Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Flashback To Martina McBride’s First No. 1 Hit “Wild Angels” That Sealed Her Star Status

by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.
In 1996, Martina McBride hit a new career milestone. It was on that year that the country singer scored her first No. 1 hit with “Wild Angels.”  The song was released in 1995 as the second single and title track off McBride’s album of the same name. It also peaked at No. 5 on Canada Country Tracks charts.

Don’t You Think Wild Angels Are Watching Over Us?

Written by Gary Harrison, Matraca Berg, and Harry Stinson, “Wild Angels,” tells the tale of a woman who reflects on her relationship and realizes that there must be wild angels watching over her and her man – keeping their love alive. “Wild Angels, Wild Angels. Watching over you and me. Wild Angels, Wild Angels. Baby, what else could it be,” the song goes. Berg recalled to The Boot the story of how the three of them crafted the hit song. “I started it with Harry. I don’t know what we were smoking that day, but it was a very lofty, kind of poetic lyric. I heard it [recently] and thought, ‘What was I thinking?'” he said. “We demoed it, and every time Pat [Higdon, my publisher] would play it for somebody, they would say, ‘What does this mean?’ – I knew that the lyric was off, but they loved the music, they loved the title.” So Berg and Stinson brought in Harrison to rewrite the song. “And after we got that figured out, Martina snatched it up,” Berg said.  McBride, on the other hand, found epiphany with “Wild Angels.” Interestingly, the singer gave birth to her daughter Delaney in 1994, and the little girl’s laugh can be heard in the song’s intro.

The Song Comes With A Daring Video

The success of “Wild Angels” may also have been possible, thanks to its daring video. Directed by Thom Oliphant, the short clip was shot on top of the Clock Tower Building in New York City. Down below were angels touching the lives of people. The shoot was actually a precarious one. “Up there, it’s pretty dangerous. There’s nothing to keep you from stepping off the side of the building,” Oliphant said. “For every shot of somebody, from Martina sitting on the side to the extras, there’s three guys with safety harnesses crouched behind the ledge, making sure that those people are attached to a bungee cord.” The concept – as well as its black-and-white visuals – were inspired by the film Wings of Desire in 1987, which was about an angel who fell in love with a human woman. Make sure to watch it below.

Latest Stories

Rory Feek holding his daughter Indiana close in a tender embrace as the family prepares for her open heart surgery.

Rory Feek Is Asking for Prayers as 12-Year-Old Daughter Indiana Faces Open Heart Surgery This Week

Rory Feek is asking the country music community to pray for his little girl. Feek shared on his blog and Instagram that his 12-year-old daughter, Indiana, will undergo open heart ...

Ella Langley shown alongside news that she has added 21 dates to her Dandelion Tour, including Red Rocks and Auburn.

Ella Langley Added 21 Dates to the Dandelion Tour Including Red Rocks and Auburn

Seven years ago, Ella Langley was playing cover songs at bars around Auburn, Alabama, for four hours a night, trying to make strangers care. This fall, she’s heading back to ...

Bailey Zimmerman now facing a felony charge over an alleged $16,000 hotel room incident.

Bailey Zimmerman Faces a Felony Charge After Allegedly Causing $16,000 in Damage to a New Mexico Hotel Room

When Bailey Zimmerman canceled his Albuquerque show on May 27, he told fans he wasn’t feeling well and needed to take care of himself. According to a New Mexico police ...

Morgan Wallen walking out alone onto the Soldier Field stage in Chicago, met by a roaring crowd of 60,000 fans on Saturday night.

Morgan Wallen Flew Solo for His Walkout on Night Two at Soldier Field and the Dance He Did Had Chicago Losing It

On night one, he brought in a Bears legend. Night two, he brought himself. And somehow, night two might have been louder. Morgan Wallen walked out solo for night two ...

10:33 AM Brad Paisley performing on stage, shown alongside his song "He Didn't Have to Be," still the tribute that wrecks every stepdad who hears it.

Brad Paisley’s “He Didn’t Have to Be” Is Still the Song That Wrecks Every Stepdad Who Hears It

Before Brad Paisley was co-hosting the CMAs in a blazer with rhinestones or shredding solos that made your uncle say, “Now that’s real music,” he was a kid from Glen ...

Ella Langley performing on stage in Oklahoma City, shown alongside her testimony calling God her one north star.

Ella Langley Called God Her ‘One North Star’ and Shared Her Testimony in Oklahoma City

Ella Langley had 10,000 fans on their feet at Zoo Amphitheatre in Oklahoma City on Thursday night. And instead of going straight into the next song, she stopped the show ...

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman smiling together at a past event, shown alongside news of Keith Urban wishing Nicole Kidman a happy birthday.

Keith Urban Wished Ex-Wife Nicole Kidman a Happy Birthday Five Days Before What Would Have Been Their 20th Anniversary

Three words, all lowercase, and a wall of exclamation points. That’s all Keith Urban needed to break eight months of public silence with his ex-wife. On Saturday, June 20, Keith ...

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO together at a past event, shown alongside Bunnie XO's statement that the two still plan to have a baby together despite their divorce.

Bunnie XO Said She and Jelly Roll Are Still Having a Baby Together Despite the Divorce and Revealed They Already Lost Four Embryos

Bunnie XO finally talked. And the first thing she told the world is that the divorce didn’t stop the baby. On the June 18 episode of her D𝐮mb Blonde podcast, ...

Morgan Wallen standing with his father, shown alongside news that his dad is launching a Christian Bible study show on Wallen's SiriusXM station.

Morgan Wallen Gave His Dad the Father’s Day Gift of a Lifetime with a Weekly Bible Study Show on His SiriusXM Station

Most people give their dad a card on Father’s Day. Morgan Wallen gave his a radio show. Tommy Wallen, Morgan’s father and a longtime Baptist pastor from Sneedville, Tennessee, is ...

12:20 AM Shania Twain smiling warmly, shown alongside her remarks about why the feminist label has never felt like a fit for her.

Shania Twain Said She Doesn’t See Herself as a Feminist and Explained Why the Label Has Never Fit Her

The woman who wrote “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” doesn’t want to be called a feminist. And honestly, the way she explained it makes perfect sense. In an interview ...