Song: “I Hope You Dance”

"I Hope You Dance" won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song, and was chosen Song of the Year by CMA, ACM, NASI, ASCAP, and BMI. Uploaded by amazon.com.

In 2000, Lee Ann Womack had proved to be a reliable, but unspectacular country singer who’d had a couple of good albums, each of which produced two songs that made it to number 2 on the country chart. Successful, yes. Star, not really. Then in 2000 she released “I Hope You Dance,” and everything changed. It not only was a number one country hit, but crossed over and topped the adult contemporary chart as well.

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I find myself agreeing with Ken Barnes of USA Today. He listed “I Hope You Dance” as his fourth-best song of 2000 and wrote, “Uplifting message song whose greeting-card sentiments and imprecise rhymes are outweighed by a gorgeous performance by today’s reigning pure-country vocalist.” The song’s hopeful, positive vibe outweighs its slightly corny nature.

“I Hope You Dance,” written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers, earned CMA, ACM, NSAI, ASCAP and BMI awards for Song of the Year. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song and was nominated for Song of the Year. Womack told Billboard, “”When a song really connects with so many people, it’s because they felt something when they heard it. This song makes you think about and feel for the people you really love in your life.”

Americana: The Wall Street Journal

Want the most comprehensive coverage of business and financial issues? Time to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal. Uploaded by daveibsen.typepad.com.

Since 1889, Americans have turned to the Wall Street Journal for its comprehensive coverage of financial markets. Published by Dow Jones, and now owned by News Corporation, the Journal is the daily bible of American business.

Perhaps no American paper is as visually distinctive and iconic as the Journal. It’s known for its strict columns, the ink dot drawings, the “What’s News” digest. The front page says, You’re going to find serious information in this paper.

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The Journal has an outstanding reputation for journalistic excellence, demonstrated by its 33 Pulitzer Prizes earned since 1947. And it’s the editorial home of one of my favorite commentators on American life and politics, Peggy Noonan.

You may not know it, but the WSJ is America’s largest daily newspaper by size of circulation. It has more subscribers than number two (USA Today), and more than twice as many subscribers as number three (The New York Times).