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When Lee Ann Womack stormed the country and pop charts in 2000 with the inspirational ballad, “I Hope You Dance,” Cassadee Pope was still a young student growing up in Florida, a decade away from becoming the first female champion on the third season of the U.S. version on The Voice. But considering the uplifting and hopeful advice “I Hope You Dance” conveys, it’s not surprising the young singer – who released her latest single “Take You Home” in March – connected with it then, and certainly does now.
From backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Pope performs “I Hope You Dance” as part of the Opry’s Radio Replay series, which spotlights songs that have inspired the artists performing them. In Pope’s case, part of that inspiration seems to be serendipitous, as she says in the clip, “On the way here, this song popped up on my Spotify playlist.”
Pope’s powerfully stripped-down version is backed by two acoustic guitarists, who also sing the vocal counterpoint delivered on the original recording by Sons of the Desert. A song that expresses the wishes parents have for their children, it’s fitting that Womack’s original music video for “I Hope You Dance,” featured her two daughters Annalise Liddell and future recording artist Aubrie Sellers.
