You Were Mine

Last updated
"You Were Mine"
Dixie-Chicks-You-Were-Mine.jpg
Single by Dixie Chicks
from the album Wide Open Spaces
ReleasedDecember 7, 1998
RecordedAugust 1997
Genre Country
Length3:37
Label Monument
Songwriter(s) Emily Strayer, Martie Maguire
Producer(s) Blake Chancey, Paul Worley
Dixie Chicks singles chronology
"Wide Open Spaces"
(1998)
"You Were Mine"
(1998)
"Tonight the Heartache's on Me"
(1999)
Music video
"You Were Mine" at CMT.com

"You Were Mine" is a song recorded by American country music group Dixie Chicks. Released in December 1998 as the fourth single from the album Wide Open Spaces , the song spent two weeks atop the U.S. Country singles chart in March 1999; [1] that same month, it reached #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Canada's country music chart for a week.

Contents

History

The song was written in 1995 by two of the founders of the original Dixie Chicks band, the Erwin sisters [2] (now known as Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer), who were accustomed to writing music and performing. Strayer wrote most of the song, and Maguire supplied the bridge. It is a very autobiographical song, about the breakup of the sisters' parents and their subsequent divorce. In one interview, when asked about it, Emily said that their parents generally "sweep it under the rug", saying, "They know it's about them, but [whispers] we never talk about it. [laughs] They don't want to bring it up because they're still weird around each other. My dad doesn't want to think it's about him, because it doesn't make him look very good, and my mom thinks she's moved on." [3]

"You Were Mine" played a key role in bringing the Dixie Chicks from near-total obscurity to massive commercial success. Based on a recommendation from session musician and producer Lloyd Maines, in the summer of 1995 the Erwin sisters invited Maines' daughter Natalie to return to her home in Lubbock, Texas to sing the lead vocal on a demo recording of the song, rather than using the Chicks' then-actual lead vocalist Laura Lynch to sing the part. At the time, the sisters told the other supporting musicians that this was only because Lynch was unavailable due to being out of town on a personal matter. [2] In reality, the recording both convinced Natalie Maines that she would be comfortable singing a more pop and country rock-oriented format of country material (as opposed to their past purer bluegrass focus) [4] and simultaneously confirmed both sisters' suspicions that Maines' powerful versatile voice could complement their instrumental prowess, leading them to replace Lynch with Maines.

When recording for the first-Maines-era album Wide Open Spaces began, "You Were Mine" was the only song the band was certain would be included. [4] The recording has a solid country music sound. From the start, until the last strains of the song, Maguire's violin draws out a hushed, somewhat sorrowful tune. A dose of Lloyd Maines' steel guitar in the background – which also helped establish the record's traditional country categorization [4] – and the mixture of Maines' vocals with the sisters' harmony set a tone of loss and regret.

"You Were Mine" was performed during the group's 2000 Fly Tour, where Rolling Stone called Maines' "powerhouse, nail-it-to-the-wall perfect delivery of [the] achingly beautiful weeper" one of the highlights of the show, [5] but was not performed again until the Long Time Gone Tour in 2013.

Music video

The music video for "You Were Mine", directed by Adolfo Doring, shows the Dixie Chicks checking into the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York. The sisters go up to their rooms looking tired and forlorn, but Maines circles around the revolving door and walks the neighboring Gramercy streets, singing the song. Occasional views of happier couples and families in the hotel are shown. At the end, Maguire is seen playing the song's final phrase on violin.

Chart positions

"You Were Mine" debuted at number 69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of December 12, 1998.

Chart (1998-1999)Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [6] 1
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 34
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)Position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [9] 15
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [10] 11

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martie Maguire</span> American musician (born 1969)

Martha Elenor Maguire is an American musician who is a founding member of the country band the Chicks and the country bluegrass duo Court Yard Hounds. She won awards in national fiddle championships while still a teenager. Maguire is accomplished on several other instruments, including the mandolin, viola, double bass and guitar. She has written and co-written a number of the band's songs, some of which have become chart-topping hits. She also contributes her skills in vocal harmony and backing vocals, as well as orchestrating string arrangements for the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Strayer</span> American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist

Emily Burns Strayer is an American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and a founding member of the country band the Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks. Strayer plays banjo, dobro, guitar, lap steel, bass, mandolin, accordion, fiddle, piano, and sitar. Initially in her career with the Chicks, she limited her singing to harmony with backing vocals, but within her role in the Court Yard Hounds, she took on the role of lead vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Maines</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1974)

Natalie Louise Maines is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist for the country band the Chicks.

<i>Wide Open Spaces</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Dixie Chicks

Wide Open Spaces is the fourth studio album and the major label debut of American country music band Dixie Chicks. It was their first record with new lead vocalist Natalie Maines, and became their breakthrough commercial success. It received diamond status by the RIAA on February 20, 2003, in the United States, having shipped 13 million units worldwide, while spending more than six years in the Australian ARIA music charts Country Top 20.

<i>Fly</i> (Dixie Chicks album) 1999 studio album by Dixie Chicks

Fly is the fifth studio album by American country music band the Dixie Chicks, released on August 31, 1999 through Monument Records. Compared to their previous album and breakthrough Wide Open Spaces (1998), the group had a stronger hand in writing, co-writing five of the fourteen tracks. The album was produced by Blake Chancey and Paul Worley, both of whom had already produced Wide Open Spaces.

<i>Thank Heavens for Dale Evans</i> 1990 studio album by Dixie Chicks

Thank Heavens for Dale Evans is the debut studio album by American country music band the Dixie Chicks. The group's original membership of Robin Lynn Macy, Laura Lynch, Martie Erwin, and Emily Erwin, would survive intact for only this album and the following Little Ol' Cowgirl, from 1989 to 1992, before first Macy, and then Lynch departed and the current vocalist, Natalie Maines assumed the vocalist position in 1995, creating the trio that became the highly successful band which found great fame in 1998 and remain popular with a large following to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)</span> 2002 country song by Toby Keith

"Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue " is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. The song was written in late 2001, and was inspired by Keith's father's death in March 2001, as well as the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States later that year. It was released in May 2002 as the lead single from the album, Unleashed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chicks discography</span> Discography

The Chicks are an American country music band composed of Natalie Maines, along with Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire, who are sisters. Their discography comprises eight studio albums, two live albums and 28 singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodbye Earl</span> 2000 single by Dixie Chicks

"Goodbye Earl", written by Dennis Linde, is a country murder ballad. Initially recorded by the band Sons of the Desert for an unreleased album in the late 1990s, the song gained fame when it was recorded by Dixie Chicks on their fifth studio album, Fly. After charting from unsolicited airplay in late 1999, the song was released as that album's third single in 2000, peaking at #13 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. The CD single includes a 'B-Side' cover of "Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynette. In 2021, it was listed at No. 469 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not Ready to Make Nice</span> 2006 single by The Dixie Chicks

"Not Ready to Make Nice" is a song co-written and performed by American country music trio Dixie Chicks. It was released on March 20, 2006 as the first single from the band's seventh studio album, Taking the Long Way. The Dixie Chicks wrote the song in response to the backlash they experienced in 2003 after criticizing President George W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chicks</span> American country band

The Chicks are an American country band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer. Maguire and Strayer, both née Erwin, founded the band in 1989, with bassist Laura Lynch and vocalist and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy. They performed bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years without attracting a major label. In 1992, Lynch replaced Macy as the lead vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowboy Take Me Away</span> 1999 single by The Chicks

"Cowboy Take Me Away" is a song by American country music group Dixie Chicks, written by Martie Maguire and Marcus Hummon. It was released in November 1999 as the second single from their album Fly. The song's title is derived from a famous slogan used in commercials for Calgon bath and beauty products. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart in February 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There's Your Trouble</span> 1998 single by Dixie Chicks

"There's Your Trouble" is a song written by Mark Selby and Tia Sillers and recorded by American country music band Dixie Chicks. It was released in March 1998 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Wide Open Spaces (1998), and peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The following year, the song was released in the United Kingdom and became the band's highest-charting single there when it peaked at No. 26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide Open Spaces (song)</span> 1998 single by Dixie Chicks

"Wide Open Spaces" is a song written by Susan Gibson and recorded by the American country music group Dixie Chicks. It was released in August 1998 as the third single and title track from the band's album Wide Open Spaces. The song hit number one on the U.S. Country singles chart and spent four weeks there in November 1998. It also placed to number 41 on the U.S. Pop singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can Love You Better</span> 1997 single by Dixie Chicks

"I Can Love You Better" is a song written by Pamela Brown Hayes and Kostas and recorded by American country music group the Dixie Chicks. It was the first single released by the group to feature Natalie Maines following their former lead vocalist Laura Lynch's departure from the group in 1995. The song premiered to country radio on October 27, 1997, as the group's debut single from their fourth studio album and major label debut Wide Open Spaces (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ready to Run (song)</span> 1999 single by Dixie Chicks

"Ready to Run" is a song by American country music group Dixie Chicks. It was co-written by the group's fiddler, Martie Seidel along with Marcus Hummon. It was released in June 1999 as the lead-off single from the band's fifth studio album, Fly (1999), and became their sixth entry on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, reaching number two. This song was included on the film soundtrack for Runaway Bride, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Court Yard Hounds</span> American country and folk music duo

Court Yard Hounds were an American country music and folk duo, founded by sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison. They, along with Natalie Maines, make up The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks. The sisters decided to record a side project under a different name. Court Yard Hounds, featuring Robison for the first time as lead vocalist, released a debut album for Columbia Records, the same label for which the Dixie Chicks has recorded, on May 4, 2010. The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, initially selling 61,000 copies. It has sold approximately 825,000 copies in the United States.

<i>Court Yard Hounds</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Court Yard Hounds

Court Yard Hounds is the debut studio album by American country duo the Court Yard Hounds, founded as a side project of the Dixie Chicks by sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire. The album was released on May 4, 2010, via Columbia Records. It was mainly recorded in Maguire's home studio in Austin, and co-produced with Jim Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sin Wagon</span> 1999 song by Dixie Chicks

"Sin Wagon" is a song written by Natalie Maines, Emily Erwin, and Stephony Smith and recorded by The Chicks for their 1999 album Fly. Though never released as a single, it charted as an album cut. It has been featured in five tours: Fly, Top of the World, Accidents & Accusations, Eagles with Dixie Chicks and the DCX MMXVI World Tour.

"Soon You'll Get Better" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). Swift and Jack Antonoff wrote and produced the song, which features background vocals and instruments from the American band the Dixie Chicks. "Soon You'll Get Better" is a country ballad featuring slide guitar, banjo, and fiddle alongside vocal harmonies. The lyrics were inspired by Swift's parents' cancer diagnoses.

References

  1. "Dixie Chicks Complete Discography: Wide Open Spaces". The All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Page. 2000-04-12. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  2. 1 2 Dickerson, James L. (2000) Dixie Chicks: Down-Home and Backstage. Taylor Trade Publishing, Dallas, Texas. ISBN   0-87833-189-1. p. 81.
  3. Willman, Chris (September 23, 1999). "Girls' Power: The triple CMA winners tell EW Online about mattress dancing and other fun facts of life". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  4. 1 2 3 Dickerson, Down-Home and Backstage, p. 98.
  5. Skanse, Richard (2000-07-21). "The Dixie Chicks Take Manhattan". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  6. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7361." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. March 22, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  7. "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  9. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1999". RPM . December 13, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  10. "Best of 1999: Country Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. 1999. Retrieved August 25, 2012.