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from Steet Anthem music blogEmily, Natalie, and Martie - 2007 the Chicks won all 5 awards they were nominated for, including Song, Record, and Album of the Year
The Dixie Chicks enjoyed great success with their fans, with critics, commercially, and even won plenty of awards throughout more than ten years of their careers, starting around 1998. They had many hit singles during this time, including "Cowboy Take Me Away" in 1999. This is the third track from their Fly Album. The song was written by Martie Maguire and Marcus Hummon about Emily finally finding true love - her husband Charlie (Fly CD Booklet, 1999). The song's title is derived from a famous slogan used in commercials for Calgon bath and beauty products, "Calgon Take Me Away!" It reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in February 2000. Driven by co-writer Martie's violin, Emily's banjo, and Natalie Maines' evocative vocals, "Cowboy Take Me Away" quickly became one of the trio's signature songs.
Music video for the Chicks' Hit "Cowboy Take Me Away" (1999)
The first scene of the music video for "Cowboy Take Me Away" shows a car stopping on a busy street, with Robison's high hot pink cowboy boot splashing through a puddle, and Maines waiting in a crowded elevator until reaching the top floor of an empty industrial-looking loft, joining the other two Chicks. The three begin singing the song and playing their instruments up there at the building-top in the center of a large city, resembling New York City. Gradually, the scene around them begins to slowly melt (via various CGI backdrops) of forest floors and snow-covered mountains and the like appear, while the trio dance and sing. The city does not ever disappear entirely, but the point is made.
I said, I want to touch the earth
I want to break it in my hands
I want to grow something wild and unruly
I want to sleep on the hard ground
In the comfort of your arms
On a pillow of blue bonnets
In a blanket made of stars
Oh, it sounds good to me
(Chorus)
Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue
Set me free
Oh, I pray
Closer to heaven above and closer to you
Closer to you
I want to walk and not run
I want to skip and not fall
I want to look at the horizon and not see a building standing tall
I want to be the only one for miles and miles
Except for maybe you and your simple smile
Oh, it sounds good to me
Yes, it sounds so good to me
(Chorus)
I said, I want to touch the earth
I want to break it in my hands
I want to grow something wild and unruly
Oh, it sounds so good to me
(Chorus)
Being from the Chicks' Fly Album, the concept of taking flight is important. The theme shows up throughout their album, as well as in this song: "Fly this girl as high as you can..." The lyrics deal with a mixture of yearning for greater tranquility:
I wanna walk and not run, I wanna skip and not fall
I wanna look at the horizon, and not see a building standing tall
with plaintive desire for emotional, romantic connection, and simple joyous acceptance against a minor chord turning into major:
Oh it sounds good to me, yeah it sounds so good to me
Cowboy, take me away ...
Starting with a quiet opening, the record ramps up to a mid-tempo country-pop groove and features violin breaks from Martie as well as an exuberant outro. Natalie was praised for a "sincere" vocal that escaped the clichés of "Nashville music-factory tear-jerkers." The chorus brings the wonderful, tight, three part harmonies that the Dixie Chicks are so skilled with.
"Cowboy Take Me Away" has become a staple of the Chicks' concert set lists, appearing from the Fly Tour onwards. On August 3, 2011 Taylor Swift even paid homage to the Dixie Chicks with Martie in the audience at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Taylor performed a cover of “Cowboy Take Me Away” while Martie and her family looked on. Video can be seen at youtube (Dixie Chicks Henhouse).
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From the live recording An Evening with the Dixie Chicks "Travelin' Soldier" (2002)
The Dixie Chicks Home Album (2002) was probably their best, most country, most creative album. It received some critical acclaim and was rated number 6 out of top 10 of the decade by Entertainment Weekly. "Even George W. Bush fans have to respect the Chicks' authentic bluegrass sound on 'Long Time Gone' and 'Landslide.' Okay, maybe they don't. But they should." (E Weekly).
One of the popular singles from this album is "Travelin' Soldier." This song was written and originally recorded by American country music artist Bruce Robison in 1996 and again, in rewritten form, in 1999. It was later recorded by Ty England on his 1999 album Highways & Dance Halls. The first rendition to be issued as a single was this rendition by the Dixie Chicks in December 2002, from their Home album. It became the group's sixth and final single to reach #1 on Billboard "Hot Country Singles & Tracks" (now "Hot Country Songs") (Dixie Chicks Henhouse).
Two days past eighteenHe was waiting for the bus in his army greensSat down in a booth in a cafe thereGave his order to a girl with a bow in her hairHe's a little shy so she gives him a smileAnd he said would you mind sittin' down for a whileAnd talking to me, I'm feeling a little lowShe said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
So they went down and they sat on the pierHe said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't careI got no one to send a letter toWould you mind if I sent one back here to you(Chorus)Never gonna hold the hand of another guyToo young for him they told herWaitin' for the love of a travelin' soldierOur love will never endWaitin' for the soldier to come back againNever more to be alone when the letter saidA soldier's coming home
So the letters came from an army campIn California then VietnamAnd he told her of his heartIt might be love and all of the things he was so scared ofHe said when it's getting kinda rough over hereI think of that day sittin' down at the pierAnd I close my eyes and see your pretty smileDon't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile(Chorus)One Friday night at a football gameThe Lord's prayer said and the Anthem sangA man said folks would you bow your headsFor a list of local Vietnam deadCrying all alone under the standsWas a piccolo player in the marching bandAnd one name read and nobody really caredBut a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair(Chorus x 2)
"A simple, heartbreaking tale of young romance crushed under the weight of war. It’s the story between the lines that drives home the tragedy, as both main characters have a palpable sense of loneliness that they finally find relief from in one another just before they are ripped permanently apart." – Dan Milliken (Country Universe)
I think this quote sums up the song beautifully. "Travelin' Soldier" is a very emotional song. Personally it makes me want to cry, and often succeeds, while I am singing along. It a straightforward narrative arguably without much hidden meaning, but it is heartbreaking. The song, like the album Home in general is more traditional and has a real bluegrass feel to it. |
| From Fan Site Dixie Chicks Henhouse |
Ironically, this military-themed song was being promoted by the Dixie Chicks when Natalie told the London audience the band was ashamed that President Bush was from Texas. Subsequent U.S. publication of Natalie's comments caused some stations, including 42 owned by Cumulus Media, to drop the song from their playlists, causing it to fall from #1 on the country singles chart to #3 the following week, March 29, before disappearing from the charts entirely.
"Travelin' Soldier" is the last single released by the Dixie Chicks to reach the top 20 on the country singles chart, although their 2007 single "Not Ready to Make Nice", peaked at #4 on theBillboard Hot 100 while reaching #36 on the country chart.
Works Cited
Judy, Dixie Chicks Henhouse. 2011. http://www.dixiechickshenhouse.com/ (accessed October 28 2012)
Robert Brooks, Tripod. "The All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Page." Oct. 1999. http://rbrooks.tripod.com/index.html (accessed Sept. 29 2012).
Dan Milliken, Country Universe. "The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade" December 24, 2009.http://www.countryuniverse.net/2009/12/24/the-201-greatest-singles-of-the-decade-conclusion-20-1/ (accessed November 25).Robert Brooks, Tripod. "The All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Page." Oct. 1999. http://rbrooks.tripod.com/index.html (accessed Sept. 29 2012).
EW Staff , Entertainment Weekly. "10 Best Albums of the Decade" Dec 17, 2009.
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20321301_20324189,00.html#20711307 (accessed November 27).
Fly CD Booklet, 1999
Home CD Booklet, 2002
I felt as if this post was a little messier than your previous two and could have perhaps been tidied up and organized better. The visually attention drawing elements were still there as always but the layout was a bit chaotic, perhaps making it not so easy to read for some people. You analyzed the songs well providing the lyrics and music videos and commented on their interconnected musical sound and fan base nicely. I like how you chose one recorded song and one live one, and it was even more appropriate that the recorded one was original and the live one was a cover, indicating an interesting contrast in their character and maturity; one being about a cowboy fantasy and one being about a soldier at war, both being love songs. I found it interesting how “Travelin’ Soldier” was their last single to this day to hit #1 on the charts, and how it fell in its ranks because of the Bush scandal the group was being demonized for at the time. All the while, the song was tragically commentating on the Bush influenced war in Iraq at the time and how the troops should come home, so it was nice to see the band’s real opinions and song writing (in this case, song covering) mirrored each other.
ReplyDeleteYes, I apologize. I had some technical issues with the layout that I couldn't figure out how to fix for some reason, though I kept trying. But hopefully it is not too distracting from the content.
ReplyDeleteI think the content and layout are fine and the biggest reason they're lower quality than the first two is simply because you did a really good job on them. I like that you added the charts and I think the songs you chose to use were good examples of what they did other than simply the catchy pop-country hits that they are best known for. I think the last info about how "not ready to make nice" was really high on the hot 100 charts is interesting and shows how they haven't been able to climb back up into country as much for the staunch political views of the genre and the politics of the business as much as it was the music.
ReplyDelete