"
Anyway" is a song co-written and recorded by American
countryCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist
Martina McBrideMartina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
. The song was released in November 2006 following a performance on the 2006
CMA AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
, and served as the lead-off single from her ninth studio album,
Waking Up LaughingWaking Up Laughing is the ninth album from country singer Martina McBride. This album is the first in McBride's career in which she has both co-written songs and been involved in the production single-handedly. This album produced three chart singles for McBride on the Billboard Hot Country Songs...
. McBride wrote the song with The Warren Brothers.
History
The song marks the first time in Martina's career that she has co-written one of her own singles. It is an inspirational song based on a favorite poem of
Mother TeresaMother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
's, written by Kent Keith, which he originally titled, "The Paradoxical Commandments".
The song generally means, no matter what puts you down in life, do not give up, do it anyway. At the 2007
Country Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
, "Anyway" was nominated for Single of the Year and Song of the Year awards.
"Anyway" was first released on November 6, 2006, where McBride performed the song to promote it. However, the single was released to the
iTunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
February 13, 2007.
Kristy Lee CookKristy Lee Cook is an American country singer who was born in Seattle, Washington and was the seventh place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005 Cook released her debut album called Devoted. In June 2008, Cook signed to 19 Recordings and Arista Nashville. She released her...
performed the song on the seventh season of
American IdolThe seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
on Top 8 Inspirational Week in 2008.
Lauren AlainaLauren Alaina is an American singer from Rossville, Georgia. Alaina was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower was released in October 2011....
performed the song on the tenth season of
American IdolThe tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
on Top 4 Inspirational Week in 2011.
Music video
A music video was released for the song, and was directed by
Deaton-Flanigen ProductionsDeaton-Flanigen Productions is a music video directing duo composed of Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV. The two have directed multiple music videos, primarily in the field of country music...
. In the view, McBride is shown standing in the middle of a street with pedestrians walking past her. These people are then shown standing together on a sidewalk, waiting for a stoplight which turned red. Throughout the video, each individual's thoughts appear as text on the screen. Scenes of McBride performing in a dark room with strings of hanging blue and white lights are also featured. The video ends with the light turning green, and everyone, incliding McBride, walking away.
Chart performance
"Anyway" was Martina McBride's biggest hit since 2004, reaching a peak of #5 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in mid-2007. The song was also a Top 40 hit on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 and a Top 20 hit on the U.S.
Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
| Chart (2007) |
Peak
position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 |
32 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 |
57 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs |
22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Adult Contemporary |
17 |
Awards
In 2008, the song was nominated for a Dove Award for Country Recorded Song of the Year at the 39th GMA Dove Awards.