Lee Ann Womack Was Just ‘Hardcore Country’ — Until This Happened originally appeared on Parade.
Lee Ann Womack burst onto the country music scene with her 1997 self-titled album that featured such hits as “Never Again, Again,” “The Fool,” “You’ve Got to Talk to Me” and “Buckaroo,” and her follow-up album Some Things I Know spawned such hits as “A Little Past Little Rock,” “I’ll Think of a Reason Later,” and “(Now You See Me) Now You Don’t.”
But it was her 4x Platinum 2000 smash hit “I Hope You Dance” from her album of the same name that changed everything.
In an Instagram video posted on August 7, Womack explains how “I Hope You Dance” is more than a song. It has changed people’s lives.
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“You know, you have a record and a song like ‘I Hope You Dance’ — the way it affects people is such a bonus. You know, it’s one thing to have a hit song, it’s one thing to sell millions of records, but it’s another thing when you have a song that changes people’s lives and helps people,” explained Womack.
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“I didn’t think about [how songs could impact people]. I was a hardcore country singer from East Texas that just wanted lots of fiddles and steel guitars and didn’t think about, ‘Well, maybe my music will heal people,” the 58-year-old singer continued. “I mean, one story is that there was a recipient of a heart transplant and they danced to ‘I Hope You Dance’ and those are the kinds of things you just can’t anticipate.”
In another video, Womack explains how she knew that “I Hope You Dance” was going to be something special and it’s when it crossed over — her friend called her to tell her that she heard “I Hope You Dance” on a pop music radio station.
“From that moment forward, I knew we had something really special,” said Womack.
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She also has some advice for her daughters, who are now adults — Aubrie is 34 and Anna Lise is 26.
“Follow your gut. When you’re younger, you follow your gut, and then you go through a period of time when you start second-guessing yourself, I think. Don’t give it up. Keep following your instincts,” said Womack, adding, “Maybe don’t take yourself so seriously. I don’t know. There is no substitute for love; make sure they feel loved. Don’t look for the shortcuts. Just be prepared daily to do the hard work.”
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Lee Ann Womack Was Just ‘Hardcore Country’ — Until This Happened first appeared on Parade on Aug 7, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
