Overview
In this lesson, we will consider several musical responses that occurred in the wake of September 11, 2001. One corporation banned songs that it thought would be controversial or upsetting, igniting accusations of censorship. Several country musicians recorded anthems that promised revenge on those who had wronged the United States, and these songs were received with varying degrees of acceptance by listeners and by other musicians. Finally, the outspoken members of one band found themselves at odds with both corporations and their fellow country musicians when they criticized President George W. Bush. The controversies presented in this lesson raise questions about free speech, censorship, and the effects music can have in response to tragedy.
Objectives
- Recall the music that Clear Channel suggested that its radio stations not play after 9/11
- Recall the musical responses of several country music artists in response to the events of 9/11
- Recall the controversies surrounding the Dixie Chicks and their statements about other musicians and the American president
The Dixie Chicks' Response
In March of 2003, just before the United States invaded Iraq, the Dixie Chicks performed a concert in London. Just before singing "Travelin’ Soldier ♫," Maines said to the audience, "We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." The backlash against Maines and the Dixie Chicks was swift. Members of the media argued that it was inappropriate for Maines to criticize the American president while she was in a foreign country, to which she responded, "I said it there [England] because that's where I was." A total of 74 radio stations banned all of the Dixie Chicks' music; the stations were owned both by Clear Channel and by Cumulus, a rival corporation.
The group lost several corporate sponsors, and a radio station in Louisiana rented a bulldozer and invited former fans of the group to crush the Dixie Chicks' CDs with it. Despite the severe criticism of Maines and the Dixie Chicks, the group refused to retreat. During an American tour later that year, Maines invited those in attendance to boo if they wanted "because we welcome freedom of speech."
At the same time, the Dixie Chicks were engaged in a feud with Toby Keith. Maines of the Dixie Chicks publicly criticized Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American) ♫." She told a reporter, "I hate it. It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant. You've got to have some tact. Anybody can write, ‘We'll put a boot in your ass.'" Keith responded by criticizing Maines for not writing her own music (most of the Dixie Chicks' songs are written by Robinson and Seidel or by other songwriters). He also included images in his live shows of Natalie Maines that had been altered to look like she was posing with Saddam Hussein. The conflict came to a head when Maines wore a shirt emblazoned with FUTK at the Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony. Maines claimed that the acronym stood for Friends United in Truth and Kindness, but many viewers saw it as a thinly veiled, obscene insult against Keith.
The members of the Dixie Chicks addressed the controversy head-on in the 2006 single "Not Ready to Make Nice ♫," which was written by Dan Wilson. In the song, the Dixie Chicks stood up for their message and spoke out against the obscenities and death threats that had been directed toward them during the last few years. The album Taking the Long Way soon followed, and it achieved multi-platinum status and received generally positive reviews. The Dixie Chicks refused to back down from controversy, and they have continued to record successful albums into the 2010s.
"I feel the president is ignoring the opinion of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration, and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view."
