes Kenny's sweet spot. Songs
that feel easy to step into with a vocal that
doesn't strain to sell it. She's Got It All releases
in May of 1997 and it's the lead song off
the album I Will Stand, which comes out July 15th, 1997.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
That album's a.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Little funny in hindsight because that's basically what this moment is.
Kenny finally getting something that lets him stand on his
own in the format that is, well, Kenny. And then
Just watch the song go up the charts, and that's
exactly what happened. She's Got It All becomes Kenny's first
number one on Billboard's Hot Country singles and tracks, hitting
(14:49):
the top spot August 30th, 1997, and staying there for
three weeks. By the end of the year, it finishes
in the top 10 on the top songs of the
whole year of 1997. So when you're building a 1997 countdown,
Kenny's inclusion is pretty straightforward. This is the year his
career stops, well, building, and it starts becoming something that
(15:11):
will eventually be legendary. One song, the right fit, the
first number one, and from there, it's easier to see
the path that leads to everything that became Kenny later.
I asked Kenny one time where his artist persona and
his sound came from, because it's very beach, right? Especially
from a guy who grew up in East Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
This is what he said.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I always loved the ocean. I feel creative next to it.
I feel humbled next to it. I feel very humble
all on a boat on it. And I have written,
so me and Dean Dillon would go to the Virgin
Islands and write songs on my boat at least two
or three times a year. It was so much fun.
And I don't know, I just feel different there.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
I feel creative.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
And I've always felt that way, even as a child.
But I got the love for sunlight and the ocean
and the music that you listen to in those situations
from my mother.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Did anybody ever in Nashville, when you started to have
more of a beach town, go, hey, that's not really
what we're doing here?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yeah, a few people.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
But I had made the decision that I was going
to take my life, that I was living very authentically.
And I had music to connect.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
All the dots.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
And once I started to take what was in my
heart and my life experiences at the time, and it
found its way into my songwriting. It found its way
into the studio and then on my records and then
on the road. And that's when my life really changed.
When I stopped trying to be this model, this thing
that everybody in town was trying to be. And that was,
(16:46):
there was a lot of people doing that because it
was successful. You know, I was one of those acts
that was doing just about anything you could do to
get your song on the radio or get noticed or whatever,
but it was in this, this specific model. And, Once
I stopped doing that is when my life changed.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Hang tight. The Bobby cast will be right back. Number six,
number six, number six. The How Do I Live split
release saga.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
If you want a snapshot of how unpredictable a career
can get, 1997 gives you one of the strangest. One song,
two versions, two very different moments. Both real, both lasting. Man,
this was awkward. The song, How Do I Live? How
do I live without you? Written by Diane Warren. And
if you know her music, you know the lane. Big chorus,
(17:43):
clear emotion. Heck, you probably know that song. That song
is a gigantic song. It's the kind of song that
can work in a lot of places at once. Radio,
grocery stores, weddings, movie credits. And the movie part is
where the weirdness of this song starts. How Do I
Live was written for Con Air, the movie. with Nick Cage.
It was a monster movie. It was an awesome movie.
(18:05):
And it was an awesome song for an awesome movie.
And Leigh-Anne Rimes records it first. Leigh-Anne Rimes, 14 years old,
she is right off her song Blue that launched her career.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
But the film company doesn't stick with her recording.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
The decision, according to the reporting that's been repeated for years,
is that her version didn't have the maturity that they
wanted for the movie.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
So they go to Trisha Yearwood to cut it instead.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
And Trisha said that she didn't even know Leigh-Anne had
already recorded it. So now you have the ingredients for
tension without anyone necessarily trying to create it. A major songwriter,
a huge movie, a teen star whose label wants to
protect the momentum, and an established vocalist stepping into a
song that's already been cut and she didn't know it.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And here's where the actual drama kicks in.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Once Trisha's version is picked for the film, Leigh-Anne's label,
Curb Records, is hesitant about releasing her version at all.
From their perspective, the movie version is the official version,
and they don't want it to look like they're chasing
a song that they just lost. The twist is, Diane Warren,
the songwriter, gets involved directly. She calls the founder and
chairman of Curb Records, Mike Curb, and says, hey, release
(19:16):
Leigh-Anne's version anyway. Then it turns into that real, public,
awkward tug-of-war, because both versions get serviced to radio the
same day in May of 1997.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
That puts radio programmers in a weird spot.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
They're getting two singles with the same title, same lyric,
same hook, and they're being asked to pick, I don't know,
which one do you like best? Billboard even described it
as a ballad battle because it's what it looked like
from the outside.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
This lasted all the way into award season.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
At the 40th Grammy Awards, which is February 98, now remember,
it's in 98 because it reflects everything that happened in 97,
both Trisha and Leigh-Anne are nominated for the same category,
Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for that same song. Trisha wins.
Leigh-Anne performs it during the TV show. That's an odd
(20:08):
sentence to say out loud because... That's exactly what happened.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I've watched it back. It's so awkward to see.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
So when you say, this caused drama, it's not gossip.
It's industry mechanics colliding in public. Then movie executives making
a call. Then label heads reacting. And then radio getting
put in the middle. And then the Grammys turning into
a head-to-head moment, even if they didn't want to be head-to-head.
And the reason it makes the 1997 countdown as simple,
(20:37):
it's one of those rare cases where a single doesn't
just help a career It creates a whole situation around
two careers at once. And here's a 1997 extra. Princess
Diana passes away. Even if you don't follow the royal family,
there's a good chance you knew who Princess Diana was
in 1997. She was on the magazines. She was in
the news. And somehow she was part of everyday conversation,
(21:00):
even in America. Even if you didn't care about the
royals at all. It wasn't like what you see now
with social media and and reality television, and it was
just all about them all the time, overexposure. It wasn't
like that at all. She was mostly on the cover
of things because she was so well-liked. She was kind
of a pioneer for making the royal family into a
(21:22):
pop culture thing because of how she carried herself. Early on,
she had this knack for cutting through the formality, talking
to regular people like a regular person, showing up in
places the royal family didn't typically go, and doing it
all with paparazzi everywhere. Over time, that turned her into
something closer to a modern-day celebrity that people could relate to,
(21:43):
or at least they thought they could, more than a royal,
which they couldn't relate to at all. By the mid-90s,
her life was also the clearest example of how intense
fame had gotten. Her divorce in 96, the constant attention,
the paparazzi, everything was public, and it felt like people
were watching her story in real time.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So when she died August 31, 1997, it hit differently.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And the details became part of the reason why. Diana
was in Paris leaving the Ritz, and the car she
was in sped away from paparazzi trying to snap a
picture of her, and it crashed. She was taken to
the hospital. She did not survive. This started to change
some things culturally. It made people way more aware of
the ugly side of celebrity, how the chase for photos,
(22:26):
how dangerous it was, how headlines can turn into something reckless.
It also shifted how the public talked about the royal family.
A little more human, more emotion, more scrutiny. and the
expectation that they act a little more like humans and
not just like symbols. Diana's legacy didn't just live in
charities or fashion or quotes. It lived in how pop
(22:47):
culture started thinking about fame, and who fame serves, and
who fame hurts, and inevitably, what fame costs.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Number five. Tim McGraw drops the Everywhere album.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
If you're talking about Tim McGraw in 1997... It's hard
to top what happens around the album everywhere because this
is one of those records where the results are not
subtle at all. The album comes out June 3rd, 1997,
which by the way, it lasted long beyond that. It's
still lasting today. Let's start with the singles. It's your
(23:20):
love with Faith Hill everywhere just to see you smile
where the green grass grows. And it's not like the
rest of the track list disappears either. He's also got
a pair of number two hits off the same album.
One of these days and for a little while. Then
you get into how big the biggest songs were. It's
Your Love hits number one on Billboard's country chart June 1997.
(23:42):
And it's one of those songs that instantly, even when
it was new, felt like a staple.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
It obviously is a staple now.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
And if you were a junior high kid like me
and this song came on, it was basically your only
time to dance with a girl. When this song came on,
you felt like this is a good slow song. And
if anybody wants to dance with me, it's going to
happen right now And most times it didn't. But sometimes
it did. And it was because of this song, It's
Your Love. Not only was it number one, it also
(24:10):
got ACM Awards. Single of the Year, Song of the Year,
Video of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year. Which,
by the way, that Vocal Event of the Year award
is two artists. Because it was Tim and Faith doing
It's Your Love. Now, if we move from that song
to Just to See You Smile, which is an awesome song.
He's played it in studio for us even recently. It
still holds up, obviously. It was released August of 97
(24:32):
as a single. It spent six weeks at number one.
It stayed on the chart for 42 weeks, which at
the time was a record in the SoundScan era. Billboard
even said it was the number one country song of
1998 because with that August 97 release, it was released
so late in the year, it didn't even really start
gaining steam until 98. The album obviously was a monster.
(24:55):
It was number 28 of all of 1997. And I'm
not talking about country music. I'm talking about all albums.
And even though it came out halfway through the year,
it was the number five country album of the year
for 1997. So if you're asking why Tim's on a
1997 countdown, it's pretty practical. Everywhere is one of the
defining albums of the decade. Multiple number ones, multiple additional hits,
(25:18):
major awards.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
It's just amazing. It still holds up to this day.
It's still that amazing.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It's also funny to see Tim and Kenny together in
this year because, well, They've been together so far many years,
and they're going to be together for many, many, many
years to come. But yeah, Tim McGraw on that album,
it was amazing.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Number four.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
George Strait, Carrying Your Love With Me.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
By the time 1997 rolls around, George Strait's career is
already what most artists.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Look for at the end of their career. But he
was in the middle of it.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
You know, most artists want a long run where the
basics stay strong.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
He had the hits. He had the albums.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
He had built a reputation for picking songs that fit
him instead of trying to chase whatever the new thing is.
So when Carrying Your Love With Me comes out on
April 22, 1997, it doesn't feel like a reset or
a pivot. It feels like George Strait doing what George
Strait does, putting together a tight, listenable album where the
(26:18):
songs are on point and the singing is steady. The
record is produced by Tony Brown, and it has that clean,
traditional George Strait sound. When I say that, I mean
clear vocals, strong band, nothing distracting from the writing. The
easiest way to see why this album belongs on a
1997 countdown is to look at what came off the album.
(26:39):
It's one of those albums that didn't just have a
big moment. It had a bunch of big moments, which
means the album stayed very active.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
You get One Night at a Time first. It goes
number one.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
It's classic straight in the sense that it's simple without
being plain, if you can imagine that. The song maintained
its position at the top for five consecutive weeks, and
it charted on other charts that his music didn't traditionally chart.
Then the track, which was the biggest hit, the namesake,
Carrying Your Love With Me. It goes number one, obviously.
(27:11):
It's basically a road song, and wherever it goes, you know,
it's carrying the love. You know, get it, Carrying Your
Love With Me. That song was written in just a
few hours by Steve Bogard and Jeff Stevens. It spent
four consecutive weeks at number one. It got George nominated
for multiple awards at the ACMs that year. All right,
coming up next, Today My World Slipped Away. It peaked
(27:33):
at number three. Now, that was still a hit, but
just not a number one. But people still knew and
loved the song. And then later, Roundabout Way comes along,
another number one. So you're looking at three number one
singles from the album and a fourth single that hit
the top three. That kind of single run tells you
what you need to know about the album's shelf life.
(27:53):
It was not a one-week story. It stayed in rotation.
It kept producing more and more songs. To them, it
was having to decide which one was the next single,
not do we have another single that works. And even
on the year-end side, it ranks across both worlds. Number
24 on Billboard's year-end 200, all. That's all genres. And
number four on the top country albums list. Then let's
(28:16):
go to the awards, which is really what solidified the
album in 1997. The 1997 CMA Awards Carrying Your Love
With Me wins album of the year. Now that's not
a single award. That's not a popularity spike. That's all
the folks in the industry saying the full album, track
one to the last track, was the best statement in
the format that year.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
And it doesn't stop there.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
The album gets a Best Country Album nomination at the Grammys,
and it ends up three times multi-platinum, which is a
reminder that it wasn't just a critical win, that people
actually bought it. That's the whole multi-platinum thing. So massive
commercial run as well. So if you're placing it on
a 1997 countdown, the case.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Is pretty straightforward.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Major album release, multiple big singles, album of the year
win at CMAs, nomination over at the Grammys, and it
just sold like crazy. And has one of the greatest
country songs of all time on it, which is the
name of the album, Carrying Your Love With Me. Okay,
here's my 1997. Non-country music, things from my life that
(29:17):
I remember... from the great year of 1997. And what
comes to mind first is that my ACT score was
finally high enough to go to school wherever I wanted. Now,
minor flex, I took the ACT in the seventh grade,
and I believe I got a 24.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Maybe it was a 23. It felt like a 24.
One of those where.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
I had a scholarship to go wherever I wanted in
the state, which was awesome because I was in seventh grade,
and obviously we weren't going to be able to pay
for college. But my junior year is the first time
that I hit 28 or 29 on the ACT. I
ended up taking it more and going up a little
bit from there as well. But in 1997, I hit
that mark of tuition, room and board, food, all that
(30:06):
being paid for because of the ACT. Big year for
me at Mountain Pine High School, 1997. So I'm going
to start with that. Now also in this, and I've
really tried over the past episodes to not be focused
on sports so much, but 1997 was a massive year
for really wild things happening in sports. So I will
(30:29):
not go full analytics nerd on you sports wise, but
I do have three things that I think are pretty
crazy that all happened in 1997. Michael Jordan's flu game.
Now this was a game that he is wildly known for.
It was a part of the documentary. If you saw
(30:51):
it called the last dance, I mean, He's a legend
for this game. There are pictures of him with the
towel over his head and he's got the flu and
he goes out and he plays like crazy. Michael Jordan
and the flu game, really one of the coolest games
ever in the history of NBA basketball because he was
so sick and it was the NBA finals and it
was the greatest player of all time.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
It was June 11th, 1997, game five.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
It was the Bulls and the Jazz. It was tied
two to two. The night before the game, Michael Jordan
became violently ill The flu. That's what everybody was saying. He,
according to stories, spent most of the night vomiting, couldn't sleep,
severely dehydrated, barely able to stand, according to the folks
around him. He played 44 minutes of the game. He
(31:37):
scored 38.7 rebounds, five assists, three steals. Late in the game,
he hit a three-pointer that pretty much sealed the game.
And so there's an iconic image of Jordan collapsing into
the arms of Scottie Pippen after the game. The Bulls
won 90-88 by two points. A couple days later, they
won game six and they won the championship. And so
it's the flu game. It's called the flu game. It's
(32:01):
wildly famous. However, I'm going to give you a little
twist here. Years later, Michael Jordan's trainer, whose name was
Tim Grover, suggested that maybe it wasn't the flu. Now,
according to Grover... Jordan ordered a pizza late at night
the night before. Several people showed up to deliver it.
(32:23):
Jordan was the only one who ate it. That trainer
believes that Jordan suffered food poisoning rather than the flu.
And so now Jordan has talked about a little bit
and he says, yeah, food poisoning is possible, but it
was the flu game.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
It's still called the flu game, right?
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Even if it was food poisoning, well, it's a little
easier to bounce back from food poisoning for sure. then
the flu because the flu stays and food poisoning. Like
once it all screams out of your body, you just
start feeling better. Kind of doesn't matter if it was
flu or food poisoning. The legend is the best player
in the world was down and out. Couldn't get off
the couch and scored 38 points and they won the
(33:00):
game by two points. That was pretty crazy. So the
flu game happened in 1997. Also 1997 was a year
that I was really getting into sports. Now I always
played sports and, I was always a nerd for sports.
It was really something that my stepdad, who was my
stepdad at the time, because my mom married Arkansas Keith
(33:20):
when I was like 13 or 14.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
They divorced when I was 18 or 19. So there
was just a window.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
But for me to get close to him, we did
two things. We listened to a lot of classic rock radio,
cool 95, good times, great oldies. And we also just
watched baseball games. and quizzed each other on baseball trivia
from the 60s, 70s, the 80s, and the 90s. And
so sports became a big part of my life because
(33:47):
I naturally was drawn to sports, but also it was
my way to have a relationship with my stepdad. So
this is one of those years for me where I
was dialed into all kinds of sports. So Michael Jordan
flu game, that's number one. Tiger Woods wins the Masters
at 21 years old, Tiger won by 12 strokes. If
(34:12):
you don't know golf, you're like, dang, sounds like it's
pretty good. 12 strokes is unheard of. So, and Tiger
Woods at 21 years old, what he was doing on
the PGA tour was unheard of. Tiger Woods was cool.
Tiger Woods dressed cool. Tiger Woods was like not an
(34:35):
old crotchety white dude. So it completely changed golf. I mean,
golf is cool now because of what Tiger Woods did
back in 1997. So back in 1997, one of the
most important moments in sports history, a 21.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Year old Tiger Woods destroys the field.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
At the time he was the youngest champion ever. 12
strokes is still the most anyone has ever won by.
golfer to win the masters so tiger instantly changed golf
because golf was for old people tv ratings were fine
(35:18):
but now they were just about to get mainstream good
golf stars were kind of niche famous but now tiger
woods was michael jordan famous and so the other golfers
he was competing with all the rising tide lifts all
boats that type thing golf became cool to kids So
I got to put that there. I got to put
(35:41):
1997 with Tiger Woods winning his first Masters. I'm going
to do another one. Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield's
ear in 1997. This is one of the most infamous
moments in boxing history. During a heavyweight title fight, Tyson
bit Holyfield's ear twice. The first time, Holyfield's like, hey,
bit my ear. The second time, Tyson bit like a
(36:03):
chunk of it off. Tyson was getting beat. And so
That's wild. That's three crazy.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
Hmm. I don't want to say transcendent, but okay. Why not?
Transcendent sports moments from 1997.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
All three of those, the Tyson one's kind of goofy,
but the Michael Jordan game is super famous and Tiger
Woods saying, Hey, what's up?
Speaker 2 (36:24):
I now own golf.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Really one of the biggest sports moments in the past 50.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Years or so. Now I'm not going to make this
all about golf.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Because I feel like that would be very selfish of
me being a massive sports fan. I'm also going to
throw in there Titanic, the movie, cultural phenomenon. You probably
knew about the boat a little bit from some sort
of history class, but DiCaprio, James Cameron, it was super long.
I remember Valentine's day, 1997. I went to this with
(36:55):
my neighbor, Scotty, no date. I didn't have a girl.
I didn't have girlfriends in high school, but me and
my neighbor, Scotty, who was a couple of years older
than me, We went to watch Titanic, the movie together,
and it was pretty much all couples there, except for
Scotty and myself.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
The movie would eventually become the highest grossing film ever.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
It's been surpassed since then a few times, but DiCaprio
already famous, obviously, but this took him and left him
as one of the biggest, most famous actors of all time.
But Titanic in 97. And then also Austin Powers. If
you were like, 17. And you're listening to this or 25.
(37:35):
And you're listening to this, you know, about Austin powers.
Cause this is the stupid, like, Oh, but everybody was
doing the quotes from Austin powers. And so Austin powers,
international man of mystery hits theaters.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
And you know what? It was not crazy big at
first it grew.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
And by the time the Austin powers, the two came out,
There were lines outside of movie theaters. It's crazy to
think how big that franchise was and how cool and
quotable Austin Powers movies were and how Mike Myers, who
was Saturday Night Live, was Wayne's World. But Austin Powers,
when we're talking about movies or TV shows or games
(38:20):
that elevate people to a whole new level, That was
Austin Powers for Mike Myers. And so I'm not just
gonna hit you with three sports. I'm also gonna hit
you with two movies.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
That is my 1997.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
I'd also like to say this. My bulldog is underneath
my feet. And if you have, for some reason, heard
him snoring as I've been talking about this, or there's
a faint in the background, that's my bulldog. You're not crazy.
I'm not sure if you can hear him. All I
know is I can hear him. And Bulldogs snore like crazy.
(38:55):
So thank you, 1997. Back to you. Number three, John
Denver passes away. John Denver's story starts long before people
knew him as the guy singing about country roads and
Rocky Mountain skies.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
John Denver was born in 1943.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
And because his dad is in the Air Force, he
grows up moving around in a lot of different places.
Music was the one steady thing in his life as
a kid. He gets a guitar at a young age.
and he starts writing early, the way a lot of
folk singers do. Learn the chords, play the rooms, and
keep going until it turns into a job, and then
keep going after that. Now, in the early 60s, he
(39:32):
leaves college and heads to Los Angeles, right into the
folk club circuit. Not long after that, he joins the
Chad Mitchell Trio in 1965, which is basically the first
time he got paid real money. I would say that's
his entrance into the professional lane of music. It's where
he learns touring. It's where he learns how to hold
a room with just a voice and a guitar. Now,
(39:54):
before he was a household name as a singer, he
was already making noise as a songwriter. He wrote,' Cause
I'm leaving on a jet plane, for Peter, Paul, and Mary.
And they go on to record it. It goes number
one in 1969. Also, his version of that song is
awesome as well. That's a big part of his career. Like,
that was his first major commercial success. Then his solo
(40:16):
breakthrough hits in 1971. Take Me Home Country Roads, which
climbs to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. From there, boom, boom, boom,
we can go Rocky Mountain High or Sunshine on My Shoulder.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
It's a jam. Annie's song. Thank God I'm a country boy.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
All those.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
All those. John Denver was so legit. He's everywhere.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Records and TV and he's doing specials and If you
want a very country history snapshot of how big he got,
the 1975 CMA Entertainer of the Year moment is still infamous.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
Charlie Rich, it's up, reads the award, doesn't like it.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
He burns the envelope with John Denver's name in it
to protest him winning. That's crazy, because they're like, John
Denver's not country.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Do I need to say what the songs are he
wrote and sang?
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Rocky Mountain High, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Take
Me Home Country Roads, this is one of the more absurd,
this person isn't country or that's not country music that's
ever happened. But it happens every generation. Then as the
70s move into the 80s, his career shifts a bit.
He keeps recording, he keeps touring, and he starts leaning
(41:32):
harder into causes like environmental work, hunger relief.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
He's doing a lot.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
That's a big part of his career now and his
public life. Now, something else Denver did a lot in
this time was flying. He became an avid pilot and
not just as a casual hobby. He was deep into aviation,
and he spends a ton of time in and around planes.
There's even a story, if we go back to 1989,
where he's involved in a plane incident on the ground,
(41:59):
walks away unharmed, but at this point in 1997, he's
been in planes a lot for at least a decade.
By 1997, he's still musically active, but he's also doing
a lot more of what he loves that's not music,
like flying. October 12th, 1997, John Denver's flying an airplane,
and it's one he had been experimenting with, and it
(42:20):
crashes into the water near Pacific Grove in Monterey Bay.
He's the only person on board, and he tragically dies.
So when his death hits in 1997, it isn't the
end of a career that disappeared years earlier. It's the
end of a life that stayed busy, music, touring, causes,
and flying. And when you place it into the 1997 countdown.
(42:42):
It's not because he belongs in one format. It's because
his catalog sits right in the overlap that country music
has always been a part of. Storytelling, clear writing, big melodies,
and songs that outlast the decade they came from.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Hang tight. The Bobbycast will be right back. Number two.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
Garth Brooks takes over Central Park. By 1997, Garth Brooks
was already operating on a scale of his own. And
he was getting a lot of criticism, too.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
It's our country?
Speaker 1 (43:18):
That's too big. That stage show is too rock and roll.
It's crazy how that's always a theme in every decade.
And Garth is selling out stadiums. Garth is a household name,
not just to country fans, but, well, to all households.
He's basically the biggest thing that country music has going
and one of the biggest things in music, period. So
when Garth Brooks announces a free concert in Central Park
(43:39):
August 7, 1997... It's one of those ideas that sounds
simple until you realize, well, what it means. New York City,
an open public space, no ticket barrier, and one of
the biggest stars and the biggest country star in America
showing up just like it's.
Speaker 2 (43:56):
Another tour stop.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
The turnout becomes the headline almost immediately. Depending on where
you look, estimates say high hundreds of thousands.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
There's a figure out there that says 980,000 to over
1 million people in the park.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
The New York City Fire Department, they did estimate that
it was over 950,000. Either way, it goes down as
the largest concert crowd that Central Park has ever seen.
But the crowd is really only one side of it.
The other side is that the whole thing is broadcast
live on HBO as Garth live from Central Park. And
(44:31):
in a 1997 context, it's a big deal because live
TV events were rare. And when they did happen, they
were a massive deal. People planned around them. Because you
can't catch it later. There were no clips on TikTok.
You can't go back into your TiVo.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
That was later. Or your DVR. That was later.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
You had to either record it on your VCR, which
nobody could really figure out how to do, or be
there live. HBO had a huge night, including a 15.2 rating,
which was a record for them at the time. 15.2
means basically 15% of all people watching television were watching
the Garth Brooks special in Central Park. Now you got
two versions of the same moment happening at once, a
(45:14):
packed park in New York and a national audience watching
from home, both setting records, both massive. And that's where
the concert becomes one of a kind because it wasn't
just a big crowd. It wasn't just a TV special.
It was both on the same night and both versions
fed each other. If you were there, you were a
part of something massive. If you're watching at home, it
(45:35):
felt like you were tuned into the main event. It
was nicknamed Garth stock because Garth, I mean, it was
literally just Garth, and it was bigger than any music
festival that had ever been there. To scale, this thing
was unrivaled.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
I could use other words. Unparalleled. Unlike anything ever.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
And the show itself isn't some weird New York special
version of Garth. He does what he does. And there
were some surprise moments. For example, Billy Joel, who wrote
and recorded Shameless... before Garth ever sang it, was there.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
They did that. Don McLean with American Pie. It was
really cool.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
After the fact, the impact of that special showed up
in the ways that people just referenced it. The concert
is still used as the benchmark whenever Central Park is
brought up about a live event or comparisons about how
many people were at a show. It's basically Garth's stock
they compare it to. It also turned into an award story.
That HBO special picked up multiple Emmy nominations. and is
(46:34):
repeatedly cited as one of the most watched concert broadcasts
of that year and of all time. So when you
land on Garth at number two in 1997, it's because
there aren't many nights like that, where a country artist
takes over Central Park, New York City, pulls a near
unthinkable crowd, and simultaneously turns it up to a national
(46:55):
TV audience.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Remember, not edited. They didn't record it and edit it.
It was all there. He swang on the rope, live,
And it was so cool then, and it's so cool now.
Number one. One, one, one, one, one, one, one. That's
not an effect. That's my voice. Number one.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Shania Twain releases Come On Over. By the time Shania
releases Come On Over, November 4th, 1997, she's already a star.
But this is the album that puts her from superstar to, well,
you're in a league all by yourself now. The first
thing to know about this is that the album didn't
just produce hits and go away. It's the kind of
(47:33):
album that keeps finding new life month after month.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
It's the kind of album that people still play.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
It's the kind of album that I still play when
I'm doing the radio show or I'm doing the Friday
morning dance party. Like it still feels good and at
times new and fresh. And on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart,
come on over in 1997. Well, and then it had
to roll into the next year. Spent 50 weeks at
number one. 50 weeks at number one on the album chart.
(48:03):
Nothing for a year on the top. I just want
to say this again. Nothing for basically a year on
the top country albums chart. Knock that record off. That's
the all-time mark.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
You do the math. Is there 52 weeks in a year?
And it's 50. It's only two weeks.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
Dang. Thanksgiving week, Christmas week. Other than that, number one.
Now we can talk about the singles as well. I mean,
the album spins off so many amazing songs.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Let's do it. Let's walk through this.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
In 1997 because commercially, Come On Over becomes the best-selling
country album ever, selling 40-plus million records worldwide, putting it
in the rare tier of albums that aren't just big
for a genre. It's big for the all-time conversation. This
album manages gold and platinum awards, 20 times platinum. That's
20 million units. They certified that thing November 15, 2004. Now, remember,
(48:50):
we started this in 1997, which tells you how long
sales stayed strong well after the release. Seven years, it
stayed so strong they didn't want to classify it yet
because it wasn't done selling with momentum.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
That's wild.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Awards-wise, the Grammys were the cleanest snapshot of how dominant
this era was. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999,
so basically two years, the album is nominated for Album
of the Year and Best Country Album. And the single,
You're Still the One, we talk about slow dance songs again.
That was one of the greatest slow dance songs ever.
(49:23):
Wins Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.
Then the next year at the Grammy Awards in 2000,
the album is still generating singles that are getting played
so much like Man I Feel Like a Woman. And
then Come On Over wins Best Country Song. it's historic
it's absurd and i think that's why i'm getting a
little too excited here because we really haven't seen anything
(49:44):
like what happened like two years later at the grammys
the songs are still winning awards so when you put
shania at the very top of 1997 which we're doing
you're not just picking one hit single some of the
singles well they weren't a hit till two years later
because the singles before that didn't stop being hit so
why would you put out a new hit if the
other songs not finished being a hit yeah exactly and
(50:06):
you know what it was hard to beat garth and
central park And Shania did with Come On Over, November 4th, 1997.
You know, one of the songs that don't impress me much,
everybody knows all the words to it. I asked Shania
the first thing she thinks of when she hears that
song decades later.
Speaker 2 (50:21):
This is what she said.
Speaker 5 (50:22):
This one was a little different than some of the
other things that we'd done. It was more poppy and
sassy in a different way. It was still this Shania
sense of humor, playing with the sexes and taking charge
of being a woman with a sense of humor in
a non-offensive way so that everybody could be a part
of it and enjoy it together. So it didn't separate
(50:43):
us as men and women. That was never the idea
to separate us. It was always the idea to bring
us together. And a song like that, I think really
did that.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
And that's our top 10 for 1997, a year where
a few careers took a real step forward, a few
songs became permanent, and an album, well, that set new standards.
If you've got a 1997 moment you would add, or
you want.
Speaker 2 (51:05):
To swap in, let me know. Comment on our page.
Comment on our Spotify.
Speaker 1 (51:09):
Go to iHeartRadio. Put a little something up there. I'm
always curious what people remember from the year. Thanks for
listening to the 90s Country Podcast. You know what's next, 1998.
We'll do that soon. Love this episode of the Bobbycast?
Subscribe on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Host
Bobby Bones
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