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Le Dixie Chicks, gruppo tutto al femminile, nasce a Dallas agli inizi degli anni Novanta. Dopo alcuni dischi passati abbastanza inosservati e dopo un cambio di formazione, le Dixie Chicks trovano finalmente la stabilità interna solo nel 1998. E' in quell'anno infatti che le belle e brave Martie Maguire, Emily Robinson e Natalie Maines, figlia del grande Llyod Maines raggiungono un successo di pubblico inaspettato e di notevoli proporzioni con gli album "Wide Open Spaces", capace di vendere in pochi mesi dodici milioni di copie e, l'anno seguente con "Fly", spinto nelle zone alte delle classifiche dal singolo "Ready To Run".
Benchè si tratti di due buoni prodotti, la musica proposta dal trio rimane troppo legata ai classici e tipici stereotipi country-rock tradizionali, senza grosse pretese o grandi impegni. Solo con la pubblicazione del successivo "Home", la musica delle Dixie Chicks inizia a percorrere nuove interessanti strade. "Home", rispetto alle prove che lo hanno preceduto, è un disco prevalentemente acustico, raccolto e ricco di brani suggestivi che trattano con sincerità di rancore e ribellione. Un'opera di rottura con il passato. Accanto a questa riuscitissima e nuovamente acclamata uscita discografica, va però segnalato un episodio fondamentale che ha dato una svolta positiva ed inaspettata alla carriera del trio texano. Durante un concerto a Londra nel 2003, Natalie Maines si rivolge al suo pubblico con queste dure parole: "Giusto perché lo sappiate, ci vergogniamo che il presidente degli Stati Uniti venga dal Texas". Naturalmente la polemica nei confronti di George W. Bush non passa inosservata e scatena un uragano di polemiche negli stati più conservatori degli U.S.A. Le tre ragazze vengono accusate di antipatriottismo, la loro musica viene boicottata dalle trasmissioni radio e alcuni contratti pubblicitari milionari vengono immediatamente cancellati. Praticamente Natalie, Martie ed Emily vengono messe al bando e crocifisse pubblicamente da buona parte dei mass-media.
Fortunatamente vengono comunque difese e adottate subito dall'ambiente della musica rock più impegnata e più incline alla polemica tanto che nel 2004 partecipano al "Vote For Change Tour" insieme a Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Dave Matthews e Jackson Browne.
"Taking The Long Way" nasce anche da queste esperienze. Prodotto sapientemente dal grande Rick Rubin, questo album segna un deciso cambio di rotta rispetto al passato. Si tratta di un'opera di pop-rock classico ben riuscito, assai piacevole e ricco di venature tipiche del sound della west-coast. Rubin, ripulisce il sound del gruppo e pone il suo sigillo di qualità su un disco di facile presa ma non per questo banale, in cui il tipico country-rock è ridimensionato dalla sua cura. Concorre inoltre ala buona riuscita del lavoro la presenza in sala di registrazione di ospiti graditissimi come Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Gary Louris, Steve Berlin, Neil Finn, Bonnie Raitt, Chad Smith, Pete Yorn, Keb'Mo' e Sheryl Crow. Musicisti validissimi che offrono ai perfetti e graziosi impasti vocali delle tre ragazze un tappeto musicale notevole.
Brani come il singolo "Not Ready To Make Nice", "The Long Way Around", "Easy Silence", "Everybody Knows" e la stupenda "Baby Old On" danno la misura di un lavoro assolutamente piacevole e riuscito in cui bellezza è anche sinonimo di qualità.
Elenco tracce testi e video
04 Everybody Knows (04:18)
Tell me now if you came sneaking up behind
Would you know me and see behind the smile
I can change like colors on a wall
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I think I hide it all so well
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
Looking through the crowd
I search for something else
But every time I turn around
I run into myself
Here I stand
Consumed with my surroundings
Just another day
Of everybody looking
I swore they'd never see me cry
You'll never see me cry
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
You say I'll pay the price
That's the chance that I'll take
Though you may think I'm telling lies
But I just call it getting by
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows I am just barely getting by
05 Bitter End (04:38)
The words that you said
They still ring in my head
Don't you know
We say goodbye
With a tear in our eye
Oh, where'd you go
It's alright you can sleep tonight
Knowing you'll always live on in a song
Farewell to old friends
Let's raise a glass to the bitter end
Farewell to old friends
Will you be the same when we see you again
Remember the days
When we'd laugh as you played
Who would have known
The water would come and just take you away
Oh, where'd you go
It's not alright
I can't sleep tonight
Knowing you should have played on
On and on
Farewell to old friends
Let's raise a glass to the bitter end
Farewell to old friends
Will you forgive me when I see you again
You had a good time
Drinking all of our wine
After the show
We all rode the wave
Of that crazy parade
Oh, where'd you go
What happened to
The ones we knew
As long as I'm the shiniest star
Oh, there you are
Farewell to old friends
Let's raise a glass to the bitter end
Farewell to old friends
We'll still be here when you come round again
06 Lullaby (05:51)
They didn't have you where I come from
Never knew the best was yet to come
Life began when I saw your face
And I hear your laugh like a serenade
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up
I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow there'll be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up
As you wander through this troubled world
In search of all things beautiful
You can close your eyes when you're miles away
And hear my voice like a serenade
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up
09 Favorite Year (04:29)
We were young and so inspired
We weren't the only ones who thought
We'd change the world
No sun would set without us
No one we knew could ever doubt us
We had our future figured out
We knew a love like ours would always save the day
And that we'd always be ok
But would you know me now
Would you lay me down beside you
Tell me everything I want to hear
Like that was your favorite year
Like that was your favorite year
You looked at me like no one else
But sometimes love just doesn't seem to conquer all
We search for someone else to blame
But sometimes things can't stay the same
But would you know me now
Would you lay me down beside you
Tell me everything I want to hear
Like that was your favorite year
Like that was your favorite year
Holding on to the memories
Of when we were younger
I can't forget
Cause when we were together
That's when I was at my best
And would you know me now
Would you lay me down beside you
Tell me all the things I long to hear
Like that was your favorite year
Like that was your favorite year
Cause that was my favorite year
12 Baby Hold On (05:04)
Hey, it might never be the same
We might never live those days gone by
But we can try
Good morning
Let's kick the babies out of bed
How bout you and me instead hanging on
Not up and gone
(Baby, hold on)
Let's start this over
(Baby, hold on)
We're not much older now
(Baby, hold on)
If you still see what I see
Keep holding on
Hold on to me
Baby, it's good to see you smile again
I know we can't escape
So let's pretend
We're someplace else
It's a new day
Let's look at all we've got
It's everything we thought
We ever wanted
It's beautiful
(Baby, hold on)
Let's start this over
(Baby, hold on)
We're not much older now
(Baby, hold on)
If you still see what I see
Keep holding on
Hold on to me
I look across the room and catch you staring at me
And see the love we almost left behind
So lead me by the hand and let's make up
Let's make up for lost time
(Baby, hold on)
Let's start this over
(Baby, hold on)
We're not much older
(Baby, hold on)
If you still see what I see
Keep holding on
(Baby, hold on)
Hold on to me
(Baby, hold on)
Just hold on to me
(Baby, hold on)
Hold on to me
Keep holding on
Hey, it might never be the same
We might never live those days gone by
But we can try
13 So Hard (04:28)
Back when we started
We didn't know how hard it was
Living on nothing
But what the wind would bring to us
Now we've got something
I can imagine fighting for
So why is fighting all that we're good at anymore
And sometimes I don't have the energy
To prove everybody wrong
And I try my best to be strong
But you know it's so hard
It's so hard
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
It's so hard when it doesn't come fast
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
It's so hard
It felt like a given
Something a woman's born to do
A natural ambition
To see a reflection of me and you
And I'd feel so guilty
If that was a gift I couldn't give
And could you be happy
If life wasn't how we pictured it
And sometimes I just want to wait it out
To prove everybody wrong
And I need your help to move on
Cause you know it's so hard
It's so hard
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
It's so hard when it doesn't come fast
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
So hard
I can live for the moment
When all these clouds open up for me to see
And show me a vision
Of you and me swimming peacefully
Last night you told me
That you can't remember
How to feel free
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
It's so hard when it doesn't come fast
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy, easy
It's so hard
14 I Hope (05:25)
Sunday morning, I heard the preacher say
Thou shall not kill
I don't wanna hear nothing else about killing
And that it's God's will
'Cause our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
So let's learn from our history
And do it differently
I hope, for more love, more joy and laughter
I hope, we'll have more than we'll ever need
I hope, we'll have more happy ever after
I hope, we can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope
Oh, Rosie, her man he gets too rough
That's all she can say, is he's a good man
He don't mean no harm
He was just brought up that way
But our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
It's okay for us to disagree
We can work it out lovingly
I hope, for more love, more joy and laughter
I hope, we'll have more than we'll ever need
I hope, we'll have more happy ever after
I hope, we can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope
There must be a way to change what's going on
No I don't have all the answers
I hope, for more love, more joy and laughter
I hope, we'll have more than we'll ever need
I hope, we'll have more happy ever after
I hope, we can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope, I hope
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