Another famous musician born in Buddy Holly's town of Lubbock, TX -- the controversial Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines -- has lyrically allied herself with Buddy on her latest album. And Holly fans are not happy.On the track "Lubbock Or Leave It," from the Chicks' forthcoming album Take It Or Leave It, Maines sings the words "I hear they hate me now/Just like they hated you./Maybe when I'm dead and gone/I'm gonna get a statue, too."
This puzzles many Lubbock natives, who can't remember Buddy being hated for anything, but who definitely recall Maines' infamous statement on a London stage in 2003: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."
That aside led to the Chicks' music being banned from many country music stations. Whether the group's upcoming fourth album -- and the President's continually plummeting poll numbers -- will restore them to their former glory remains to be seen. For now, the reference remains a mystery; Holly's surviving brothers Travis and Larry both deny that Holly was ever hated in his hometown. The songwriting on "Lubbock" is credited to the three Chicks and longtime Tom Petty sideman Mike Campbell. (Want to leave your opinion on this story, or any post you see on this blog? Just click on "comments" below!)
Comments
Buddy Holly opened my eyes to the possibilities of rock and roll. He took from several genres and made a sound that stands the test of time. The Dixie Chicks are patriots for standing up to the ugliness in the “Shrub” White House.
The Dixie Chicks have no business referencing Buddy Holly. He is a rock and roll God. They will be forgotten soon enough, Bush comments or no.
The writer of this story should have spoke to Natalie Maine or Mike Campbell before running it. It is incomplete journalism. Shame on you.
Mainstream country music statioons won’t play the Dixie Chicks. Big deal. They won’t play Willie Nelson or Merle Haggard either. George W. never had Willie, and now he’s lost Merle. I guess mainstream country is politically correct country, rightwing division.
Great comments on this one. Is there hope for this battered country yet? (I mean “beaten” battered…not “deep fried” battered. -Fed Up Amereeecan
I think what Natalie & the Chicks meant about Buddy & Lubbock was that in the early days he did not have the respect or ‘official’ approval of the city mainly due to its strong Baptist conservatism. It is a fact that it took many years after his death for Lubbock to officially recognise his contribution to American music.
As for Natalie’s comments about Bush, time has proven her to be correct. The man is an idiot and his stupidity & cock-eyed foreign policy has dragged America into another unwinnable war.
Yeah, Bush is an idiot. Every time I see his face on T.V. he looks like he doesn’t even know what day it is! At least poor old Ronald Regan had an excuse what has Bush got?! 9/11 was a terible thing but you cannot use it as an excuse to reopen old wounds and invade Iraq
[Continuing from above...] Just because you let Saddam go last time! The guy should be after the culprits. Not trying to lead the World to the brink of another War. The Dixie Chicks are making a valid point. It’s a free Country. I don’t think they are insulting Buddy. Just making a point about Lubbock. A town that tore down Buddys birthplace instead of preserving it! Then claimed they didn’t know it was his house! Don’t they keep electoral records?
One thing is for sure..the Chicks will get positive coverage from media outlits that are “Bush” haters; they LOVE the Chicks! Natalie and gang are portraying themselves as victims; they chose to turn their backs on the fans that supported them. This war is not about Bush; it is about protecting America. I don’t like war but if we had just ignored what happened on 9/11 we would have welcomed more attacks. Back to Natalie is full of herself and selfish to keep trashing TX. Lubbock gave her a warm welcome for their concert and she had nothing nice to say about the people and their sold out show…again selfish. By the way Pres. Bush is not an idiot.
Natalie Maines could not, can not, and never will be able to carry Buddy Holly’s jockstrap. And no Natalie, their will be no statue for you
The Dixie Chicks were right. And with Bush’s low approval ratings; it appear more and more Americans are starting agree with them.
“Taking the Long Way” has been selling fast. I’m not a regular country music fan, but I bought this CD. The CD has been ranked #1 on Amazon for weeks now. This CD IS a hit. Present tense, not future.
Ignore it all you want, but the Dixie Chicks are going to go down in the history books as one of the most revolutionary bands (all female, multiplatinum, political stance, etc).
Congratulations, Dixie Chicks.
As a Texan Army vet who voted for Bush the first time, then when was flabbergasted at the way he drug us into a preemptive war I salute the Dixie Chicks.
And they will resonate a long, long time. There are *many* of us from Texas who faced troubles in the workplace and in society as a whole because we stood up for what we believed.
We were right, and so were the Dixie Chicks. Good on them.
Comment #6 has it right–the song isn’t saying that Lubbock literally hated Buddy Holly personally. Lubbock just hated his music and did not acknowledge it and Holly’s contribution to the world of music until years and years after his death.
Folks in Lubbock were also not too thrilled with the fact that Holly married a Puerto Rican from New York City.
To me, the song is about mainstream Lubbock’s inability to embrace its artists and any political or cultural ideology that differs in any way from the conservative “good ol’ boy” attitude.
Buddy Holly and other Rock N Roll musicians were considered by many in old Lubbock to be “playing the devil’s music” and, now, Natalie and the Chicks are considered to be liberals–”devils” to many in Lubbock.
I went to school where Natalies dad, uncles and Aunt went– Strict, small community, Church of Christ, no dancing kind of school– But that was a whole generation away from Nat– IF Natalie experienced religious persecution it was probably from her own family and church–Not ALL of Lubbock. Song seems like more of a backhanded way to hit at her family.
Buddy Holly’s family were/are good people. Lost a son way before they ever wanted– Oh some could try to compare to soldiers in war, but no comparrison, those men and women go to war knowing they could never return, and their families are aware too. Buddy and his family never considered him dying on that plane, that kind of shock is extremely hard to get over, Natalie should have used more discretion– But look at the free press she/they keep getting from the ’shock factor’.
To call someone an idiot based on personal opinion that is educated by the media shows a great deal of ignorance.
Bush has done for the people of his country those that are actually victims of terroism and their families.
What exactly do those that attack this war and blame it on Bush want? Nothing, ignore it Osoma and all the rest will just stop. Do you not know their agenda? Do you really not care about 9/11? Do you really think that is the end of it?
Maines’ reference doesn’t strike me as mysterious. I suspect she got the idea from a few scenes in the movie The Buddy Holly Story in which the local antagonism toward Holly’s music isn’t so much exaggerated as over-simplified. Some adults sneered at rock and roll, of course, but not all of them disliked it, not all kids loved it, and not even Chuck Berry thought it would last. I don’t blame the movie for not explaining this. It’s a biopic, not a documentary about the various reactions to rock and roll.
Lubbock took a few decades to build a statue of Holly, but so what? It takes a later generation to decide who was important, who merely seemed so for a moment, and, in truth, who brings in the tourists. I’m not entirely sure that a statue doesn’t diminish some people (rock and rollers, for instance) anyway.
My thoughts about statues aside, I’m not surprised that Mainse’s understanding of rock-and-roll history is as rock solid as her understanding of national defense. In fact, it figures.
#10 ‘lil cox, from just a small bit of research I found nothing to support the fact that ‘Buddy’ was any kind of an athlete therefore how could/why would she hold something that never existed? Maybe you should have made reference to her holding his pocket protector or his retainer, I don’t know. I’m also pretty sure she could afford her own statue if she so desired.
Blind Patriotism isn’t Patriotism at all, jackholes! Just like I can say Buddy Holly was good, but not a god (#2) and President Bush is/was a complete moron with a hidden agenda and very misleading of American citizens, because this is America and we used to have a constitution that allowed for freedom of speech. I love how this obese “journalist” can type up a few quotes and he has a story.
Leave it to Natalie Maines to bash even a dead man’s memory. For someone who grew up there, she sure as hell doesn’t know anything about him or his music, and how well liked he was. She has as much chance of getting a statue in Lubbock as Kim Jong Il does.
@TS:
This is obviously a very late reply – but to whoever sees this page at least I hope my take would help.
Lubbock or Leave It is a song about how hypocritical the city is – the reference to Buddy Holly merely emphasises this. They ‘hated’ Holly because he was a rock ‘n roll musician, which means he played ‘the devil’s music’ back in the day. Lubbock is considered very Christian and conservative, and so most people back then resented/did not care for Holly’s music. And yet after he died they built a statue of him (as you said – to cash in on his fame and get money from tourism) – it’s ironic. And that’s what the song is about.
Maines isn’t asking Lubbock to build her a statue but instead, she’s pointing out that they are that hypocritical that even with the hatred the city has for the Dixie Chicks, they would probably try to cash in on some of her fame once she’s gone.