Five Cent Sound Fall 2020

As soon as the words left Natalie Maines’ mouth, she had been condemned. Performing overseas in March of 2003 at Shepherd’s Bush in London, American-bred country artists The Chicks represented everything pure in their genre: a decade-long career, a conservative fanbase that had recently fawned over their rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” less than two months prior, lyrics touting a small town agenda and homage to their roots, and harmonies that could melt southern hearts. All three of the women were mothers.

The group had risen to stardom with the release of their album Wide Open Spaces, with accolades such as 12 million sales internationally and a Best Country Album win at the 1998 Grammys, along with Best Country Performance by a Group or Duo With Vocal for their single “Ready to Run”. While many tracks held underlying themes of feminism , sister-duo lulled the audience into appeasal. Fan favorite the murder of an abusive husband at the hands of his wife and her childhood friend. Women chanted “Ain’t dark/ Wrapped up in that tarp, Earl?”, undoubtedly dreaming of escapism from their own toxic relationships. After the 2003 Grammy Awards, Maines stated that the track was “an ode to O.J. Simpson.”

They had established themselves in a genre captivated by intense nationalism following the fall of the Twin Tower and were surrounded by tracks such as “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” by Alan Jackson, which played as their personal morals placed them in a world of otherness.

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