Garth Brooks Unearths Music Video Banned For Decades
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
The current legal issues Garth Brooks faces aren’t his first brush with controversy. The music video for one of his most popular songs was banned from TV for decades. The singer re-released the music video as part of his reflection on his legacy. Keep reading to find out why the video was taken off the air.
Garth Brooks Faces Sexual Assault Allegations
Garth Brooks is widely respected in the entertainment industry. That’s why it was such a shock in October 2024 when news broke about serious allegations against the singer. A former hairstylist accused the “We Shall Be Free” singer of sexual assault. He denied the accusations and claimed the former employee was trying to extort him.
The legal battle is still ongoing. A judge denied an attempt to dismiss the accuser’s lawsuit in December. That was the last update on the case, but there are rumors that Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, are on the rocks because of the allegations.
He Re-Releases Controversial Video Banned In The 90s
Garth Brooks was one of the best-selling country music artists in the late 80s and early 1990s. He released his self-titled debut album in 1989. The album landed at number two on the country charts and spawned one of the most-used wedding songs: “The Dance.”
But Garth Brooks broke big into the mainstream in 1990 after the release of his second album, No Fences. In included some of his biggest hits, including hits “Friends In Low Places,” “Unanswered Prayers,” and “The Thunder Rolls.”
The Country Music Channel (CMT) also helped the singer’s rise to the top by constantly playing the music videos to some of his biggest songs. But there was one video that the network refused to play. “The Thunder Rolls” video was quite controversial at the time. The video echoes the song’s theme of infidelity. The extra verse in the song was banned from radio because it allegedly promoted violence.
In the verse, the scorned wife gets a gun out of the dresser drawer. While the song doesn’t explicitly say, it’s implied that she shot her cheating husband.
“She runs back down the hallway and through the bedroom door / She reaches for the pistol kept / in the dresser drawer / Tells the lady in the mirror, “He won’t do this again / ‘Cause tonight will be the last time, she’ll wonder where he’s been,” – “The Thunder Rolls,” Garth Brooks.
The video was immediately banned from country music networks. But Garth Brooks recently re-released the video on the “The Vault” section of his website.
Why He Doesn’t Put His Music On YouTube
The music video was banned from TV, but Garth Brooks banned almost all of his music from the internet. According to Rolling Stone, the singer told Access Hollywood in 2014 that YouTube, Spotify, and other online music sites don’t pay enough money.
“People get millions and millions and millions and millions of views, and they don’t get squat. Trust me. Songwriters are hurting,” Garth Brooks said at the time.
But there is one place to listen to the country star’s music online. Garth Brooks has a deal with Amazon Music to exclusively stream his music.
Do you think the “The Thunder Rolls” video would be banned from TV if it came out today?
