\n<\/p>\n
\n\t[This story was originally published on July 3, 2019<\/em>.]<\/p>\n \n\tWhen Martina McBride<\/a>\u2019s \u201cIndependence Day\u201d was released to country radio in April 1994, it was easy to mistake the country song for a U-S-A! U-S-A! anthem. It was titled after America\u2019s most patriotic holiday after all, and its irresistible chorus of \u201cLet freedom ring!\u201d seemed custom-made for small-town Fourth of July celebrations to come. But the true meaning behind \u201cIndependence Day,\u201d written by Gretchen Peters and recorded by powerhouse vocalist McBride<\/a>, was lost on many listeners \u2014 the seemingly July 4th holiday hit turned out to be a story of domestic violence and one woman\u2019s drastic measures to escape abuse at home.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI started getting all these letters \u2014 handwritten letters, back in the day \u2014 from women saying, \u2018This is my song,\u2019\u201d McBride says now. \u201cI got a few letters that said, \u2019I heard this song on the radio, I\u2019ve been battered for 10 years, and I left. This was the thing that made me realize that it\u2019s not my fault, that I need to make a change.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThroughout the past 25 years, both McBride and Peters have watched as their song has taken on a life entirely of its own \u2014 not just in its cathartic impact for victims of abuse, but also in its misinterpretation for political means. Sean Hannity used the song as a theme on his radio show from shortly after 9\/11 until 2014; Sarah Palin chose it as a walk-on song during her Vice Presidential campaign. Peters, in particular, has been saddled with a patriotic anthem she did not write.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAs the writer, I always believe that it\u2019s very powerful to know what your story\u2019s about and know your characters, but not necessarily put it all in there,\u201d she says. \u201cBecause I think it invites the listener to play a part. The danger there is that those kinds of songs are much more easily misconstrued.\u201d<\/p>\n \n