Garth Brooks: A Country Icon’s Controversial Journey Filled with Backlash and Compromises
Throughout his illustrious multi-decade career, Garth Brooks has garnered adoration as a beloved country icon, producing numerous chart-topping hits and amassing millions of album sales.
However, lurking beneath the surface lies a legacy marred by controversy and unsettling decisions.
Most recently, Brooks found himself engulfed in a storm of criticism after wading into the Bud Light controversy surrounding transgender activist and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.
In an interview with Billboard, Brooks unveiled his plans for his upcoming bar in Nashville, ominously named The Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk.
He proudly proclaimed his intention to sell “every brand of beer,” including Bud Light, igniting a firestorm of disapproval from fans who voiced their disdain for his comments and the decision to associate himself with the brand.
But this is not the first time Brooks has courted controversy. In 1991, he released the song “The Thunder Rolls,” its lyrics alluding to themes of cheating and abuse.
Notably, an additional verse, absent from Brooks’ rendition but later incorporated by country star Tanya Tucker in her version, hinted at the wife in the narrative seeking retribution through murder.
For the accompanying music video, Brooks assumed the role of the unfaithful and abusive husband, with scenes that tantalizingly hinted at the fourth verse’s dark contents.
The video’s violent nature led to its banishment from The Nashville Network (TNN) and CMT, as these networks deemed it inappropriate to promote gratuitous violence or delve into social issues.
In response to the controversy, Brooks defiantly stated, “This is real life. Where I’m from, people aren’t afraid to talk about it,” displaying an unsettling nonchalance regarding the video’s content.
1992 witnessed the release of Brooks’ song “We Shall Be Free,” which envisioned a world devoid of hunger, homelessness, homophobia, racism, and filled with freedom of religion and speech.
However, when it came time for Brooks to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl that year, he faced another confrontation with controversy.
NBC, the network broadcasting the event, initially refused to air the music video for “We Shall Be Free,” citing its inclusion of highly intense imagery. The video depicted scenes of the Ku Klux Klan burning crosses, flag burning, violent incidents, malnourished children, and contrasting moments of unity.
Feeling that NBC was attempting to evade responsibility, Brooks made a dramatic exit from the stadium, a mere 45 minutes before his scheduled performance.
Eventually, the network relented and agreed to air the video, enabling Brooks to deliver a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as planned, accompanied by the Oscar-winning Marlee Matlin performing the song in American Sign Language.
This incident, however, birthed a lasting consequence—henceforth, all Super Bowl national anthem performances had to be prerecorded, as a result of Brooks’ departure.
Garth Brooks’ journey, though strewn with success and admiration, is riddled with the specter of controversy, forcing him to navigate treacherous waters and compromise his artistic vision along the way.
