Shut Up & Sing

Shut Up & Sing

2006

Directors: Barbara Kopple and Cecillia Peck

Writers: Natalie Maines, Emily Robinson, and Martie Maguire

93 Minutes

George W. Bush might have been one of the most unpopular, hated presidents in American history. Although in 2003, he was one of the most patriotic and beloved presidents leading this country into the Iraq war.

Nights before the invasion, Natalie Maines of the Grammy Winning, country music band The Dixie Chicks, held at a concert in London and said these now famous lines:

“Just so you know, we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

Those words echoed throughout the red states and the Dixie Chicks were finished. They were banished from record stores. They are blacklisted from radio. And they received death threats.

“Freedom of speech is fine, but by god, you don't do it outside of the country and you don't do it in mass publicly,” a random Dixie Chicks protester mentioned.

The Dixie Chicks disappeared. Gone. Finished. Done.

But as history shows, the Iraq conflict turned south. George W. Bush went from supported to loathed. And this country slipped deeper into war time failure.

But, the Dixie Chicks were still ghosts until 200 when they made their triumphant return. They released their album Taking the Long Way with their single “Not Ready to Make Nice,” which talks about their struggles from the backlash of Maines’s comment.

But, their return, although glorious, was not the strong point in this film. It was the fact the Dixie Chicks stuck by their word.

In the scene above, Maines made that comment about the president, which the reaction spiraled out of a control caused by the Free Republic and “patriotic fans” who boycotted their concerts.

But, she stuck by her word.

That comment cost them millions with a top-selling album on the shelves.

But, she stuck be her word.

That comment took the Dixie Chicks off the map, pushed aside and branded as traitors.

But, she stuck be her word. And the rest of the band, Martie Maguire and Emily Robinson,stuck be Maines’s word. And their fans stuck by Maines’s word.

Because that’s all it is, is words. And the patriotism of this country was based on people not being able to speak their opinion and found solace in declaring their independence to speak their opinion.

I believe it’s called Freedom of Speech.

But, the message in this documentary is that even when it’s not the most popular statement, standing behind your word in the face of adversity is the American way. That’s what our fore Fathers did. It’s what Natalie Matines did.

And she is more American than anyone that boycotted her during the Dixie Chick dark times.

In the end, the Dixie Chicks went out to win a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2007 and Not Ready to Make Nice won song of the year. It was a classic ending to a great story.

And when she returned to that London theater, she said this:

"I thought I'd say something original, so just so you know, we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas"

Like I said, a classic ending to a great story.