Not Ready to Make Nice

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Not Ready to Make Nice"
Single by Dixie Chicks
from the album Taking the Long Way
ReleasedMarch 20, 2006
RecordedEarly 2006
Genre
Length3:58
LabelColumbia Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
Dixie Chicks singles chronology
"I Hope"
(2005) 		"Not Ready to Make Nice"
(2006) 		"Everybody Knows"
(2006)
Music video
"Not Ready to Make Nice" on
YouTube
"Not Ready to Make Nice"
The Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice" from Taking the Long Way
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Not Ready to Make Nice" is a song co-written and performed by American

backlash they experienced in 2003 after criticizing President George W. Bush
.

"Not Ready to Make Nice" remains the Dixie Chicks' biggest hit in Canada[

Emily Robison, and Dan Wilson
.

On February 11, 2007, it won three

Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[1] In 2009, Rolling Stone named "Not Ready to Make Nice" the 77th best song of the decade.[2]

Background

Main article:
Dixie Chicks controversy

Controversy erupted over the Dixie Chicks in 2003 following a critical comment vocalist Natalie Maines made about American President George W. Bush while performing in a concert in London, United Kingdom. In relation to the forthcoming invasion of Iraq, Maines said, "...we don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."[3]

Taking the Long Way was the first studio album released by the Dixie Chicks following the controversy, the band's reaction to which forms the major theme of some of the songs in the album. Most notable among these is "Not Ready to Make Nice", which was written by all three band members (Maines,

Emily Robison and Martie Maguire) along with Dan Wilson, as an expression of band's reaction to the banning of their songs from country music radio stations, and their thoughts on freedom of speech
.

The band went on to the October 25 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote the documentary film Shut Up and Sing and the music video of the song was quickly shown.[4] While interviewing the band, Winfrey said the song is so well written that someone cannot even tell if it concerns the controversy. Indeed, Maines said that she and the other songwriters wanted the song to have a universal interpretation.

Comments by band members

The band members released their comments about writing the songs of Taking the Long Way through the website Frontpage Publicity.[5] They commented the following about "Not Ready to Make Nice":

  • Emily: "The stakes were definitely higher on that song. We knew it was special because it was so autobiographical, and we had to get it right. We've all gone through so many emotions about the incident. We talked for days with Dan before putting pen to paper, and he really helped get inside our heads and put these feelings out. And once we had this song done, it freed us up to do the rest of the album without that burden."
  • Martie: "We had reached a point where we were laughing a lot about it, and people didn't really know how far it had gone. I realized I had suppressed a lot about the death threat. It all came flooding back in the process of writing this song, I think we all realized just how painful it had been for us.."
  • Natalie: "We tried to write about the incident a few times, but you get nervous that you're being too preachy or too victimized or too nonchalant. Dan came in with an idea that was some kind of concession, more 'can't we all just get along?' and I said, nope, I can't say that, can't do it. And we talked about it, and he said, what about "I'm not ready to make nice?" From the outside, normal people really weren't aware of how bizarre and absurd it got. Dan was really good at cluing in to that, saying something that didn't back down, but still had a vulnerability to it. This album was therapy. To write these songs allowed me to find peace with everything and move on."

Music video

The

mental institution
, trying to escape from them. The video ends with a close shot of Natalie.

The music video of the song broke the record as the longest run at #1 on

CMT's 2008 ranking of the 100 Greatest Videos.[6]

MADtv parody

The

MADtv performed a parody of the "Not Ready to Make Nice" music video. In the parody, Crista Flanagan portrays Natalie Maines as standing by her comments about George W. Bush; however, her bandmates, portrayed by Nicole Parker and Arden Myrin, want to apologize so they can remain popular in the United States. Flanagan, as Maines, states that there is no God, she supports radical Islamic Jihad, and that every woman should wear a burqa. In the parody, Flanagan writes on a blackboard, "I am angry and important". In the parody, Flanagan is lobotimized
and her bandmates toast the operation; whereas in the original, Maines resists being treated by doctors and is toasted by her bandmates.

Critical reception

"Not Ready to Make Nice" received universal acclaim from contemporary music critics of publications like

Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the following about "Not Ready to Make Nice" that "Given the controversy of 2003, the conscious distancing from country makes sense — and given songs like the defiant 'Not Ready to Make Nice', the Dixie Chicks don't sound like they're in retreat on Taking the Long Way; they merely sound like they're being themselves."[7] Entertainment Weekly music reviewer David Browne said that "If you wonder whether they have regrets about the incident, 'Not Ready to Make Nice' makes it clear they don't. When Maines gets to the part about all the death threats, her voice rises and the strings well up; it's a true pop-money-shot moment."[8] Rolling Stone music reviewer Barry Walters commented the following about the song, "Rather than try to forget about singer Natalie Maines' anti-Bush remarks of 2003 -- which landed them in hot water with a lot of station program directors -- the threesome declares it's still 'Not Ready to Make Nice'."[9] USA Today music reviewer Brian Mansfield commented the following about the song, "They're 'Not Ready to Make Nice' with the yahoos who threatened their lives over an offhanded comment. So give the Chicks credit for sticking to their guns, and give them more for getting on with life."[10] The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop
annual critics' poll voted "Not Ready to Make Nice" as the eighth best single of 2006.

Live performances history

To promote both the single and the album, the Dixie Chicks performed the song live on some television programs such as on

Record of the Year. (In a nod to the controversial origins of the song, Grammy producers had longtime singer-activist Joan Baez
introduce the performance.)

Chart and sales performance

"Not Ready to Make Nice" initially peaked at number 23 on the

Hot Digital Songs
chart), despite low country radio airplay.

For the issue dated February 24, 2007, in the wake of its Grammy success, the song re-entered the Hot 100 at number four, after a 20-week absence,[14] becoming the band's highest charting single to date on the general music charts. That same week, the song would also receive a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for digital downloads of over 500,000. However, its drop to number 28 in the next week broke the record for the biggest drop out of the top five in a single week, beating Clay Aiken's "Solitaire", which fell from number four to number 27 four years earlier.[15] The song was certified Platinum in the United States on July 20, 2013, and as of March 2020, the song has sold 2,000,000 digital copies in the US.[16]

The song was also very popular in

UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 70;[18]
however, it became the fourth single by the band to chart in that country.

Charts and certifications

Awards

2007 CMT Music Awards:

  • Video of the Year (nominated)[31]
  • Group Video of the Year (nominated)

49th Grammy Awards
:

References

  1. ^ "Dixie Chicks Soar, Blige, Chili Peppers Win Big At Grammys". Jonathan Cohen, Billboard. February 12, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  2. ^ "100 Best Songs of the Decade". Rolling Stone. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
  3. ^ "Shut Up And Sing: Dixie Chicks' Big Grammy Win Caps Comeback From Backlash Over Anti-War Stance". Democracy Now!. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  4. ^ "Not Ready to Make Nice: Controversy in London". The Oprah Winfrey Show.
  5. ^ The Chicks talk about the writing process of the songs of Taking The Long Way at FrontPagePublicity.com
  6. EW.com
    . Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  7. Allmusic
  8. ^ Taking the Long Way review, David Browne, Entertainment Weekly (May 19, 2006)
  9. ^ Taking the Long Way review, Barry Walters, Rolling Stone (May 2, 2006)
  10. ^ "Dixie Chicks make nice music; Snow Patrol has 'Eyes Open'". Brian Mansfield, USA Today. May 22, 2006.
  11. ^ "Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  12. ^ "Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  13. ^ "Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  14. ^ "Timberlake Scores Third Hot 100 No. 1 From 'FutureSex'". Jonathan Cohen, Billboard. February 22, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  15. ^ Chart Beat Chat
  16. ^ a b Matt Bjorke (October 30, 2013). "Country Chart News - The Top 30 Digital Singles - October 30, 2013: Eric Church "Outsiders" #1; Cassadee Pope, Blake Shelton Gold, Scotty McCreery and Chris Young Notables". Roughstock. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  17. ^ "Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice". aCharts.us. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  19. ^ "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  20. ^ "Dixie Chicks – Not Ready To Make Nice" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  21. ^ "Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  22. ^ "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  25. ^ "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2006". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2007". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  28. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Dixie Chicks – Not Ready to Make Nice". Music Canada.
  30. ^ a b "American single certifications – Chicks – Not Ready to Make Nice". Recording Industry Association of America.
  31. ^ CMT Music Awards nominees

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Not_Ready_to_Make_Nice&oldid=1194772119"