1001 Songs Challenge #958: Not Ready to Make Nice (2006)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenge of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post every day (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be… legendary!

 

Dixie Chicks – Not Ready to Make Nice (2006)

 

 

We’re leaving the UK behind, dear reader, and making our way across the Atlantic Ocean and to the US. We are heading for Dallas, Texas, and find ourselves in the company of a trio known as Dixie Chicks. They were formed in 1989 and specialised in country music and variants of this genre. We join the group in 2006 with the release of their seventh album, Taking the Long Way, and from there 1001 Songs have gone with the track, Not Ready to Make Nice.

nLead singer, Natalie Maines, addressed the crowd and informed them that she was against the Iraq War, spearheaded by President George W. Bush, and that the group felt shame Bush came from Texas, their home state. Dixie Chicks faced a backlash for this, including seeing their music no longer played on some country music radio stations. Not Ready to Make Nice addresses the fallout the band faced and how they do not regret what they have said but they do lament the sometimes violent and threatening responses that they have had from fellow Americans. 

I believe I have heard of Dixie Chicks but was not familiar with their material prior to this challenge. Not Ready to Make Nice is a brave song, showcasing a group who are resilient and willing to fight through their art to exercise their right to free speech. The group’s album was well received upon release and though they remain together today there have been some hiatuses. In 2020 the group ceased being Dixie Chicks and are now known as The Chicks, dropping “Dixie” due to negative connotations with that particular word.

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)

U2 – One (1991)

Radiohead – Paranoid Android (1997)

Snow Patrol – Run