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."
Agreed. Maybe I didn't phrase that quite right!
Loving this...
Who hated Buddy Holly? Thats not the way I remember it and I still remember the plane crash that killed him and the Big Bopper and Richie.
A Dixie Chick news story ping.
The Chicks' new album goes on sale this week. They've been on 60 Minutes and a number of the morning talk shows - and are still trying to play the victim.
I still think they will have decent sales initially, however nowhere near their previous 3 studio albums. Be prepared for a barrage of condemnations from the press for not being ready to make nice with the Chicks.
If anyone still watches CMT, could you let me know if they are pumping up the Chicks' new album?
"They've shown their true colors."
=====
No, Natalie, you've shown your true colors.
Girl, you go on bein' who you are now, ya hear?
Vanity, thy name is Maines:
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
It's good to see a plan come together.
On the Chicks Web site Maines writes that the song "is not just about Lubbock, but about any small, hypocritical town."
Let's hear it for true class, everybody!
ROTF Man, you are so right.
"They've shown their true colors."
Uh huh. Exactly. Red, White & Blue.
Can you say k.d. lang?
The old proverb “Shut up and Sing” coined by Laura Ingraham if followed to the letter would do wonders for the Dixie Chick's public relations. You would think the Chick's publicity agent would have already bought them a copy of Laura's book. They could always cross over into Christian music. They would be singing to an audience that has been commissioned to forgive.
She actually commented to the audience at a concert that she could tell that they had a more "progressive" (I'll never use that word without quotation marks) audience and not as many rednecks as before when they were more geared towards country.
I'm tired of hearing about how, it was the fact they insulted Bush is the sole reason they fell from favor. It was also the fact, after insulting Bush, they tried to apologize, then said it was out of context, then they did mean it, then they were persecuted and all holy than thou. Also, they didn't want anyone taking shots at their music, but felt it was okay to publicly insult Toby Keith for his patriotic music.
There album is (sadly) outselling RHCP's Stadium Arcadium on Amazon. And if you can't make a hit with Rick Rubin producing you can't make one.
Don't know and don't care.
Well I read through all the posts and can only say ditto to 99.9999% of the comments.
I'll finish with "Dixie Who?"
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