THE CHICKS - LANDSLIDE

Landslide

THE CHICKS

SONGWRITER: STEVIE NICKS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: HOME

LABEL: OPEN WILDE

GENRE: COUNTRY

YEAR: 2002

 

         The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band composed of lead singer Natalie Maines and multi-instrumentalist sisters Martie Maguire (née Erwin) and Emily Strayer (née Erwin; also formerly Robison). The Erwin sisters founded the band in 1989 in Dallas, Texas with bassist Laura Lynch and vocalist/guitarist Robin Lynn Macy, and performed bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years without attracting a major label. Macy left in 1992 and Lynch became the lead vocalist soon afterward. Following the replacement of Lynch with Maines and a change in repertoire, the Chicks achieved commercial success, beginning in 1998 with hit songs "There's Your Trouble" and "Wide Open Spaces".

       Days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Maines told a London audience the band did not endorse the war and were "ashamed" of US President George W. Bush being from Texas. The remarks triggered boycotts in the US and backlash from fans. After a hiatus, they toured again in 2010, 2013 and 2016. In 2020, they dropped "Dixie" from their name, citing negative connotations, and released their first album in 14 years, Gaslighter.

         The Chicks have won 13 Grammy Awards, including five in 2007 for Taking the Long Way—which received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year—and its single "Not Ready to Make Nice"—which received the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. By July 2020, with 33 million certified albums sold, and sales of 27.9 million albums in the U.S. alone, they had become the best-selling female band and best-selling country group in the U.S. during the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present).

       Home is the sixth studio album by American country music band Dixie Chicks, released on August 27, 2002, through Monument and Columbia Records. It is notable for its acoustic bluegrass sound, which stands in contrast with their previous two country pop albums.

            The group was promoting the album when lead singer Natalie Maines made controversial comments about U.S. President George W. Bush criticizing his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The album's third single, "Travelin' Soldier", was #1 on the Billboard Country Chart the week that Maines' comments hit the press. The following week, as many stations started a still-standing boycott of the Chicks' music, the song collapsed. None of their following singles gained traction with country radio. Despite these events, the album was certified 6× Multi-platinum status by the RIAA and has sold 5,979,000 copies in the United States up to November 2008. The album also featured a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide", which was their biggest pop crossover hit until 2007, when "Not Ready to Make Nice" peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was also successful in Australia, in its 175th week in the country charts it was certified Triple Platinum for shipments of 210,000 copies.

          The album was nominated at the 45th Grammy Awards for six awards, including their second attempt for Album of the Year. The group went home with four in 2003, including 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". Additionally, they were nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Darrell Scott was nominated for Best Country Song for Long Time Gone. Two years later, they were nominated and won Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, this time for "Top of the World". It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and stayed there for four non-consecutive weeks. It also debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums, and stayed there for 12 non-consecutive weeks.

I took my love and I took it down

I 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 thru the changing ocean tides

Can I handle the seasons of my life

 

Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Children get older

I'm getting older too

Well...

 

Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Children get older

I'm getting older, too

Well I'm getting older too

 

So, take this love and take it down

Yet if you climb a mountain and ya turn around

And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills

Well the landslide brought me down

And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills

Well maybe

Well maybe

Well maybe the landslide will bring you down.