What is the song "Not Ready to Make Nice?" by The Dixie Chicks really about or who is it dedicated to?
2007-05-27 02:12:17 · 13 answers · asked by Ashley M 1 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music ➔ Country
Taking the Long Way was the first studio album released by the Dixie Chicks after controversy erupted over them in 2003 following a critical comment vocalist Natalie Maines made of the American President George W. Bush while singing in a concert in London, United Kingdom. The controversy and the band reaction to it is the major theme of some of the songs in the album, including "Not Ready to Make Nice."
The song, which was written by all of the three band members along with Dan Wilson, is a statement of how they feel over the controversy, the banning of their songs from country radio stations, and freedom of speech.
The band went on to the October 25 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote their album and the music video of the song was quickly shown. Host Winfrey shared sympathy with the band by commenting that before the invasion of Iraq she did an episode titled Is war the answer? and received hate mail as the result of that. While interviewing the band, Winfrey said the song is so well-written that you can not even tell it is about the controversy [2]. Natalie said that she and the other writers wanted the song to have a universal interpretation. However, the final lines of the fourth verse, are about the death threats the band received during the 2003 Top of the World Tour:
"And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over."
Some other lines in the beginning of this same verse are about a scene featured in the documentary Shut Up and Sing (2006), in which a mother, who was protesting the Dixie Chicks at one of their concerts, is goading her young son to say "screw 'em!":
"It's a sad sad story
When a mother will teach her daughter
That she ought'a hate a perfect stranger."
In the song, "daughter" was used instead of "son" as a matter of poetic license.
2007-05-27 02:29:17 · answer #1 · answered by Vee Vee 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A few years back Natalie of the Dixie Chicks criticized President Bush - country fans didn't like that. The Chicks songs were basically pulled from airwaves because of listener demands and radio company fears.
They (the chicks) received all kinds of hate mail and were treated poorly.
This song is a reaction to and commentary on that time.
2007-05-27 02:24:38 · answer #2 · answered by BettyBoop 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is pretty much a response to the overreaction to Natalie's comments on going to war in Iraq and the Bush administration. Her comments against Toby Keith also yielded a negative reaction from many. The song is basically questioning how could the words that she said, send someone over the edge to quote the song.
2007-05-27 02:24:45 · answer #3 · answered by Raptor 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, a couple of years ago, the Dixie Chicks dissed President Bush.
The American public actually liked Bush then, and stood up for him. They basically boycotted the chicks, and the Chicks recieved hate letters, and threats.
The Chicks were wrong to say something like that, but the public responded wrong.
The song is about how they arent going to forgive those who sent them hate letters. This shows how shallow and immature they are.
2007-05-27 06:58:36 · answer #4 · answered by Katie 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Part of the ongoing feud between Nataly of the chicks and Toby Keith. It started when Toby came out with The Angry American, a tribute to 9/11 and she had problems with the line We'll put a boot up you a$$.
2007-05-27 02:22:45 · answer #5 · answered by Pengy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am so sorry for your loss. My best friends 17 year old sister passed away about a month ago and they played "In the Arms of an Angel" at her funeral. I hope you find the perfect song.
2016-05-19 00:04:33 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the song is about the feud between natalie and bush over a comment that natalie made while in london were she said something along the lines of i'm embarssaed bout the fact that bush is an american i we should be too
2007-05-27 02:26:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First just let me say, I'm ashamed the chicks are from my home state of Texas. That said, the song is pretty much about the chicks flak they got when Natalie Manes stated that they were ashamed that the president of the US was from Texas.
I don't know about the the rest of the country, but in Dallas there is only one station that plays the chicks, and it ain't country!
2007-05-27 02:25:32 · answer #8 · answered by Colt 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
yeah well colt, some of us in texas don't like people like you who would threaten the lives of a musician for calling Bush out on his B.S.. In the words of Ray Wylie Hubbard, "SCREW YOU!> WE'RE FROM TEXAS!" that goes out to colt and all the mo'rons like him who go around feeling ashamed about what other people say and do. Why not just keep your shame self-contained? How about that? And I think the chick said embarrassed, not ashamed, either way, do they really deserve nutjobs threatening their lives? Hell, you ain't nothin'.
2007-05-27 03:32:19 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
it is probably dedicated to the country fans that turned on them over their Bush remark and it means exactly what it says, they rn't ready to apologize for the things they said
2007-05-27 02:45:59 · answer #10 · answered by Nora G 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋