"Anyway" is a song by American country music artist Martina McBride, recorded for her ninth studio album Waking Up Laughing (2007). It was the first single of her career that she had a writing credit on, co-writing it with the Warren Brothers, a duo consisting of brothers Brad and Brett Warren. McBride also solely produced the track. "Anyway" is a song about how even though bad things can happen, the narrator sings that she'll do it anyway. RCA Nashville released the song on November 6, 2006, as the lead single from the album.
The song became a success, giving McBride her first country top ten hit since 2004 where it peaked at number five on the Hot Country Songs chart. The song also had crossover success, peaking at number 14 on Adult Contemporary and number 22 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, leading to its peak of number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. McBride performed the song on American Idol and on four of her tours.
History
The song marks the first time in Martina's career that she has co-written one of her own singles.[1] It is an inspirational song based on a favorite poem of Mother Teresa's, written by Kent Keith, which he originally titled, "The Paradoxical Commandments".[2]
"Anyway" was first released on November 6, 2006, where McBride performed the song to promote it. However, the single was released to the iTunes Store February 13, 2007.
Lauren Alaina performed the song on the 10th season of American Idol on Top 4 Inspirational Week in 2011. It was considered one of the best versions of the original song.
Music video
A music video was released for the song and was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions. In the view, McBride is shown standing in the middle of a street with pedestrians walking past her. These people are then shown standing together on a sidewalk, waiting for a stoplight that turned red. Throughout the video, each individual's thoughts appear as text on the screen. Scenes of McBride performing in a dark room with strings of hanging blue and white lights are also featured. The video ends with the light turning green, and everyone, including McBride, walking away.
Chart performance
"Anyway" was Martina McBride's biggest hit since 2004, reaching a peak of number 5 on the U.S. BillboardHot Country Songs chart in mid-2007. The song was also a Top 40 hit on the U.S. BillboardHot 100 and a Top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
