Meet the Writers Behind Lee Ann Womack’s Crossover Hit “I Hope You Dance”

Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers wrote one of the most gorgeous country crossover songs with Lee Ann Womack’s signature hit, “I Hope You Dance.” Released in 2000, the song was inspired by a trip Sillers took to the beach in the midst of a heartbreaking divorce, the experience turning into the humble lyrics of the song. Get to know Sanders and Sillers below.

It was a long road to get to Nashville from Sanders’ native California. Born in Los Angeles in 1950 and raised in nearby Orange County, Sanders studied literature at the University of California, San Diego where he started to dabble in songwriting. He eventually became a teacher, obtaining his teaching certificate at the University of Arkansas. He later returned to his native state to work as a teacher in Orange County. After he left teaching, Sanders decided to set his ambitions toward songwriting and moved to Nashville in March 1980. His first publishing deal was with Acuff-Rose Publishing Company before moving over to Reba McEntire’s Starstruck Publishing, Universal Music Publishing and several other companies.

“I was 29 and wanted to do something of significance in my life,” he told American Songwriter in 1996 about turning songwriting from a hobby into a profession. “I couldn’t do anything else. I didn’t want to turn 30 and be aimless.  I think some people grow up needing to be creative, it just took me a while to give myself permission to do it.”

Sanders’ first writing credit was on Garth Brooks’ blockbuster 1990 album, No Fences. Sanders co-wrote the deep cut, “Victim of the Game,” with Brooks. He’s also behind Lonestar’s chart-topping 1996 hit, “No News,” Faith Hill’s “It Matters to Me” and George Strait’s “Blue Clear Sky,” among other No. 1 hits. He also co-wrote one of Jo Dee Messina’s signature numbers, “Heads Carolina, Tails California” that got a second life when Cole Swindell revamped it for his 2022 hit, “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.”

Sillers was born in Connecticut but moved several times during childhood before her family settled in Nashville in 1980. She later attended the University of North Carolina studying business and communications where she also got her master’s degree. While working on her dissertation, Sillers started writing songs, and a fateful night at the iconic Bluebird Cafe solidified her future.

“My mom took me to the Bluebird Café, and Don Schlitz was performing that night,” Sillers recalled to Songwriter Universe. “I had such a great time watching him perform and being around other songwriters and musicians, that it influenced my decision to stay in Nashville and pursue my songwriting.”

She scored her first publishing deal in 1991 with Tom Collins Music and had her first Top 10 hit as a songwriter with George Ducas’ “Lipstick Promises in 1994. Other hits she wrote include “Blue on Black” by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, “Heaven, Heartache & the Power of Love” by Trisha Yearwood and “That’ll Be Alright” by Alan Jackson.

Sillers and her frequent songwriting collaborator-turned-husband, Mark Selby, co-wrote The Chicks’ No. 1 hit, “There’s Your Trouble,” which caught the attention of Sanders, who requested to write with her. This led to writing “I Hope You Dance,” which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and reached No. 14 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It won Best Country Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards, as well as Single of the Year at the CMA Awards and Song of the Year at the ACM Awards.

(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Across the Great Divide