Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" was one of the first huge country hits of the 2000s, and is now known as a modern classic.
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Written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers, "I Hope You Dance" was released in March 2000 to high critical praise. The track was a huge crossover success, quickly hitting number one on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks, the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts.
The inspiring and hopeful message of "I Hope You Dance" instantly connected with listeners and quickly became a standard musical selection at school proms and graduation ceremonies. Even after the release of five well-received albums and many hit singles, the much-beloved single is now widely-recognized as Womack's signature track.
Womack even performed the song at poet, memoirist and civil rights activist Maya Angelou's memorial service in 2014. (Angelou, who was a huge country music fan, called the song her favorite.)
Womack performed the Grammy-winning song on The Oprah Winfrey Show after Angelou recommended the song to Winfrey.
Since "I Hope You Dance," featuring the band Sons of the Desert, was released, many changes have impacted Womack's life and career. In recent years, she's connected with a more Americana-inspired sound which is showcased on her 2014 album, The Way I'm Livin'. Her daughter Aubrie, who is featured in the video for "I Hope You Dance," has since grown up and followed in her mother's footsteps by starting a singing career of her own.
The uplifting track, which many credit as the best country song from the 2000s, was even covered by pop star Jennifer Lopez in Las Vegas.
Womack's 2000 album I Hope You Dance album, produced by Mark Wright and Frank Liddell, also featured "Ashes by Now," "Why They Call It Falling," "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger" and "I Know Why the River Runs."
Although both Womack and country music's sound have changed in the last fifteen years, "I Hope You Dance" stands as both one of her greatest hits and one of the most celebrated country songs in modern history.
Lee Ann Womack's 'I Hope You Dance' Lyrics:
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance (Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance (Where those years have gone?)
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance (Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder?)
This post was originally published on August 19, 2016. It was updated on May 2, 2022.
