The end of July brings the humidity and heat along with thoughts of the honorable Lane Frost, who passed away after a tragic bull riding accident at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 30th of 1989.
After scoring an impeccable 91 and going the 8 seconds on the bull named Takin’ Care of Business, Frost dismounted the bull only to have it turn back on him, hitting Frost with its horns. Lane’s continued attempts to stand up and exit the live ring resulted in fatal injuries for the 25 year old rider.
33 years after the tragedy, many memorials and tributes have been created in Frost’s honor, including Garth Brooks’ music video for his popular hit, “The Dance.”
Released the same year as Frost’s death, Garth’s “The Dance” was interpreted by many listeners to be about a love lost, or the concept of going back to re-do something if given the opportunity.
However, Garth released the official video with his own varied interpretation in mind,
“To a lot of people, I guess ‘The Dance’ is a love gone bad song. Which, you know, that it is. But to me it’s always been a song about life, or maybe the loss of…
Those people that have given the ultimate sacrifice for a dream that they believed in, like the John F. Kennedys or the Martin Luther Kings. John Waynes or the Keith Whitleys.
And if they could come back, I think they would say to us what the lyrics of ‘The Dance’ say.”
“The Dance” video included many unsung heroes who had done just that, including John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and the crew of the fated Challenger space shuttle in addition to footage of Lane Frost’s rodeo career.
Because of Garth Brooks’ own deeper interpretation, the song has continued to carry a lot of emotional weight, often being used as a song of remembrance, including becoming a large part of Dale Earnhardt’s memorial service after his fatal Daytona 500 crash in 2001.
