Posted on 05/20/2006 11:44:36 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Disappointing airplay for the first two singles from the new album by the Dixie Chicks exposes a deep -- and seemingly growing -- rift between the trio and the country radio market that helped turn the group into superstars.
"Taking the Long Way," due out May 23, is the band's first album since singer Natalie Maines sparked a major controversy in 2003 by declaring that she was ashamed to hail from the same state as fellow Texan President George W. Bush. Radio boycotts ensued, and many fans abandoned the band.
The first single, "Not Ready to Make Nice," peaked at No. 36 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, beginning its descent after just seven weeks. The second single, "Everybody Knows," is now at No. 50, down two places in its fourth week.
"Not Ready to Make Nice" performed only slightly better at adult contemporary radio, peaking at No. 32 on the AC chart and falling off after six weeks.
From the beginning of the album rollout, the Dixie Chicks were eager that their songs be worked to radio formats beyond country. The album was produced by rock veteran Rick Rubin, whose credits include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down and Johnny Cash.
By picking the defiant "Not Ready" as the first single, they've reopened a wound that was particularly deep for country radio fans, and left many country programmers with the burning question: Why on earth would the band choose to do this?
After hearing the album, WKIS Miami program director Bob Barnett says he was "excited about the opportunity to introduce some great Chicks music to the listeners." But the group's decision to come with "Not Ready" as the lead single left him "stunned, especially in light of the fact that, when asked, programmers and consultants that listened to the project were virtually unanimous in saying we should put the politics behind us and concentrate on all this other great music we were hearing."
KUBL/KKAT Salt Lake City PD Ed Hill criticizes the song's "self-indulgent and selfish lyrics."
Barnett played the song for a week, but pulled it after listeners called to say it sounded like the Chicks were "gloating" or "rubbing our noses in it," he reports. "We didn't need to pick at the scab any longer."
He and other country programmers were upset that the group chose to launch its new album with a single that rehashed all the angst of three years ago.
The two singles have had a striking lack of impact at radio, considering the band's history. Between 1997 and 2003, it notched 14 top 10 country singles, including six No. 1 hits. In addition to eight Grammy Awards, the group has won 10 Country Music Assn. Awards and eight Academy of Country Music Awards. The trio has sold 23.4 million albums in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The Dixie Chicks and reps from their label, Columbia Records, declined to participate in this story. But -- at least as far as Maines is concerned -- the drop-off at country radio was part of its plan.
Maines was quoted in late January on entertainmentweekly.com, before the single went to country radio, saying: "For me to be in country music to begin with was not who I was ... I would be cheating myself ... to go back to something that I don't wholeheartedly believe in. So I'm pretty much done. They've shown their true colors. I like lots of country music, but as far as the industry and everything that happened ... I couldn't want to be farther away from that."
Maines also said, "I don't want people to think that me not wanting to be part of country music is any sort of revenge. It is not. It is totally me being who I am, and not wanting to compromise myself and hate my life."
At KNCI Sacramento, Calif., the Chicks' music weathered the 2003 controversy only to be pulled as a result of Maines' new Entertainment Weekly comments, coupled with poor scores in local music tests.
"When an artist says that they don't want to be a part of that industry, it made our decision a no-brainer," program director Mark Evans says. "There are too many talented new artists dying to have a song played on country radio, so I'd rather give one of them a shot."
One of them is married to Charlie Robison, another country singer.
They both shot off their mouths for good media. Tim should learn from his late father, a very great man. I never knew what Tug McGraw's politics were, only that he was one of the happiest, most fun loving, money ballplayers around. If you got a baseball card through the mail to him, he signed it. He was a classy, all around guy, and a champion. He never mentioned politics and I've never heard a bad word written or spoken about him.
I like Tim McGraw's music, but the only disc I have was given to me by my daughter. As for Faith Hill, I knew she was a lib from the beginning. I never knew why she sold records aside from being hyped like crazy.
McGraw has also been quoted as saying Bill Clinton was the best president we ever had. He can sing but boy is he dumb. I'm not a big boycotter but I'm doing my own personal banzai boycott on CDs by McGraw and Hill. I'll stick with Sara Evans and Martina McBride. Now those two can sing!
The minute CMT plays the chicks, they lose me.
I'll stick with Sara Evans and Martina McBride. Now those two can sing!
Let freedom ring brother!
That would be some good stuff. I really appreciate how Toby has stuck by the troops through this whole thing. Tickets to his concerts go for big bucks but he always takes time out to go back over and entertain the troops. Toby talks the talk and walks the walk. Toby Keith will always have fans. The troops don't forget those who remembered them while they were doing what they had to do.
There's a lot of herself to think of.
Good. Hopefully this fat, little turd will go back to Texas, shut her friggin' mouth and live off the money she made making music in a genre she apparently never really believed in.
They--the Dixie Chicks--simply don't matter anymore. They are irrelevant and even Bruce Springsteen's self-absorbed invitation to Rock 'n Roll couldn't help them. I'm a rock 'n roller too and as such I rescend the invitation. Those b!tches aren't welcome here either.
My advice to them? Try NPR.
If she and her co(w)horts truly felt that way, these singles would never have been released to country stations in the first place. Hell, if it were true, their new album wouldn't have sounded like country music in the first place. This was a preemptive statement to cover her ass; she knew full well that the chances of country fans back the Chicks were slim. But the evidence is right there to see: It's a country album, with only limited crossover appeal in the first place, just like all their prior albums. And it bombed.
And in any case, it's all irrelevant. The article notes that the same song only made it to number 32 on the adult contemporary charts before stalling and dying. The Dixie Chicks aren't wanted anywhere. They might as well start sending their records to rap stations, since they couldn't do much worse there.
Hubris.
As I recall, they indicated they agreed with her.
The Ditsy Chicks thought that with George W. Bush's popularity falling, they could ride that to a comeback.
The results are self-evident.
They make vampire Pez dispensers now?
They have stood beside her on this entire thing (remember the infamous Entertainment Weekly cover a few years back?), and IIRC it's the other two (who are sisters) that "own" the band, with Fat-alie merely being an employee. If that's the case, they could have thrown her overboard at any time and continued with a different lead singer, if they'd wanted to. It certainly would have been the correct business move, regardless of the political ramifications.
As such, I think it's safe to say they're all in on this together.
NOT READY TO BUY YOUR LOUSY CD, EITHER.
I was just reading an article the other day about some guy with a book out (can't remember who) that was so happy because, after being interviewed on TV somewhere, his book shot up to #1 on Amazon.
For an hour.
Then it disappeared back down into the 4-digit range.
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