{"id":82,"date":"2021-09-08T18:47:19","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T22:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/?p=82"},"modified":"2021-12-25T17:14:34","modified_gmt":"2021-12-25T21:14:34","slug":"lubbock-or-leave-it-by-the-chicks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/2021\/09\/08\/lubbock-or-leave-it-by-the-chicks\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Lubbock or Leave It&#8221; by The Chicks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lubbock or Leave It\" width=\"1333\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z6DFBiU-3cI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chicks are a quintessential \u2013 albeit controversial \u2013 Texas group. Originally known as The Dixie Chicks, this trio, composed of members Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer, and Martie Maguire, was founded in Dallas, TX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The controversy surrounding the group stems from comments Maines made about President Bush in 2003, criticizing him for his involvement in the Iraq War, saying she was ashamed to be from the same state as him. The Chicks were blacklisted from many country music stations, and their music and ticket sales suffered greatly. The Chicks\u2019 position on Bush was cited as an inspiration by modern country artists like Taylor Swift, and fellow Texan Kacey Musgraves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people expected their 2006 album <em>Taking the Long Way <\/em>to include some sort of apology for Maines\u2019 remarks, but songs like\u201cLubbock or Leave It\u201d quickly proved these expectations wrong. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Written by the band and songwriter Mike Campbell, the lead guitarist of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, \u201cLubbock or Leave It\u201d refers to a town in West Texas, and according to band member Emily Robinson, they drew inspiration from \u201c\u2026a documentary called&nbsp;<em>The Education of Shelby Knox<\/em>, which was about a girl &#8211; she was 16 at the time, very religious &#8211; trying to get Lubbock to teach sex education in the schools. And Lubbock has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STDs in the US, so it really showed what happens when you keep this information away from people. Lubbock is also one of the last hold-out radio stations that still won&#8217;t play us, and of course Natalie is from Lubbock, so she has personal experience with the box that a small town can keep you in.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lyrics of this song speak on the struggle some Texans have with being tied to Texan identity itself \u2013 it focuses on the close-minded views that a lot of Texans have about the world and the idea of \u2018southern hospitality and how surface level it can be. Although The Chicks don\u2019t mention Lubbock outright for much of the song, there are a few instances where it is referenced directly. In the verse, \u201cOh, boy, rave on down <strong>loop 289 \/<\/strong> That&#8217;ll be the day you see me back \/ In this fool&#8217;s paradise\u201d they\u2019re referring to the highway that surrounds Lubbock. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> The song mentions also Buddy Holly \u2013 he was from Lubbock and the lyrics \u201cCause this is the only place \/ Where, as you&#8217;re getting on the plane \/ You see Buddy Holly&#8217;s face\u201d are referencing his death in a plane crash in 1959. The first verse also includes a few of his song titles built into the lyrics, and Maines draws comparisons between how her hometown is treating her in the present and how they treated Buddy Holly before his fame (and before his death), saying &#8220;Maybe when I&#8217;m dead and gone \/ I&#8217;ll get a statue too.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[Verse 1]<br>Dust bowl, Bible belt<br>Got more churches than trees<br>Raise me, praise me, couldn&#8217;t save me<br>Couldn&#8217;t keep me on my knees<br>Oh, boy, rave on down <strong>loop 289<\/strong><br>That&#8217;ll be the day you see me back<br>In this fool&#8217;s paradise<br><br>[Chorus]<br>Temptation&#8217;s strong<br>(Salvation&#8217;s gone)<br>I&#8217;m on my way<br>To hell&#8217;s half-acre<br>How will I ever<br>How will I ever<br>Get to Heaven now<br><br>[Verse 2]<br>Throwing stones from the top of your rock<br>Thinking no one can see<br>The secrets you hide behind<br>Your southern hospitality<br>On the strip the kids get lit<br>So they can have a real good time<br>Come Sunday they can just take their pick<br>From the crucifix skyline<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[Chorus]<br>Temptation&#8217;s strong<br>(Salvation&#8217;s gone)<br>I&#8217;m on my way<br>To hell&#8217;s half-acre<br>How will I ever<br>How will I ever<br>Get to Heaven now<br>Get to Heaven now<br><br>[Verse 3]<br>International airport<br>A quarter after nine<br>Paris Texas, Athens Georgia&#8217;s<br>Not what I had in mind<br>As I&#8217;m getting out I laugh to myself<br>&#8216;Cause this is the only place<br>Where as you&#8217;re getting on the plane<br>You see Buddy Holly&#8217;s face<br>I hear they hate me now<br>Just like they hated you<br>Maybe when I&#8217;m dead and gone<br>I&#8217;m gonna get a statue too<br><br>[Chorus]<br>Temptation&#8217;s strong<br>(Salvation&#8217;s gone)<br>I&#8217;m on my way<br>To hell&#8217;s half-acre<br>How will I ever<br>How will I ever<br>Get to Heaven now<br>Get to Heaven now<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[Outro]<br>How will I ever<br>Get to Heaven now<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, for a song that focuses on the negative aspects of Texas, the instrumentals have a lot of conventions that could be easily associated with the state. They have a driven, country-rock feel, but still retain some elements of more traditional genres such as bluegrass and folk. The banjo and fiddle contrasted with the aggressive power chord guitar riff emphasize the country-western feel this track has \u2013 it sounds very contemporary but still retains a lot of character of the old South. As noted by Jada Watson for the Journal of the Society for American Music, \u201cThis simultaneous rejection and embrace offers a rich example of how songwriters use music as a means to define their relationship with place, and in turn, articulate their role within sociopolitical and cultural structures.\u201d Watson is right, the contrast between the lyrics and the instrumental of this song is a great example of how songwriters grapple with the idea of \u2018home\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When thinking of how this song fits into the musical history of Texas, a quote from the Texas Handbook comes to mind: \u201c[T]here is no singular Texas sound. Rather, there is a shared Texas musical spirit, one characterized by taking chances, trying new ideas, melding your neighbor&#8217;s music with your own, all united by an attitude of \u2018Why not?\u2019\u201d The melding of rock and country exemplifies how Texas hosts a varied population of people, and the lyrics grapple with the idea that for being such a diverse place, Texas continues to be a place where close-mindedness and bigotry are some of the first things people associate with the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Works Cited:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Chicks Gaslighter Interview<\/em>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/articles\/columns\/country\/9419501\/the-chicks-gaslighter-interview\/\">www.billboard.com\/articles\/columns\/country\/9419501\/the-chicks-gaslighter-interview\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Chicks \u2013 Lubbock or Leave It.\u201d <em>Genius<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/genius.com\/The-chicks-lubbock-or-leave-it-lyrics\">genius.com\/The-chicks-lubbock-or-leave-it-lyrics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spong, John. \u201cChicks: In the Wilderness.\u201d&nbsp;<em>Texas Monthly<\/em>, vol. 41, no. 4, Apr. 2013, pp. 126\u2013218.&nbsp;<em>EBSCOhost<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/search-ebscohost-com.unh-proxy01.newhaven.edu\/login.aspx?direct=true&amp;AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid&amp;custid=s9437114&amp;db=f5h&amp;AN=86175370&amp;site=eds-live\">search-ebscohost-com.unh-proxy01.newhaven.edu\/login.aspx?direct=true&amp;AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid&amp;custid=s9437114&amp;db=f5h&amp;AN=86175370&amp;site=eds-live<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Texas Music Handbook<\/em>. Texas State Historical Association, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/projects\/texas-music\">www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/projects\/texas-music<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson, Jada. \u201cThe Dixie Chicks&#8217; \u2018LUBBOCK or Leave It\u2019: Negotiating Identity and Place in Country Song: Journal of the Society for American Music.\u201d <em>Cambridge Core<\/em>, Cambridge University Press, 12 Mar. 2014, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/journal-of-the-society-for-american-music\/article\/abs\/dixie-chicks-lubbock-or-leave-it-negotiating-identity-and-place-in-country-song\/6079192BB5778532937868061258E2CD\">www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/journal-of-the-society-for-american-music\/article\/abs\/dixie-chicks-lubbock-or-leave-it-negotiating-identity-and-place-in-country-song\/6079192BB5778532937868061258E2CD<\/a>. &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicks are a quintessential \u2013 albeit controversial \u2013 Texas group. Originally known as The Dixie Chicks, this trio, composed of members Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer, and Martie Maguire, was founded in Dallas, TX. The controversy surrounding the group stems &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[20,35,36,37],"class_list":["post-82","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-songs-of-texas","tag-country-music","tag-country-western","tag-the-chicks","tag-west-texas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/249"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":820,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions\/820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}