It occurred to me the other day that I have not yet posted a song from the Dixie Chicks (at least, I don't think I have). My girlfriend makes fun of me for my Dixie Chick fandom (she also makes fun of me for my unwavering love of the brothers MMMBop. For the record, however, she has attended a Hanson concert with me and can sing all the words to most songs on their most recent album...). While I do not think Dixie Chick appreciation is quite as nerd-worthy as some of my other musical "vices," I can understand the resistance to them. The Dixie Chicks have something no one else has - decent bluegrass-style country songs complete with slide guitars, fiddle and signature country vocal harmonies combined with smart, creative lyrics. In the "old" days, they played and recorded a lot of covers, but their most recent album is comprised of all original work. And it's awesome.
The reason this is on my mind is that recently I convinced Barbara, my girlfriend, to watch the Dixie Chick's documentary film, "Shut Up And Sing" with me. I'd seen the movie in the theatre when it came out a couple of years ago, but wanted to watch again with Barbara so that maybe she'd gain a new appreciation of the Chicks. If you haven't seen the movie, I'd definitely recommend it. It follows the band's experiences in the aftermath of lead singer Natalie's comments about Mr. (W) Bush made in London in 2003 - right as the United States was invading Iraq. The film includes a lot of interesting commentary about the music industry, the country music scene, free speech, and gender (in that I think some of the rhetoric targeted at the DC would have been different had they been a male band making the same kinds of criticisms of the president).
This song, "Not Ready to Make Nice" which gave the film its title, is also about the Chicks' experiences after Natalie made her comment. The song references the hostility directed at them, including a death threat made against Natalie's life. It's one of my favorite songs, and the album, Taking the Long Way, is definitely worth repeated spins.
Enjoy.
Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting
I'm through, with doubt,
There's nothing left for me to figure out,
I've paid a price, and i'll keep paying
I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should
I know you said
Why can't you just get over it,
It turned my whole world around
and i kind of like it
I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying,
It's a sad sad story
That a mother will teach her daughter
that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.
And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over
I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should
I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should
Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting
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