Garth Brooks Reveals Powerful, Long-Lost ‘We Shall Be Free’ Video [Watch]
Garth Brooks brings a poignant, powerful message in a newly released video for "We Shall Be Free," a song he co-wrote in 1992 in the midst of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. The video is just seeing the light of day after spending years in the vault.
In the never-before-seen video, heartbreaking images from the Sept. 11 attacks and young kids in Africa on the streets trying to get water, in addition to action shots of the harrowing effects of war, fill the screen as lyrics like, "When the last child cries for a crust of bread / When the last man dies for just words that he said / When there's shelter over the poorest head / We shall be free," play in the background.
It also includes hopeful scenes of soldiers returning home from war who are met with loving embraces from family members. Several famous faces, including Whoopi Goldberg, John Travolta, Jay Leno, Al Gore and more, also make appearances. "There's only one race," Brooks says dramatically to the camera. "And that's mankind." The inspiring phrase “One people. One family. One world. Free," closes out the video.
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Brooks recorded the video to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the song in 2002, but it was not released due to publishing issues. Now that it has finally seen release, he says its message is more timely than ever.
"Any time there is turmoil, any time there is division, we are looking for a safe place," Brooks tells People about "We Shall Be Free."
"This song is telling us, 'We’ve all got our differences, but instead of letting it separate it, let’s revel in those differences and use them to our advantage as one.' I truly think that 25 years later, the message has reached its mark."
Kelly Clarkson performed the track during Brooks' free live show at Nashville's Ascend Ampitheatre in October of 2016 as part of his celebration of achieving seven Diamond-certified albums.
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