Garth Brooks has a deep catalog of songs and music videos. Unfortunately for many fans, the “Friends in Low Places” singer doesn’t make his work readily available in the usual places. As a result, fans old and new get excited when Brooks opens his Vault and allows them to view or listen to things they otherwise wouldn’t be able to find. Earlier this week, he brought seven music videos out of the Vault, including the controversial “The Thunder Rolls” video.
“Inspired by recent conversations about The Anthology series, Garth is restocking the Vault on [his website] with seven of his classic music videos,” the announcement read. “Spanning the years 1991-2019, these videos won awards, introduced Garth as an actor and director, and sparked national dialogue about important social issues,” it added.
[RELATED: 4 Garth Brooks Songs That Made Him a Legend Beyond Just Country Music]
Fans can head to the Vault on Brooks’ website to see the videos for “The Red Strokes,” “We Shall Be Free,” “More Than a Memory,” “Dive Bar,” “I Don’t Have to Wonder,” “Midnight Sun,” and “The Thunder Rolls.”
Brooks spoke about some of the songs and videos in the announcement. “The original ‘We Shall Be Free’ is so sentimental to me. So fragile, so strong,” he said. “Funny thing is, I really thought I needed that message then, and now, I feel I may need it even more.”
He also spoke about his directorial debut, the “I Don’t Have to Wonder” video. “I loved, loved, loved directing this one,” Brooks said. “I found myself really liking the director’s chair, even more than I liked being in front of the camera,” he added.
Garth Brooks Ruffles Feathers with “The Thunder Rolls” Video
“The Thunder Rolls” is one of Garth Brooks’ most popular songs. During his concerts, he sings an extra verse that doesn’t appear in the album or single versions of the song. That verse sees the wife getting her revenge on her abusive, cheating husband.
Brooks worked the revenge killing into the video along with the cheating and abuse that caused it. In his mind, it was the best way to tie the widely available version of the song together with his live version. While the video holds up more than three decades later, it caused controversy upon release.
TNN banned the video the day after its release. CMT pulled the song from rotation less than a week later. A spokesperson for the network said CMT didn’t want to promote gratuitous violence or “social issues.” Later, TNN offered to play the video if Brooks would record a disclaimer to play before the clip. He refused.
The controversy caused several radio and TV stations across the country to request copies of the video from Capitol Records. They would screen the video as part of fundraisers for local women’s shelters. According to The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country’s Big Boom, several women’s shelters contacted Capitol Records to thank them for raising domestic violence awareness.
The lack of airtime on TNN and CMT didn’t stop “The Thunder Rolls” from winning Video of the Year at the CMA Awards. It was also nominated for Best Music Video–Short Form at the Grammys.
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