You’ll probably be surprised to know that Sawyer Brown “They Don’t Understand” came from an unlikely source. But when Mark Miller first heard it, he knew the band had to record it!
In the latter half of the 1990s, the country music group was sadly gradually falling out of favor with country radio. Yet, they never stopped releasing studio albums, and this includes Mission Temple Fireworks Stand – their first one after three years.
Sawyer Brown‘s fifteenth studio album produced three singles, including “They Don’t Understand,” which in late 2005 became the band’s first Top 40 country hit since “800 Pound Jesus” in 2000. The song went to No. 37 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and was also a No. 15 hit on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart.
The poignant ballad was written by Dean Chance along with his wife Teresa Chance, Steve Miller, and Jeff Wood.
While the band wasn’t touring and recording, Mark Miller and his wife ventured out to a furniture store in Nashville where Dean Chance worked as a store manager. The moment the Millers stepped into the store, Dean knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss. So, he mustered all his courage and introduced himself – telling Sawyer Brown’s founder and lead singer to listen to a song he wrote.
And Mark did just that! He and his wife listened to the song while driving back home. Surprisingly, they found themselves sobbing. They had to pull into a store’s parking lot just to hear it again. When the song ended, Mark’s wife told him, “You’ve never been given a song this good. This is of God, you know that, don’t you?”
The song was actually inspired by Dean’s daughter, Katie, who was diagnosed with autism – as well as the judgmental looks they get whenever they’re in a public place. Indeed, this is one of the most inspirational Sawyer Brown songs you’ll ever hear.
You can listen to “They Don’t Understand” by Sawyer Brown in the video below.
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