“Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” was the first single from Tanya Tucker’s album Can’t Run from Yourself (1992). The song was one of three hit singles from the record.
Videos by American Songwriter
Tucker shot to fame as a teen country star with her 1972 hit “Delta Dawn.” At age 22, she fell in love with country icon Glen Campbell, who was in his mid-40s. What followed was a very public and tumultuous love affair—they fell in love and broke up on the cover of tabloid magazines.
While men in country music were being celebrated as outlaws, Tucker was continually denounced as “difficult” for the same behaviors as George Jones or Johnny Cash. She was met with declining sales in the later ’70s, and struggled with substance abuse. By 1988, her family convinced her to enter the Betty Ford Clinic. Her career was reborn after she made that choice, and she was soon nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association.
Tucker was back. She released a string of eight Top 10 singles in the 1990s, including “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane.”
[RELATED: Tanya Tucker Recalls Recording “Delta Dawn” at 13, Talks Hall of Fame Induction]
The Meaning Behind the Song
“Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” follows a young couple who fall in love and get married in their teens. The girl’s boyfriend is barely old enough to drive.
She’s 15 and he’s barely driving a car
She’s got his ring and he’s got the keys to her heart
Like two sparrows in a hurricane
Trying to find their way
With a head full of dreams
And faith that can move anything
They’ve heard it’s all uphill
But all they know is how they feel
The world says they’ll never make it
Love says they will
The song follows the couple as they have children and struggle to make ends meet. Overcoming life’s hardships, they find hope and faith in each other.
There’s a baby crying and one more on the way
There’s a wolf at the door
With a big stack of bills they can’t pay
During the final verse, the song comes full circle with the two now in old age, and he can once again barely drive—but they’re still together, and they still feel the same way.
She’s 83 and he’s barely driving a car
She’s got his ring and he’s got the keys to her heart
Writer
Mark Alan Springer wrote “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane.” He grew up on a farm, watching sparrows as a child. Springer was a struggling songwriter at the time he wrote the tune, which he confirmed is about being an underdog.
Video
In the music video, the timeline follows the couple through three time periods, their youth, parenthood, and finally old age. The scene is a one-bedroom apartment and features Tucker’s real-life kids and her aging parents. It was named Video of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Critical Reception
“Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart” kept it from the top spot. And Can’t Run from Yourself peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Three songs from the album reached the country Top 10: “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane,” “It’s a Little Too Late,” and “Tell Me About It.”
Bottom Line: Guts and Authenticity Go a Long Way in Country Music
Tanya Tucker is one of the gutsiest singers in country music. She knows a thing or two about being an underdog. “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” embodies a central theme in Tanya Tucker’s own life. Even after much success, she had to overcome great hardship on the path to becoming one of the most enduring female country singers we have.
Tucker began her career with a tragic love song. Her career thereafter has resembled a hurricane. Even when she’s crashed, though, Tucker found a way to rise up again. She’s a fighter and a survivor, just like the couple in this song.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
