In 2000, Sara Evans released “Born to Fly” from her album of the same name, and it quickly became her second No. 1 hit in Billboard Hot Country Songs. It also managed to peak at No. 34 on Billboard Hot 100.
The song was accompanied by a music video that portrays Evans as Dorothy of The Wizard of Oz motion picture. The short clip also features several similar story elements found in the movie, like a tornado, an evil witch, and a tiny black dog. It was named Video of the Year during the 2001 CMA Award, making Evans’ first and only as of the moment.
The Song That ‘Gets Everything Off To A Great Start’ For Evans
Written by Sara Evans with songwriting heavyweights Marcus Hummon and Darrell Scott, “Born to Fly” tells the tale of a little girl whose dreams and desires stretch far beyond where she is right now. She finally wants to expand her horizons and get out just like a bird flying to a new destination as she’s already tired of being stuck in the same place.
“Oh, how do you wait for heaven? And who has that much time? And how do you keep your feet on the ground? When you know that you were born, you were born, yeah, you born to fly,” the song goes.
Evans revealed that she drew upon her own roots when she wrote the song with her co-songwriters, and it was instantly written after one horrible conversation she had with her record label.
Evans was absolutely on the proverbial roll in 1999 after her first No. 1 single, “No Place That Far.” At the same time, she was enjoying being a first-time mom. However, the then twenty-eight-year-old Evans had her priorities well in place. Recording new songs may have to wait, but the competitive fire inside the talented singer couldn’t.
While having fun with Marcus Hummon and Darrell Scott, thinking of a new song, things were, unfortunately, going out of nowhere until Evans got a phone call.
For You
“So she goes off into another room to take the call. Darrell and I were like, ‘Oh, what are we going to do? This isn’t going anywhere.’ She comes back out, and she’s crying. We’re like, ‘Sara, what happened? Why are you crying?'” Hummon recalled.
It turned out Evans’ record label called the singer and told her: “OK, you had the baby. Time to lose the weight.” That’s when “Born to Fly” came into fruition and became a breakthrough recording that vaulted Evans into that sought-after “next-level” status.
“Looking back on it, I think ‘Born to Fly’ really gets everything off to a great start and sets the tone for the album,” Evans said. “It became my signature song,”
Make sure to listen to the song in the video below.
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