The Chicks, back when they still had Dixie in their name, were my first ever favorite band, especially from about the ages of 6 to 11. Then came their infamous political comments, their music was basically banned from the house, the local radio stations stopped playing them, and I pretended to be cool with it because I didn't want to rock the boat. Thankfully, as I grew into an adult, I realized it didn't matter what other people's opinions were: if I liked their music, I was going to listen to them and enjoy myself, which is exactly what I do now.
We haven't had a group Diva Spotlight in a minute, so let's take a look at this trio of ladies who have had quite the impact on country music for so many years. (Information current as of September 2024):
-Members include 52-year-old Emily Strayer, 54-year-old Martie Maguire, and 49-year-old Natalie Maines. Emily is a Leo, while Martie and Natalie are both Libras. Also, fun fact, Emily and Martie are sisters.
-Emily was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Martie in York, Pennsylvania; and Natalie in Lubbock, Texas.
-All three ladies are vocalists as well as accomplished instrumentalists. Emily plays banjo, dobro, accordion, guitar, double bass, mandolin, sitar, lap steel, piano, and violin. Martie plays violin, viola, guitar, double bass, mandolin, mandocatere, and fiddle. Natalie plays guitar and bass.
-They are an American country/bluegrass/country pop trio formed in 1989. The original lineup included founding members Laura Lynch (who left the group in 1995 and was a vocalist and bassist) and Robin Lynn Macy (who left the group in 1992 and was a vocalist and guitarist). Natalie joined the group as lead vocalist in 1995.
-They have released 8 studio albums since 1990. Thank Heavens for Dale Evans (1990), Little Ol' Cowgirl (1992), and Shouldn't a Told You That (1993) are not currently streaming on Apple music.
-They have won a total of 61 awards, including 4 American Music Awards, 7 Billboard Music Awards, 13 Grammys, 1 People's Choice Award, 8 ACM Awards, and 10 CMA Awards.
Whether you love them or you hate them, The Chicks have been a huge influence on country music as a whole, being one of the first country acts to feature the core female members playing their own instruments. I'm excited to dive into their discography, both nostalgically with these first three albums and, honestly, for the first time with the most recent two. Let's get started!
Wide Open Spaces (1998)
The Chicks' fourth country album (but debut as their current lineup) was released January 27th, 1998 by Monument when Emily was 25, Martie was 28, and Natalie was 23. With a run time of 43:39, it produced 5 singles: I Can Love You Better (10/27/97); There's Your Trouble (3/30/98), Wide Open Spaces (8/7/98), You Were Mine (12/7/98), and Tonight the Heartache's on Me (4/12/99). The album won The Chicks 2 Grammys in 1999, Best Country Album and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for There's Your Trouble. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified 13x Platinum by the RIAA. This album is still a blast to listen to for me, especially since I grew up on '90s country. I have vivid memories of being 6 or 7 years old and singing Wide Open Spaces constantly, both by myself and with my mom. I love so much of this album, and picking a Top 3 was incredibly difficult, but here's where I landed:
Track 1: I Can Love You Better (written by P. Hayes, K. Lazarides)
I've always loved the guitar line on this one, creating a steady rhythm throughout the entire song. Vocally, it's a blast to sing both melody and harmony, and does a great job of setting the tone for the album as a whole.
She's got you wrapped up in her satin and lace tied around her little finger/She's got you thinking you can never escape, don't you know your heart's in danger/There's a ddevil in that angel face/If you could only see the love that you're wasting/I can love you better than that/I know how to make you forget her/All I'm asking is for one little chance/‘Cause baby, I can love you, baby, I can love you better
Track 2: Wide Open Spaces (written by S. Gibson)
This is absolutely the song that put The Chicks on the map, and for good reason. It's still such a great song today, not sounding so overly '90s that it remains timeless.
Who doesn't know what I'm talking about/Who's never left home, who's never struck out/To find a dream and a life of their own/A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone/Many precede and many will follow/A young girl's dream no longer hollow/It takes the shape of a place out west/But what it holds for her, she hasn't yet guessed/She needs wide open spaces/Room to make her big mistakes/She needs new faces/She knows the high stakes
Track 7: Tonight the Heartache's on Me (written by M. Francis, F. MacRae, R. Morrison)
This sounds like the perfect song to come on in a honkytonk setting, and again is so fun to listen to and sing with. All the ladies have a showcase for their talents, and it just has a classically country feel to it.
You could've heard a pin drop when they walked through the door/Had to turn my eyes away, my heart fell to the floor/Someone whispered, "Where's her halo," 'cause she had an angel's face/He stood there smiling, holding on to the one who took my place/So tonight, the heartache's on me, on me/Let's drink a toast to the fool who couldn't see/Bartender, pour the wine, 'cause the hurtin's all mine/Tonight, the heartache's on me
Fly (1999)
The Chicks' fifth country album was released August 31st, 1999 by Monument when Emily was 27, Martie was 29, and Natalie was 25. With a run time of 48:02, it produced 8 singles: Ready to Run (6/28/99); Cowboy Take Me Away (11/8/99), Goodbye Earl (2/28/00), Cold Day in July (5/8/00), Without You (8/9/00), If I Fall You'e Going Down With Me (2/12/01), Heartbreak Town (6/25/01), and Some Days You Gotta Dance (9/24/01). The album won The Chicks 2 Grammys in 2000, Best Country Album and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Ready to Run. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified 11x Platinum by the RIAA. This is still one of my all time favorite albums to this day, with 90% of this album having been on permanent repeat on my CD player when I was 8. It was also probably one of my earliest introductions to music videos, and I was utterly captivated by the Goodbye Earl video for years. Choosing my Top 3 here felt nearly impossible, but here's what I ended up deciding on:
Track 5: Goodbye Earl (written by D. Linde)
I think it's absolutely safe to say this was one of the most iconic country songs of both the '90s and the '00s thanks to this album being released in 1999. It's funny, it's dark, it came out swinging like crazy, and has one of the most entertaining music videos ever.
Mary Anne and Wanda were the best of friends all through their high school days/Both members of the 4H club, both active in the FFA/After graduation, Mary Anne went out lookin' for a bright new world/Wanda looked all around this town and all she found was Earl/Well, it wasn't two weeks after she got married that Wanda started gettin' abused/She'd put on dark glasses and long sleeved blouses and makeup to cover a bruise/Well, she finally got the nerve to file for divorce, she let the law take it from there/But Earl walked right through that restraining order and put her in intensive care/Right away, Mary Anne flew in from Atlanta on a red eye midnight flight/She held Wanda's hand and they worked out a plan and it didn't take 'em long to decide/That Earl had to die, goodbye, Earl/Those black-eyed peas, they tasted alright to me, Earl/You feelin' weak, why don't you lay down and sleep, Earl/Ain't it dark wrapped up in that tarp, Earl
Track 9: Without You (written by N. Maines, E. Silver)
This song is just so beautiful in its sadness, and it's able to speak to so many different types of lost love. It's emotionally moving in its lyricism and aesthetically pleasing in its lovely melody and simple instrumentation.
I've sure enjoyed the rain, but I'm lookin' forward to the sun/You have to feel the pain when you lose the love you gave someone/I thought by now the time would take away these lonely tears/I hope you're doin' fine all alone, but where do I go from here/‘Cause without you, I'm not okay/And without you, I've lost my way/My heart's stuck in second place, ooh/Without you
Track 10: Some Days You Gotta Dance (written by T. Johnson, M. Morgan)
I've never been able to pinpoint which element of this song has made it a favorite for so many years, but I just today found out that Keith Urban plays electric guitar on it so maybe that helps? Whatever it may be, this one is an absolute banger that'll likely having you dancing in some capacity whether you want to or not.
It was about five 'til five on Friday, we were all getting ready to go/And the boss man started screaming, and his veins began to show/He said, "You and you come with me 'cause you're gonna have to stay"/My heart was thumping, I was jumping, I had to get away/Some days you gotta dance/Live it up when you get the chance/‘Cause when the world doesn't make no sense and you're feeling just a little too tense/Gotta loosen up those chains and dance
Home (2002)
The Chicks' sixth bluegrass/country/Americana/folk album was released August 27th, 2002 by Open Wide, Monument, & Columbia Nashville when Emily was 30, Martie was 32, and Natalie was 27. With a run time of 51:42, it produced 5 singles: Long Time Gone (5/23/02); Landslide (8/26/02), Travelin' Soldier (12/9/02), Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) (5/22/03), and Top of the World (9/03). The album won The Chicks 4 Grammys in 2003 (Best Country Album, Best Recording Package, Best Country Instrumental Performance for Lil' Jack Slade, and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Long Time Gone) and 1 in 2005 (Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal for Top of the World (Live)). It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA. I can remember distinctly being 10 years old, going with my mom to Target to buy this CD, and immediately playing it on our big stereo downstairs the minute we got home. It was a very different sound than what I'd been used to from them, but I've grown to appreciate it more and more as I've gotten older. I had another hell of a time picking out a Top 3, but here you go:
Track 2: Landslide (written by S. Nicks)
The Chicks' cover of this Fleetwood Mac classic may be one of the best covers of any song ever, and I stand by that. They have such a healthy respect for the original while simultaneously making it their own, and its become one of my absolute favorites in their entire catalogue.
I took my love and I took it down/Climbed a mountain and I turned around/And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills/Well, the landslide brought me down/Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love/Can the child within my heart rise above/Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides/Can I handle the seasons of my life/Well, I've been afraid of changin’/‘Cause I built my life around you/But time makes you bolder, children get older/I'm gettin' older, too, well
Track 5: White Trash Wedding (written by E. Robison, M. Maguire, N. Maines)
I started taking clogging lessons at my dance studio around this time (and continued it for four years because I absolutely loved it), and I think a lot of why I always gravitated towards this one and the next one in my Top 3 is because of how easily I could dance to them. Based on Martie's real life marriage to Gareth Maguire, this one also has a healthy dose of that snark The Chicks have always excelled at, and vocally it's a great exercise in breath control.
You can’t afford no ring/You can’t afford no ring/I shouldn’t be wearing white/And you can’t afford no ring/You finally took my hand/You finally took my hand/It took a nip of gin/But you finally took my hand
Track 9: Tortured, Tangled Hearts (written by N. Maines, M. Stuart, M. Maguire)
This song, like White Trash Wedding, is so bluegrassy and fun to listen to, sing with, and dance to. I remember practicing all 3 vocal parts constantly so that I could sing any of them if I ever needed to.
Well, there was a little falter at the altar of confession, down on its knees, true love did fall/After thirty-one days of sleepless nights, she woke up to end it all/With I love you on a fresh tattoo engraved upon his chest/She tore her name right off his heart, so here's to the unblessed/Oh love, oh love, you fickle thing/Such pretty words and golden rings/It was a broken dream right from the start/Bless their tortured, tangled hearts
Taking the Long Way (2006)
The Chicks' seventh country/Americana album was released May 23rd, 2006 by Open Wide & Columbia Nashville when Emily was 33, Martie was 36, and Natalie was 31. With a run time of 66:42, it produced 5 singles: Not Ready to Make Nice (3/20/06); Everybody Knows (4/25/06), Voice Inside My Head (6/19/06), Easy Silence (11/27/06), and The Long Way Around (1/8/07). The album won The Chicks 5 Grammys in 2007, including Album of the Year, Best Country Album, and Record of the Year, Song of the Year, & Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Not Ready to Make Nice. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. This was the first Chicks album I didn't buy thanks to the aforementioned household band on their music due to Natalie's political comments made in 2003, and this was my first time hearing it in its entirety. It felt like a darker, angrier sister to Fly, which is easy to understand, and I really enjoyed it. Here's my Top 3:
Track 3: Not Ready to Make Nice (written by N. Maines, M. Maguire, E. Strayer, D. Wilson)
Natalie's comments in 2003 were, in my opinion and that of many others, made in poor taste, but boy howdy it wasn't fair or okay how hard everyone and their dog came for her after she made them. I wasn't super crazy about this song when it first came out, but it's really grown on me, and it's completely understandable how much anger and hurt Natalie (and Emily and Martie too, honestly) poured into the lyrics of this one.
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
Track 6: Lullaby (written by N. Maines, M. Maguire, E. Strayer, D. Wilson)
This is just a beautiful little song sat right in the middle of this track list, lyrically sweet and melodically pleasant. It's a lovely love song that just made my heart swell in my chest.
They didn't have you where I come from/Never knew the best was yet to come/Life began when I saw your face/And I hear your laugh like a serenade/How long do you want to be loved/Is forever enough, is forever enough/How long do you want to be loved/Is forever enough/Cause I'm never, never giving you up
Track 8: Silent House (written by E. Strayer, N. Maines, M. Maguire, N. Finn)
This one had similar energy to songs like Heartbreak Town or Cold Day in July to me. It's a sad song with a slightly more upbeat tempo and a catchy melody to make sure you don't forget she's here.
These walls have eyes, rows of photographs/And faces like mine, who do we become/Without knowing where we started from/It's true I'm missing you as I stand alone in your room/Everyday that will pass you by, every name that you won't recall/Everything that you made by hand, everything that you know by heart/And I will try to connect all the pieces you left/I will carry it on and let you forget/And I'll remember the years when your mind was clear/How the laughter and life filled up this silent house
Gaslighter (2020)
The Chicks' eighth and most recent country/country pop album (as well as the first under their new moniker) was released July 17th, 2020 by Columbia when Emily was 47, Martie was 50, and Natalie was 45. With a run time of 46:54, it has produced 4 singles since its release: Gaslighter (3/4/20); Julianna Calm Down (5/1/20), March March (6/25/20), and Sleep at Night (7/17/20). The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200. I'm honestly not sure how or why I missed this one in 2020 because it was an absolute blast. It's still got sharp edges like Taking the Long Way, but it's also bright and colorful like I've come to expect from the production of Jack Antonoff and the songwriting of Antonoff and Julia Michaels, boh of whom all are over this album. Here's my Top 3 for this one:
Track 1: Gaslighter (written by J. Antonoff, E. Strayer, N. Maines, M. Maguire)
Right out the gate, the girls drop an undeniable bop all about Maines's divorce from actor Adrian Pasdar and make it the funnest time to listen to. It's catchy, it's upbeat, and it's an awesome album opener to let us know what to expect from this track list.
We moved to California and we followed your dreams/I believed in the promises you made to me/Swore that night 'till death do us part/But you lie-lie-lie-lie-lied/Hollywood welcomed you with open doors/No matter what they gave you, you still wanted more/Acting all above it when our friends divorced/What a lie-lie-lie-lie-lie/You're such a gaslighter, denier, doin' anything to get your ass farther/Gaslighter, big timer, repeating all of the mistakes of your father/Gaslighter, you broke me, you're sorry, but where's my apology/Gaslighter, you liar
Track 2: Sleep at Night (written by E. Strayer, N. Maines, T. Geiger, J. Tranter, M. Maguire)
This is another fun one with plenty of spice mixed in with the pop sugar. It's lyrically fun and musically catchy, the perfect recipe for a country pop song.
Not that you asked, but I'm getting past everything, everything/I’m doing okay, just glad it's not yesterday, huh/My husband's girlfriend's husband just called me up, how messed up is that/It's so insane that I have to laugh, but then I think about our two boys trying to become men, there's nothing funny about that/How do you sleep at night, how do you tell those lies/Lookin' me in the eye, livin' a double life/Tell me, how do you sleep at night/How do you sleep at night
Track 9: Julianna Calm Down (written by N. Maines, J. Michaels, J. Antonoff)
Honestly, I almost had to make this one a tie with Young Man (inspired by Natalie's sons Jack and Beckett) being a new mom this year. Written for The Chicks' daughters (Emily's Julianna & Violet and Martie's Harper, Katie, & Eva), it's a great girl power anthem about remembering to take a second and remember everything will be alright and to hold your head up high.
Julianna, calm down/You know he's about to leave but don't panic/Don't give him the satisfaction that you can't handle it/Breathe, it'll be okay/And Harper, hold on/To the piece you know he's gonna try to take when he's gone/And you know exactly where he'll try to take it from/Breathe, it'll be okay/Just put on, put on, put on your best shoes/And strut the fuck around like you've got nothing to lose/Show off, show off, show off your best moves/And do it with a smile so he doesn't know it’s/Put on, put on, put on/Put on, put on
No matter where you fit on the spectrum of Chicks listeners, I hope you had fun checking out this fairly legendary catalogue of music today. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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