10 Greatest Dixie Chicks Songs

by Tyler Glover
"Who doesn't know what I am talking about?" is a lyric from the Dixie Chicks song, "Wide Open Spaces” and it also described the Dixie Chicks themselves in 2003. Everyone knew who the Dixie Chicks were. This female country group, comprised of Martie Erwin Maguire, Emily Erwin Robison and lead singer Natalie Maines, had seen success after success. This includes commercially and critically successful albums, number one hits, multiple Grammy wins, and tons of fans screaming their names. Their songs were infectious, joyful, feisty, vulnerable, sad, and spoke to the world we lived in. They also stayed very true to the country music genre. The Dixie Chicks were on top of the world until it would all come to an abrupt halt when during a London concert on March 10, 2003, Maines told the audience: "We don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States (George W. Bush) is from Texas." This was just days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Americans were upset at her comments. CDs were burned, radio stations stopped playing their music, and they were blacklisted by networks. Their career appeared to be over. They would go on to make one more album 2006’s Taking The Long Way, which would go on to win all five Grammys it was nominated for, including Album of the Year. It would also win Song and Record of the Year for "Not Ready To Make Nice." However, after this album, the Dixie Chicks would take a very long break from making music. It has been 14 years since the Dixie Chicks have made new music by themselves and this particular fan could not be more excited for their new album, Gaslighter, set to be released on May 1. The Dixie Chicks have never disappointed and I feel like they are going to be back on top of their game. To celebrate this upcoming new album, I am going to be counting down the top 10 Dixie Chicks songs of all time.

10. "Tonight The Heartache's On Me"
This Dixie Chicks song depicts the situation of running into an ex at a bar when they are with someone else. The song cleverly uses typical bar talk about people buying drinks for other people by saying "this one is on me" and uses it to reference the situation going on. The Dixie Chicks sing "Tonight the heartache's on me, on me/Let's drink a toast to the fool who couldn't see/Bartender, pour the wine/Cause the hurtin's all mine/Tonight, the heartache's on me." One thing I admire about the Dixie Chicks is they have always remained true to who they wanted to be as an artist. There is nothing wrong with wanting to switch genres (Taylor Swift transitioned over perfectly.) However, nowadays, country groups tend to either veer over into pop by collaborating with them (Dan+Shay and Justin Bieber) or just by making music under the country genre label that is not actually country music. This song is just such a great country music song done by a true country female group who always feel like no matter what they do, they are who they say they are doing what they say they are doing.

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​9. "I Can Love You Better"
This song reminds me of the John Michael Montgomery song, "I Can Love You Like That" thematically. While Montgomery is singing very romantically and full of humility, the Dixie Chicks are very sure of themselves. They CAN love him better and they are going to prove it. They ARE going to break the spell that the girl he is with now has on him. Sung with strong conviction and self-assuredness, the Dixie Chicks have us believing that if they say it, they CAN and WILL do it!

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​8. "Once You've Loved Somebody"
This song is one of the more vulnerable songs by the Dixie Chicks. They sing of how it is difficult to move on once you have loved someone so much. You can try to go out with someone new, but the effects of the previous relationship linger. They sing "Once you've loved somebody/It ain't that easy to do." This song shows that even though the Dixie Chicks can do energetic and infectious country songs like no other, they still can deliver strong emotional material as well.

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​7. "Cold Day In July"
This emotional song, from their album Fly, definitely flies right into your heart to shatter it. We all have been in those relationships where the other person promises never to leave but sometimes, they break that promise. This particular partner told her that the day he would leave her would be a cold day in July. My favorite lyric from the song is the very beginning where the Dixie Chicks sing: "The moon is full, but my arms are empty/All night long how I've pleaded and cried." It is a simple story to tell but a devastating one that many listeners can identify with. It is definitely a tearjerker but one of my favorite works of art from the Dixie Chicks.

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​6. "Gaslighter"
This song is their latest single and it definitely suggests they are back to rule country music. This song fits right into pop culture right now with the #Me Too movement. Men are being held accountable for their abuse of women and this song has the Dixie Chicks calling out their man for his emotional abuse. For those who may not know what gaslighting is, it is basically someone manipulating someone to the point they question reality and what really happened. Gaslighters are fitting everything into the narrative they want put out there even if it is not the truth. My favorite lyric in the song is when they sing "You're sorry but where's my apology?" This is a really clever take on them being a sorry person and actually being sorry for what they did. This song definitely suggests they are back and if this is just the lead single, I cannot wait to hear the rest of their new album.

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​5. "Goodbye Earl"
It has always surprised me about what this song manages to accomplish. It is a catchy and infectious song that fans want to sing along to every time it comes on, but it is tackling a very serious issue (spousal abuse). The song tells the story of Mary Anne and Wanda, who are two best friends in high school. They graduate and Mary Anne leaves town to pursue her dreams while Wanda ends up with Earl, who becomes abusive to her. After Earl puts Wanda into intensive care, the girls plan to kill him. This song manages to make some statements about abuse that I completely agree with and never heard addressed before. The Dixie Chicks sing that "Earl walked right through that restraining order and put her intensive care." This addresses that flaw in our system where abusive people are not stopped because of the law. They do not play by those rules and it leads to people getting hurt or worse. This song manages to tell a very detailed story and keep you engrossed into what is going to happen next. All we know shortly into the song is we are most definitely going to be saying goodbye to Earl.

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​4. "Wide Open Spaces"
This Dixie Chicks song depicts that moment when we all have to go out on our own, make our own mistakes, and just live life free from what may be holding us back. The song's chorus: "She needs wide open spaces/Room to make a big mistake/She needs new faces/She knows the high stakes." I think this song is so high on my list because I did not get the support of one of my parents in my dreams and it held me back from going for them. This song shows a woman who is ready to embrace the risks that she is taking. I personally see this character and wish I would have taken the risks for my dreams that she does.

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​3. "Travelin' Soldier"
This song is country music at its finest. This song was originally recorded by its songwriter (and Emily’s former brother-in-law) Bruce Robison, but the Dixie Chicks released it as a single from their album, Home. It tells a beautiful story about a young soldier going off to war and the letters he writes to a girl he meets shortly before leaving. The two form a bond through these letters. The best lyrics in the song are: "Our love will never end/Waiting for the soldier to come back again/Never more to be alone when the letter says the soldier's coming home." It definitely belongs in the top three in large part due to the powerful vocal performance of lead singer Natalie Maines.

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​2. "You Were Mine"
This song is the most emotional and devastating song to me that the Dixie Chicks have ever released. The song depicts the end of a relationship when the man has decided to leave because he has found someone else. This is a subject that gets tackled a lot in music but this one stands out to me because it adds a new dynamic that other songs don't always address. The song is devastating already and then the Dixie Chicks sing: "He's two and she's four and you know they adore you/So how can I tell them you changed your mind?" I love that this song addresses that more people are affected than just the two people in the relationship. Years later, my eyes still fill with tears when hearing that lyric. This is definitely one of their best to date.

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1. "Not Ready To Make Nice"
This song is one of the best examples in music that sometimes when bad things happen to artists, it can lead to their best works of art. This song addresses the way the Dixie Chicks were treated after speaking out against the war in Iraq. There are so many powerful lyrics in this song but some of my favorite are: "Forgive/Sounds good/Forget/I'm not sure I could" and when they sing "It's too late to make it right/Probably wouldn't if I could." There is a lot of respect in this song from me for the Dixie Chicks because even though it put a huge strain on their career, they were not sorry for what they said because after all, in America, we do have free speech. They also sing: "How in the world can the words that I said/Send somebody so over the edge that they write me a letter saying that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over?" This lyric really shows just how much this controversy affected the Dixie Chicks on a personal level. This song would also go on to win the Grammy for Song and Record of the Year. After all the Dixie Chicks had went through, this was definitely a nice surprise.

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What's your favorite Dixie Chicks song? Let us know in the comments!