Way past time, actually. Carrie Underwood has done everything for the Super Bowl, except the halftime show. She has done a pre-Super Bowl concert with Stephen Tyler, sang the National Anthem, and been the co-writer of the intro song not once, but twice, including this year’s “The Champion” (also the NBC song for the Winter Olympics), which has outperformed 2018’s halftime performer, Justin Timberlake, through digital sales (selling double of his highest-charted song from his set) and what is likely to be record-breaking iTunes chart stays.
From the night of the Super Bowl until Thursday morning, she was queen of the all-genre iTunes US chart. Though Justin had multiple songs in the top 10, it wasn’t until Thursday that he reached the coveted spot.
Let me repeat: the intro song for the Super Bowl reclaimed its throne, jumping from number 14 to the top, from the night of the Super Bowl until Thursday morning, preventing this year’s halftime performer from reaching number one until then. If that isn’t a clue that it’s time to get “Carrie’d away” for Super Bowl 2019, I don’t know what is.
And yes, you read that right – reclaimed. When “The Champion” was released to iTunes in January, it skyrocketed to number one the same day of release and remained there for several days. According to Billboard, “The Champion” had a 444% sales gain from the day before the Super Bowl; Justin had 534% – however, that was a collective total percentage from all of the songs featured in his halftime set. 444% from one song vs. 534% group total – the numbers speak for themselves.
That doesn’t include the data from streaming services, which I’m unaware if that has been published yet or not. But I’m confident “The Champion” will be breaking records there, too.
You might be wondering, other than the magical story of “The Champion”, what makes Carrie Underwood the ideal halftime performer for Super Bowl 2019. To be honest, I could write books on that alone, but instead, I want to highlight some particular points.
First of all, there has not been a country artist as the halftime performer in 15 years, which is a travesty and a discriminatory blow to football’s largest group of fans. The country music world and its fans often live and breathe football, including writing songs about it.
While my knowledge of football highlight songs is limited, I would have no doubt that Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” has been used for them. It’s an absolute shock to me that even Kenny has not performed the halftime show yet, as he sells out football stadiums on every tour and has probably more ties to the sport than any other major country artist – well, him and Carrie.
You won’t find a football stadium in America that doesn’t consist of a large number of country music fans as attendees, especially if the stadium is located in the South – where those fans would definitely be considered the majority there. It’s not a secret that country music is the genre of music that has more football connections than any other genre. The NFL greatly underestimates the reach, power, and popularity a halftime show featuring a major country artist would have.
Country artists, especially Kenny and Carrie, have their fair share of record-breaking tours and chart histories that out-sell and out-perform major pop artists. And, as a whole, they tend to be more of a household name than most current pop artists. Your grandmother or next door neighbor may not know who Demi Levato is, but they can name you a Kenny or Carrie song any day. Again, country music has a wider reach and longer history than other genres. The Grand Ole Opry, for example, is the most known and cherished music venue in the world, even to numerous artists of other genres, who have performed there or still dream of doing so one day.
Carrie Underwood, a modern legend herself, has won (and continues to be the most successful - great prediction, Simon) American Idol, played the main character on a live musical that was most watched non-sports television event in years, performed with The Rolling Stones (along with a number of legendary artists), released her first greatest hits album, broken countless records, and is the owner of seven Grammy’s (and multiple nominations outside of those), currently, in addition to an insane amount of various awards.
Her 2016 Storyteller Tour sold out Madison Square Garden, the location of her digital concert film, and was the top country female tour of the year. Over one million fans attended the tour across nine countries. The Pittsburgh Tribune called her “…one of the strongest and most engaging performers in today’s music.”
And that only scratches the surface of her accomplishments so far since she first won our hearts almost twelve years ago.
But ask her what’s her most important and meaningful music industry achievement, and she’ll tell you that it’s being inducted into the Grand Ole’ Opry. This year, she will celebrate her 10th year as a member, and despite her busy schedule, she is the only top 40 artist, in recent years, to keep her membership commitment of ten shows a year. And while those requirements are more flexible than they used to be, don’t ever expect her number of appearances to drop due to that reason. Carrie values her membership and is always thrilled to perform on that special stage.
And if you question her on that most important and meaningful achievement outside of the music industry? Becoming a Christian. Celebrities regularly view entertainment as their number one job or goal, but not Carrie.
Her view?
“I never expected to be doing what I’m doing, and doors were opened, and I was meant to walk through them, because I know I did not do this all by myself. And I do thank God every single day for everything that I have. And I hope that, you know, through my music, and hopefully through my life, if I can convince others that there is a God and that they need to know Him, then I have done my job.”
Carrie is the most humble person you will ever meet and has never let her definition of success get clouded by worldly or temporary things.
”The barometer of success for me is just feeling like I gave it my all, no matter what I’m doing – award shows, or being out on tour, or being a mom, or a being a wife, or being a friend – I just wanna feel like I did my best.”
“I’m lucky to be in a format like country music, and I feel like I have a responsibility to future country music superstar ladies, just in respecting what I’ve been lucky enough to have and speak openly about other women…and supporting them and having that network…and just being able to watch it grow.” - Carrie (2016 CMT Arist of Year video)
This level of heart and depth shines in every aspect of her life, including her music. If I wrote about all of the things that we know of alone that make both Carrie and her music so beautiful, my fingers would never stop typing.
You may think that I’ve lost track of why she needs to perform for the halftime show, but bear with me here. This depth that shines through her music is exactly what the Super Bowl is missing.
Year after year, I witness constant complaints about the halftime show, such as: lack of energy, artists that cannot sing live or without auto-tune, vulgar lyrics, political statements, over-the-top/wild theatrics, music that only appeals to fans of one genre (normally pop), lip-syncing, artists wearing almost no clothes, dancers overshadowing the performer, nothing memorable in good way, weird mascot-type costumes, fake/paid crowds beside the stage, etc. etc. etc.
With Carrie Underwood? It would be NONE of that. Super Bowl watchers want to watch something that they will look back on with enjoyment, because of the level of energy, meaningful music/performance, absence of political statements, and genuine talent. If you look online, you can find videos that show a, to be blunt, bored stadium crowd, with the only noticeable excitement being the fake/paid crowds around the stage.
Why is that the case? Because the halftime performers, especially in the pop genre, more often that not, are too concerned about the theatrics and political statements to actually put on a show that’s based on what it’s supposed to be based on – the music.
In contrast, when you watch videos of Carrie performing at CMA Fest in Nashville, you will see and hear the entire Tennessee Titans NFL stadium loudly singing and cheering through the full songs. And though you may assume that’s because it’s a country crowd, she has performed Guns ‘N Roses covers at that event with the same reception.
That’s not her only experience with NFL stadiums, either. For instance, just over a year ago, Carrie gave a surprise performance to over 50,000 people attending a Christian conference at what was then the Georgia Dome, which was also known as one of the largest domed stadiums and on the same property as where Super Bowl 2019 will take place (A sign of destiny? Hopefully!).
Not only did that stadium’s entire crowd “go nuts” and serenade Carrie right back, but that performance received praise from a wide variety of people – even non-Christians appreciated the joy she brought to those conference attendees. It’s been a long time since a major country artist, other than Carrie, has made an appearance of that nature at a Christian conference/event, at least that we know of.
Carrie’s catalogue of music is filled with masterpieces that appeal to fans of any genre. Her faith-based hits have crossed over to the Adult Contemporary charts on their own; some of her fun country songs have done the same, including finding their way to Billboard’s Hot 100. Carrie has said in the past that she will never re-mix her own music just to release it to a different genre on radio. Any of her singles that have crossed over have done so naturally, which is because of that wide appeal.
On top of that, you will consistently discover many non-country fans who state that, although they don’t like country music (particularly what’s current), they do like Carrie’s music. And that is not them thinking it is “boundary-pushing” genre wise; it is them recognizing that it means something (ahem, bro-country). Carrie is a natural storyteller and that is clearly exhibited through every word of her music and nuance in her vocals. Her music is emotional, powerful, and life-changing, whether it’s a fun track or a come-to-Jesus meeting.
At last year’s CMA Awards, her tribute to the Vegas victims was done with a hymn, and was viewed, by most people, as the highlight of the entire show – not only because it was a tribute, but also because of how genuine it was (Carrie herself broke down near the end of the song). People who did not watch the show or are not Christians still commented how sincere, beautiful, and poignant her tribute was; victims’ families expressed their gratitude to Carrie and referenced the deep impact her emotion and performance had on them.
While more artists than not will perform a song with only the intentions of entertainment, Carrie doesn’t perform just to “perform”; she tells a story from her heart with her emotion, vocal nuances, and sincerity – and the natural result of that is a performance of a lifetime – and yes, she uniquely somehow does it each and every time.
”I guess I’d just like to…start off by doing something I do every morning, which is thanking God for all the blessings in my life, and there are way too many to count. Ever since I was little, all I wanted to do was sing; that’s what made my heart the happiest. No matter where I was, no matter what family reunion my mom forced me to sing at…it was a little embarrassing at the time, but I thank God for that, too.
And, you know, I never expected it to be as much work as it is, but I definitely thank God for that, because I don’t think moments like this would be as sweet.” “…and I think the greatest pleasure of being on stage is recognizing faces in the crowd, because you know you’re doing something right when people are coming back.” - Carrie (2010 CMT Artist of Year speech)
And that’s what the Super Bowl is in desperate need of showcasing. She is one of few artists whose vocals are even more amazing live than recorded. If Carrie Underwood is given the chance to perform the halftime show, I can assure you that it will be the most positive feedback the halftime show has gotten in years, if ever.
During the Super Bowl, both after watching “The Champion” intro video and the halftime show, there were a large number of people on social media requesting Carrie to be next year’s halftime performer. Since then, I have seen multiple articles reflecting those opinions, including a radio station poll for next year’s performer that Carrie won. The power and magic she has leaves a permanent imprint on your heart, especially if you have the privilege to witness it in person.
”Carrie Underwood’s instrument, her voice, is also a work of art.” - Kevin Costner (2010 CMT Arist of Year introduction)
Her versatility is one of a kind, and her abilities know no boundaries. Using her Guns ‘N Roses covers as an example, it’s common to read comments online from loyal Guns ‘N Roses fans who will either say they prefer her cover over the original song or that she is the only artist that does the covers justice. If I’m not mistaken, her pre-Super Bowl concert with Stephen Tyler is the highest rated CMT Crossroads so far. This type of versatility would also allow her to do a mix of genres for a halftime show, if she chose to. She has been mixing rock covers with her country music at her concerts for as long as she’s been in the public eye. She has covered multiple genres on tour, and no matter what she performs, she makes it her own and instantly the best version.
While I could detail a dream-come-true Carrie Underwood halftime show, it would pale in comparison to what she would come up with, because she is the ultimate master of her craft – and though some will disagree with me, in my opinion, the greatest artist and singer there ever was or will be.
”…American Idol, you know, has given us one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever been given…and that’s her.” “…one of the best singers that we have ever had; I don’t know if there’s ever been anybody better.” “…I just don’t think there’s anyone more talented.” - Brad Paisley
Her heart shines through her like none other. Her flawless vocals, wise creativity, and songwriting masterpieces are just a few of her endless gifts from God. She is the only person that I have ever seen literally bounce while singing (ballads included), from all of the emotion built up inside of her, and it is one of the things that I love most about watching her perform, because I know that, each time she does it, it’s a testament to the sincerity within every aspect of her performance.
”Carrie, I have to say this to you: You have written some just wonderful songs – beautiful, powerful songs…you’re a great songwriter on top of the singing. But, you know, you’ve written and you’ve also found, in your career, songs that require a vocal versatility that most of us just do not have; that part of your talent is remarkable. One of the finest singers to come into this business in many many years. And that’s just from my heart, and I appreciate you very very much for that.” - Randy Travis (2010 CMT Artist of Year introduction)
I am crossing my fingers that, with our society trying to find ways to unite once again, both the NFL and halftime show sponsors would never disregard the idea of a Carrie halftime show because of corporate partnerships or sponsorships. It should not matter what TV network or product brands that she has ties to – all that should matter is giving her the credit that is due to her, particularly with all she has done for the NFL, and wanting to share her inspiration with the world. There is a reason why “The Champion”, which she co-wrote, is already being considered one of the best anthems of all time.
It is my hope that my words, which echo the thoughts of every Carrie Underwood fan, will be taken to heart and respected as a valid plea to make next year’s Super Bowl halftime show one filled with meaning, sincerity, genuine talent, and performances of a lifetime.
I will leave you with a sampling of videos that showcase a fraction of a percent of the unique versatility that Carrie Underwood is blessed with.
Written by: https://twitter.com/CaliaButterfly
Side note:
Carrie fans, you can visit this Twitter thread ( https://twitter.com/CaliaButterfly/status/961039243043856384 ) to tweet your Carrie halftime show support to the decision makers and influencers or send out your own tweets using the tags: #CarriedAwayForSB53 #ATLSB53 #MBStadium
The voice of versatility…
Click here to watch the “The Voice of Versatility” video on YouTube
Click here to watch the “The Greatest Singer of All Time” video on YouTube
Two of Carrie’s multiple Guns ‘N Roses covers…
Click here to watch the “Paradise City” video on YouTube
Click here to watch the “Sweet Child O’ Mine” video on YouTube
Hitting the high notes of “Alone” while sick (yes, she did)…
Click here to watch the “Alone” video on YouTube
An entire NFL stadium singing every word of “Before He Cheats”…
Click here to watch the “Before He Cheats” video on YouTube
Rockin’ the harmonica in a NFL stadium…
Click here to watch the “Choctaw County Affair” video on YouTube
Over 50,000 people at the GA Dome last year singing the song with her…
Click here to watch the “Something in the Water” video on YouTube
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