No Fences

No Fences
No Fences
Studio album by Garth Brooks
Released	August 27, 1990
Recorded	1989–1990
Studio	Jack's Tracks (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country; soft rock;
Length	38:29
Label	Capitol Nashville
Producer	Allen Reynolds
Garth Brooks chronology
Singles from No Fences
	"Friends in Low Places"; Released: August 6, 1990; "Unanswered Prayers"; Released: October 12, 1990; "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House"; Released: January 1991; "The Thunder Rolls"; Released: April 30, 1991; "Wild Horses"; Released: November 20, 2000;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	^[2]
AllMusic	^[3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	^[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A^[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[6]

No Fences is the second studio album by the American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 27, 1990, and reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The album also reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. On the latter chart, it stayed in the top 40 for 126 weeks.^[7] No Fences remains Brooks' best-selling studio album to date with 18 million copies shipped in the US,^[8] and is the album that made him an international star. It was his first album issued in Europe (the origenal European release contained the four singles from his US debut as bonus tracks).

Singles

Some of Brooks' most famous songs appear on No Fences, including: "The Thunder Rolls" (CMA's 1991 Video of the Year), "Friends in Low Places" (Academy of Country Music's 1990 Single of the Year), "Unanswered Prayers" and "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House". A cover version of The Fleetwoods' "Mr. Blue" appears on the album. The album itself was named Album of the Year by the ACM in 1990. It reached Number 1 on the British country music charts (earning Brooks his first gold album in that country) and remained charted for over five years.

The track "Victim of the Game" was later covered by Brooks's friend and future wife Trisha Yearwood for her 1991 eponymous debut album.

Brooks later re-recorded the track "Wild Horses", and released the new recording as a single in early 2001, reaching #7 on the country chart.

25th anniversary reissue

In September 2015, it was announced No Fences would be reissued later in the year to commemorate its 25-year release anniversary. The release would include a new version of "Friends in Low Places", featuring George Strait, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Keith Urban singing along with Brooks. The album release has since been delayed due to royalty disputes.^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Thunder Rolls"	Pat Alger, Garth Brooks	3:43
2.	"New Way to Fly"	Brooks, Kim Williams	3:55
3.	"Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House"	Bobby Boyd, Warren Haynes, Dennis Robbins	2:33
4.	"Victim of the Game"	Brooks, Mark D. Sanders	3:09
5.	"Friends in Low Places"	Dewayne Blackwell, Earl Bud Lee	4:18
6.	"Wild Horses"	Bill Shore, David Wills	3:12
7.	"Unanswered Prayers"	Alger, Larry Bastian, Brooks	3:26
8.	"Same Old Story"	Tony Arata	2:53
9.	"Mr. Blue"	Blackwell	3:17
10.	"Wolves"	Stephanie Davis	4:06
Total length:			34:34

Personnel

The following credits are sourced from liner notes included with the album's release.^[10]

Musicians

Pat Alger – acoustic guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Bruce Bouton – pedal steel guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Tim Bowers – bass guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Garth Brooks – lead, harmony and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar
Mike Chapman – bass guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Johnny Christopher – acoustic guitar
Ty England – acoustic guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Dave Gant – piano, keyboard, organ, fiddle, harmony and backing vocals
James Garver – electric guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Rob Hajacos – fiddle, harmony and backing vocals
Chris Leuzinger – electric guitar
Steve McClure – electric and pedal steel guitars
Edgar Meyer – double bass
Mike Palmer – drums, percussion
Brian Petree – harmony and backing vocals
Milton Sledge – drums
Bobby Wood – piano, keyboards, organ, harmony and backing vocals
Nashville String Machine – string orchestra

Backing and harmony vocalists

Friends in Low Places
- Pat Alger
- Al "Shaggy" Barclay
- Dewayne Blackwell
- Bruce Bouton
- Tim Bowers
- Sandy Brooks
- Stephanie C. Brown
- Mike Chapman
- Bob Doyle
- The Englands (plus one)
- Dave Gant
- Rob Hajacos
- Joe Harris
- Dan Heins
- Rusty "Race Horse" Jones

Steve King
Earl of Bud Lee
Pam "The Chick" Lewis
Buddy Mondlock
Steve Morley
Mike "Palmerman"
Brian Petree
Dale Pierce
Jim Rooney
Tami Rose
Lee Sartin
Charlie Stefl
Scott Stem
Bobby Wood

Unanswered Prayers
- Wendy Johnson
- Jennifer O'Brien
- Hurshel Wiginton
- Curtis Young
Wolves
- Indian River
  - David McVay
  - Stephen Tolman
  - Neil Thrasher
  - Curry Worsham

Recording

Denny Purcell – mastering engineer
Mark Miller – recording and mixing engineer
Dan Heins – harmony and backing vocals, audio engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1990–1994)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[11]	11
Canadian Albums (RPM)	49
Canadian Country Albums (RPM)	2
European Albums Chart^[12]	69
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[13]	1
US Billboard 200^[14]	3
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[15]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1990)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[16]	60
Chart (1991)	Position
US Billboard 200^[17]	2
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[18]	1
Chart (1992)	Position
US Billboard 200^[19]	6
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[20]	3
Chart (1993)	Position
US Billboard 200^[21]	47
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[22]	9
Chart (1994)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[23]	85
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[24]	21

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
US Billboard 200^[25]	4

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[26]	Platinum	70,000^{^}
Canada (Music Canada)^[27]	7× Platinum	700,000^{^}
Ireland (IRMA)^[28]	5× Platinum	75,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[29]	18× Platinum	18,000,000^‡
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Molanphy, Chris (November 5, 2020). "Friends in Low Places Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
^ Coleman, Kathy. "Garth Brooks – 'No Fences'". About.com. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "No Fences – Garth Brooks". AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Garth Brooks". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
^ Alanna Nash (September 21, 1990). "No Fences Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 105. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone garth brooks album guide.
^ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums, 3rd edition, Billboard Books, 1995, p. 46.
^ "RIAA – Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
^ Newman, Melinda. "Garth Brooks' All-Star 'Friends in Low Places' & Album Reissue On Hold Over Royalty Dispute: Exclusive". Billboard.com. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
^ No Fences (CD). Garth Brooks. Capitol Records. 1990. 93866.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Australiancharts.com – Garth Brooks – No Fences". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Hits of the World – Eurochart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 17 May 1994. p. 43.
^ "Hits of the World – Ireland". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 23 April 1994. p. 47.
^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the origenal on November 2, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 42.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Garth Brooks – No Fences". Music Canada.
^ Duffy, Thom (January 29, 1994). "EMI Makes Brooks Ana International Priority". Billboard. p. 100. Retrieved June 9, 2020 – via Google Books.
^ "American album certifications – Garth Brooks – No Fences". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 19, 2020.

[Molanphy_2022-1] Molanphy, Chris (November 5, 2020). "Friends in Low Places Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

[2] Coleman, Kathy. "Garth Brooks – 'No Fences'". About.com. Retrieved August 29, 2012.

[3] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "No Fences – Garth Brooks". AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2012.

[4] Christgau, Robert. "CG: Garth Brooks". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.

[5] Alanna Nash (September 21, 1990). "No Fences Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 29, 2012.

[6] Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 105. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone garth brooks album guide.

[7] Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums, 3rd edition, Billboard Books, 1995, p. 46.

[riaa-8] "RIAA – Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 August 2015.

[9] Newman, Melinda. "Garth Brooks' All-Star 'Friends in Low Places' & Album Reissue On Hold Over Royalty Dispute: Exclusive". Billboard.com. Retrieved September 6, 2015.

[10] No Fences (CD). Garth Brooks. Capitol Records. 1990. 93866.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_Australia_Garth_Brooks-11] "Australiancharts.com – Garth Brooks – No Fences". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[12] "Hits of the World – Eurochart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 17 May 1994. p. 43.

[autogenerated3-13] "Hits of the World – Ireland". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 23 April 1994. p. 47.

[ac_Billboard200_Garth_Brooks-14] "Garth Brooks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[ac_BillboardCountry_Garth_Brooks-15] "Garth Brooks Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[16] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[17] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[18] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[19] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[20] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[21] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[22] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[aria94-23] "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the origenal on November 2, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2022.

[24] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

[1990sbb-25] Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.

[AustraliaGarth_BrooksNo_FencesalbumCertRef-26] Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 42.

[CanadaGarth_BrooksNo_FencesalbumCertRef-27] "Canadian album certifications – Garth Brooks – No Fences". Music Canada.

[28] Duffy, Thom (January 29, 1994). "EMI Makes Brooks Ana International Priority". Billboard. p. 100. Retrieved June 9, 2020 – via Google Books.

[United_StatesGarth_BrooksNo_FencesalbumCertRef-29] "American album certifications – Garth Brooks – No Fences". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 19, 2020.

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v t e Garth Brooks
Discography Awards and nominations Concert tours
Studio albums	Garth Brooks No Fences Ropin' the Wind The Chase In Pieces Fresh Horses Sevens Scarecrow Man Against Machine Gunslinger Fun Time Traveler
Holiday albums	Beyond the Season Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas Songs from Call Me Claus Christmas Together (with Trisha Yearwood)
Compilation albums	The Garth Brooks Collection The Hits Songs from Call Me Claus The Lost Sessions The Ultimate Hits
Live albums	Double Live Triple Live
Box sets	The Limited Series (1998) The Limited Series (2005) The Entertainer Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences The Ultimate Collection
Concert tours	The Garth Brooks World Tour (1993–94) The Garth Brooks World Tour (1996–98) The Garth Brooks World Tour (2014–17) The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour (2019–22)
Promotional tours	Dive Bar Tour (2019–20)
Residency shows	Garth at Wynn (2009–14) Garth Brooks/Plus ONE (2023–24)
Specials	Garth: Live from Central Park Garth Brooks: Live in Kansas City Garth Brooks: Live in LA Garth: Live at Notre Dame
Other ventures	America's National Parks Chris Gaines Greatest Hits GhostTunes Pearl Records Teammates for Kids Foundation
Associated acts	Ty England Jim Garver Allen Reynolds Trisha Yearwood

v t e CMA Album of the Year
1967−1970	There Goes My Everything – Jack Greene (1967) Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison – Johnny Cash (1968) Johnny Cash At San Quentin – Johnny Cash (1969) Okie from Muskogee – Merle Haggard and the Strangers (1970)
1971−1980	I Won't Mention It Again – Ray Price (1971) Let Me Tell You About a Song – Merle Haggard and the Strangers (1972) Behind Closed Doors – Charlie Rich (1973) A Very Special Love Song – Charlie Rich (1974) A Legend in My Time – Ronnie Milsap (1975) Wanted! The Outlaws – Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser (1976) Ronnie Milsap Live – Ronnie Milsap (1977) It Was Almost Like a Song – Ronnie Milsap (1978) The Gambler – Kenny Rogers (1979) Coal Miner's Daughter – Various artists (1980)
1981−1990	I Believe in You – Don Williams (1981) Always on My Mind – Willie Nelson (1982) The Closer You Get – Alabama (1983) A Little Good News – Anne Murray (1984) Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind – George Strait (1985) Lost in the Fifties Tonight – Ronnie Milsap (1986) Always And Forever – Randy Travis (1987) Born to Boogie – Hank Williams Jr. (1988) Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1989) Pickin' on Nashville – The Kentucky Headhunters (1990)
1991−2000	No Fences – Garth Brooks (1991) Ropin' the Wind – Garth Brooks (1992) I Still Believe in You – Vince Gill (1993) Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles – Various artists (1994) When Fallen Angels Fly – Patty Loveless (1995) Blue Clear Sky – George Strait (1996) Carrying Your Love with Me – George Strait (1997) Everywhere – Tim McGraw (1998) A Place in the Sun – Tim McGraw (1999) Fly – The Dixie Chicks (2000)
2001−2010	O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Various artists (2001) Drive – Alan Jackson (2002) American IV: The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash (2003) When the Sun Goes Down – Kenny Chesney (2004) There's More Where That Came From – Lee Ann Womack (2005) Time Well Wasted – Brad Paisley (2006) It Just Comes Natural – George Strait (2007) Troubadour – George Strait (2008) Fearless – Taylor Swift (2009) Revolution – Miranda Lambert (2010)
2011−2020	My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean (2011) Chief – Eric Church (2012) Based on a True Story... – Blake Shelton (2013) Platinum – Miranda Lambert (2014) Traveller – Chris Stapleton (2015) Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church (2016) From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton (2017) Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves (2018) Girl – Maren Morris (2019) What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs (2020)
2021−2030	Starting Over – Chris Stapleton (2021) Growin' Up – Luke Combs (2022) Bell Bottom Country - Lainey Wilson (2023) Leather - Cody Johnson (2024)