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Walk Tall (John Mellencamp song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Walk Tall'" is a song written by John Mellencamp which protests the George W. Bush administration's policies. It can be found on his 2004 compilation 'Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits'.
There are two versions of the song. The album version contains the lyrics: "So be careful of those killing in Jesus' name/He don't believe in killing at all." The single version that was released to radio replaces those lines with: "And I wish you all a long sightline/And the strength to walk tall." Mellencamp said the record company asked him to provide less controversial lyrics for the version sent out to radio stations to give the song a better chance of getting airplay.
"Walk Tall" was produced by Babyface, who also plays guitar and provides backing vocals on the song.
Writing and production
In 2004, Mellencamp spoke to CMT about his inspiration for writing the song:
Mellencamp told 'American Songwriter' magazine how he brought the song to Babyface:
During a concert in July 2006, former vice president Dan Quayle walked out as Mellencamp performed the song after he introduced it as being for "those being ignored by the current administration."
References
Category:2004 singles
Category:John Mellencamp songs
Category:Music videos directed by Chris Milk
Category:2004 songs
Category:Songs written by John Mellencamp
Category:Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician)
Category:Island Records singles
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