My Current top twenty: 5/5 1. Townes Van Zandt - Pancho & Lefty 2. The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun 3. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill 4. Guns 'N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle 5. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time 4/5 6. Carly Simon - You're So Vain 3/5 7. Robert Johnson - Crossroads Blues 8. Santana - Oye Como Va 9. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia 10. Lil Nas X - Old Town Road 2.5/5 11. The Go-Gos -Our Lips Are Sealed 12. Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 13. Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man 14. The Breeders Cannon Ball 2/5 15 Weezer - Buddy Holly 16. The Weeknd - House Of Balloons 17. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance 18. Kanye West - Stronger 19. Lizzo Truth Hurts 20. The Pixies - Where In My Mind
Midnight Train to Georgia One of the best soul songs ever, with a killer vocal. Now finally RS's list is starting to make some sense. 5/5 Didn't think this would happen so fast, but move over Animals. So What - Miles Davis Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & The Pips The House of the Rising Sun - The Animals You're So Vain - Carly Simon Without You - Nilsson Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel Oye Como Va - Santana I Can't Help Myself - Four Tops Baby Love - Supremes Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia Great performance, great lyrics. Gladys Knight's defining moment in her long career. 4,5 / 5 01. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up 02. The Breeders - Cannonball 03. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia 04. Carly Simon - You're So Vain 05. Azealia Banks - 212 06. Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle 07. The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun 08. The Weeknd - House Of Balloons 09. Miles Davis - So What 10. Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself 11. Weezer - Buddy Holly 12. Kanye West - Power 13. Nilsson - Without You 14. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance 15. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill 16. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time 17. Santana - Oye Como Va 18. The Supremes - Baby Love 19. Pixies - Where's My Mind 20. Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation
470. Gladys Knight & The Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” What is it about American place names in songs that sound so evocative even though I've never been anywhere near them? And can you really catch a train at midnight? Wonderful song but a bit too smooth for me. Still, better than Cannonball though, so I'll move that out of my top ten for Gladys. 1. [reserved for Talk Talk. They'll be in there, right? Right!?] 2. Move On Up 3. House of the Rising Sun - The Animals 4. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga 5. So What - Miles Davis 6. You're So Vain - Carly Simon 7. Baby Love - Supremes 8. Oye Como Va - Santana 9. Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel 10. Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia This is a song that would likely make my Top 500. In fact, I have been working on such a list for a while, and I checked this morning to make sure it was among what was being considered - it was. I have heard Jim Weatherly's original, and it's a nice Country song (with a great lyrical concept), but in the hands of Gladys Knight & The Pips it becomes a real force of art. Fantastic arrangement and vocals. And can you seriously tell me that you don't react to the Pips' blowing of the train whistle? I know I sure do. This was a battle, but it lands at #2 because Curtis Mayfield stands tough at the top spot. On a different day, Midnight Train to Georgia could surpass it. Updated list 1. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up 2. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia 3. Go-Gos - Our Lips Are Sealed 4. Santana - Oye Cómo Va 5. Carly Simon - You're So Vain 6. The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun 7. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance 8. Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle 9. The Four Tops – I Can’t Help Myself 10. Pixies - Where is My Mind? 11. Tammy Wynette - Stand by Your Man 12. Robert Johnson - Cross Roads Blues 13. Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down 14. Weezer - Buddy Holly 15. Miles Davis - So What 16. Kanye West - Stronger 17. Townes Van Zandt - Pancho and Lefty 18. Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 19. Juvenile - Back That Azz Up 20. The Breeders - Cannonball 21. Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill 22. Nilsson - Without You 23. Azealia Banks -212 24. Solange: Cranes In The Sky 25. Lil Nas X - Old Town Road 26. Biz Markie - Just a Friend 27. Lil Wayne - A Milli 28. The Weeknd – House of Balloons 29. Lizzo - Truth Hurts 30. Supremes - Baby Love 31. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
I'll update when a new entry makes my top 10: 1. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill 2. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia 3. You're So Vain - Carly Simon 4. Where Is My Mind? - Pixies 5. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper 6. Baby Love - Supremes 7. I Can’t Help Myself – Four Tops 8. Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man 9. The Animals - House of the Rising Sun 10. Without You - Nilsson
When it was on the charts in the UK (in 1976), they did a somewhat "uptempo" version on TOTP. Knight really looks radiant in this clip (she was pregnant at the time).
Midnight Train To Georgia (Gladys Knight & Pips) A good solid song. Borderline top 500 for me. It certainly belongs in the discussion. (3.5/5) Rating the songs so far: 1. House Of The Rising Sun-The Animals 2. You're So Vain - Carly Simon 3. Buddy Holly-Weezer 4. Cannonball-Breeders 5. I Can't Help Myself-Four Tops 6. Move On Up-Curtis Mayfield 7. Oy Como Va-Santana 8. Baby Love - Supremes 9. Without You - Nilsson 10. Our Lips Are Sealed-Go Go's 11. Midnight Train To Georgia-Gladys Knight & Pips 12. Sunday Morning Coming Down-Kris Krisofferson 13. Cross Road Blues-Robert Johnson 14. Solsbury Hill-Peter Gabriel 15. Pancho And Lefty-Townes Van Zandt 16. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper 17. So What-Miles Davis 18. Stand By Your Man-Tammy Wynette 19. Just A Friend-Biz Markie 20. Bad Romance-Lady Gaga 21. Rhythm Nation-Janet Jackson 22. 212-Azelia Banks 23. Cranes In The Sky -Solange 24.Where Is My Mind?-Pixies 25. Welcome To The Jungle-Guns N' Roses 26. Old Town Road-Lil Naz 27. Truth Hurts-Lizzo 28. House Of Balloons-The Weeknd 29. Stronger-Kayne West 30. Back That Azz Up-Juvenile 31. A Milli-Lil Wayne Once I get to a top 40 I'm not going to drop the bottom songs if a new song places higher. RS still hasn't included a top 500 songs from the 2000's in my opinion. Only #1-#4 are definite top 500 with 5-14 contenders were I making my own list. #22-#31 would not even be considered for my top 50,000 songs! The countdown is getting better. At one point over half the songs were ones I disliked. Now it is down to just 1/3 of the songs being stinkers. I hope that percentage continues to dwindle as the countdown moves on!
There's not much I can add to the plaudits already given to Midnight Train to Georgia. I said about yesterday's selection that I knew it was a good song but I was less than lukewarm about it; in today's case, I think it's an even better song and I like it quite a bit more too (rating probably about 7.8, although I'm not actually listening to it at the moment in order to decide exactly). There's probably quite a few soul / R & B songs whose quality I rank higher than my personal affection for. I think this band's version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine is the definitive one too ... Notice how the state of Georgia seems to draw so many great songs. Apart from this one there's Rainy Night in Georgia by Brook Benton (which will be on the list if the voters know what they're doing) and Don't It Make You Want to Go Home by the aforementioned Joe South (which should be IMHO). I know there are more popular ones but these are my favourites.
#469. The Chicks, “Goodbye Earl” (2000) Written by Dennis Linde Wikipedia says: “Goodbye Earl", written by Dennis Linde, is a country music song. 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 (now Hot Country Songs) charts. The CD single includes a 'B-Side' cover of "Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynette. Using black comedy, the song tells the story of two best friends from high school, and what became of them after graduation. Mary Ann leaves the town where they were raised (probably to pursue her fortune), while Wanda settles on marrying a man named "Earl," who physically abuses her repeatedly. Wanda files for divorce based on the domestic violence, but "Earl walked right through that restraining order and put her in intensive care." Mary Ann flies in from Atlanta, Georgia, and after a discussion, the women decide "that Earl had to die," and they kill him, by poisoning or drugging his black-eyed peas(most likely cyanide, as it is known to kill quickly when consumed). The song plot has been described as a cross between the films Fried Green Tomatoesand Thelma and Louise. "Goodbye Earl" reached a peak position of number 13 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, a spot somewhat short of the Chicks' usual placings at the time. It also made the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 19, and would become the trio's highest charting song among pop listings until "Long Time Gone" in the summer of 2002. Regardless of rankings, the song has become one of the Chicks' most well-known tunes. It is an enthusiastically received staple of all their concert tours.
The Chicks are my favorite band, so I’m happy to see them on this list. I am surprised they didn’t go with “Not Ready to Make Nice,” which would be the most familiar hit to non-country fans. On my personal list, you’d find “Long Time Gone” or “Top of the World.” Their Home album is my favorite album of all time by any artist, and those two songs open and close it. Here’s a live clip of “Travelin’ Soldier,” another classic from that album, for anyone who has never seen their instrumental chops live:
RS #469 Dixie Chicks (aka “The Chicks”) – “Goodbye Earl” [from Fly] Where’s my “I’m still calling ‘em ‘Dixie Chicks’ shirt?” The Dixie Chicks’ Fly is a great album—and heck, the majority of it had some success as a single, but it can have a tendency to come across like a showcase intended to demonstrate that the Dixie Chicks can more than competently tackle every major niche of late 1990s country music. “Goodbye Earl” is maybe the best example of a novelty track on the album, but it’s much more than that. It’s also a story song—the novelty arises as a punchline in the story. And musically, it’s one of the quirkier blends of a few different things, with a relatively dense/busy arrangement—which you might know is the sort of thing I like a lot. There are traditional country aspects, complete with bluegrassy banjo and an exaggerated southern accent at times. It’s also quite rocky in a “heartland” style at the start, but then it goes into a pre-British Revolution rock-style “gallop” rhythm for the chorus, which also features blue-eyed soul/gospel style back-up vocals. Neither the tune nor the album would be on a top 500 list for me, but I still like both a lot, and I like the Dixie Chicks quite a bit overall. They’re currently a 4th tier, top 501-1000 artist for me. My top 10 tracks so far, plus 5 lower to show the placement of the current selection: 1. “Solsbury Hill” – Peter Gabriel 2. “Move On Up” – Curtis Mayfield 3. “Midnight Train to Georgia” – Gladys Knight & the Pips 4. "Time After Time" - Cyndi Lauper 5. “Rhythm Nation” – Janet Jackson 6. "Without You" – Nilsson 7. "You're So Vain" - Carly Simon 8. “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” – Four Tops 9. “House of the Rising Sun” – The Animals 10. “Oye Como Va” – Santana . . . 16. “Cannonball” – The Breeders 17. “Just Friends” – Biz Markie 18. “Goodbye Earl” – The Dixie Chicks 19. “Buddy Holly” – Weezer 20. “Our Lips Are Sealed” – The Go-Go’s
My general rule is people, including artists, should be called by the name that they want to be called by. Especially given that they changed the name out of sensitivity to their very diverse fan base, it feels wrong to me to keep using the Dixie in their name. So for me, they’re the Chicks, even if I’m still impatiently waiting revised album artwork for their pre -Gaslighter studio albums!
We need to avoid the political stuff (I don't at all agree with the mainstream views there, which doesn't mean that I have mainstream views "on the other side"--I think all of the standard sides are f*#@ed; I have relatively unusual/idiosyncratic views), and people getting uptight about being addressed certain ways is ridiculous in my view--and I say that as someone with a military background even . . . it's just that in the military, it's important that there's some adherence to regimentation to help ensure that people don't wind up dead or seriously injured. That's the whole point of that. I'm fine with whatever people want to call me--even if it's schmuck or whatever . . . I just need to be able to figure out that they're calling me if they want me to respond. Whether someone respects you or not really has nothing to do with what they're calling you. They can call you what you like/what's socially acceptable/what etiquette dictates, etc. and easily have zero respect for you. Or they can call you a-hole, MFer, etc. and have a lot of respect for you. The exact sound coming out of their mouth doesn't determine respect. Their thoughts about you or attitudes/disposition towards you does.
"Goodbye Earl" This era of the group's music will always be Dixie Chicks to me, just as the Rascals' 1966-68 singles will always be The Young Rascals and Paul McCartney's 1973 and 1975-79 output is Wings. Not until 2016 did I finally file my 45s credited only to Wings under Paul McCartney.... Even the Chicks' 2020 album Gaslighter was released on both CD and record with the old name before they chopped off the Dixie. From the mid-1970s (I'm not sure what year) until October 20, 2012, the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart was entirely based on airplay. Except for pop crossovers, Billboard determined that country 45 sales were basically negligible except to the jukebox trade, and thus sales were no longer counted. This made it one of the easiest charts to convert to the Broadcast Data Systems method of measuring airplay when the magazine started using that in 1990, because it had no sales component. In the 1980s, there was almost literally a new #1 single every week for 10 years, but than changed almost immediately. (Today, with the post-2012 version of the chart, it's almost exactly the opposite of the eighties; the top four longest stays at #1 have been in the past decade or so, including one that spent an absurd 50 weeks at the top. It's no wonder that Record Research, Joel Whitburn's company, uses the Country Airplay chart as its primary chart in its Top Country Singles book since the 2012 change.) All this explains why "Goodbye Earl" peaked only at #13 on the Billboard chart despite its massive popularity. Some country stations refused to play it when it was finally released to radio as a single because of the controversy surrounding the song. Fully one-seventh of the stations on the Radio & Records reporting panel chose not to play it, which suppressed its chart performance. Dennis Linde, who wrote "Goodbye Earl," had a track record of songwriting hits going back 40 years. His other most famous song is certainly "Burning Love," Elvis Presley's last massive hit (#2 in 1972). --- I've loved the Dixie Chicks since their earliest mainstream success. Almost all their early hits are at least good, but the first one that really made me take notice was "Tonight the Heartache's on Me," which got to #6 on the country chart and #46 on the Hot 100. It was actually issued on 45, on the briefly reactivated Monument label, with their cover of Bonnie Raitt's "Give It Up or Let Me Go," an album cut not promoted to radio, on the other side. In this era, Monument/Sony was hit or miss with actual singles. But "Goodbye Earl" was released as both a 45 and CD single; the vinyl disc, with the 3:47 radio edit, has the full-length "Cowboy Take Me Away," their previous radio hit, on the other side. Later, after the Chicks were moved to Columbia, their album Home became their first to be released on vinyl, as a 2-LP set. (Their other major-label albums were belatedly issued on records in 2016.) Side 1 of the LP is one of the greatest sides of the first decade of the 2000s, with "Long Time Gone," "Landslide," and "Travelin' Soldier" in a row. "Soldier," a Bruce Robison cover, is my favorite Chicks song. Right before Christmas in 2002, I was making my then-usual trip from my home in central Wisconsin to visit my mom and (now late) sister in the suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul. I really wanted to listen to Christmas music as I headed west, but it was hard to find on the radio in the relative wasteland between Eau Claire and the state border. As I scanned the FM dial, I happened upon a country station, and I caught the beginning of what was then the Dixie Chicks' new radio single. I stopped trying to find holiday music and listened to all five-plus minutes of "Travelin' Soldier" trying, and probably failing, not to cry. It's hard to drive with tears in your eyes... After country radio effectively canceled the Chicks, the women gained a whole new audience, even without airplay. "Not Ready to Make Nice" peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 after it won the Grammy for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It actually did get some airplay, but nowhere near what the Chicks' earlier singles got. Over the years, the outright country-radio boycott of their music has softened, as you can sometimes hear their old hits on the air again. --- Sometimes, the best way to make a point no one wants to hear is with dark humor. I recognized that immediately in "Goodbye Earl," especially with the na-na-na chorus and the emphatic way they sang "Earl had to die!" Yet it was also a scathing critique of the domestic violence legal system in the U.S., where, to unrepentant abusers, restraining orders aren't worth the paper they're printed on and the abused are still often treated as if they somehow deserved it... I'd always felt a bit weird liking the song, but not any more. It fits in with female revenge fantasies like the later "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood (another great record) or a couple of Pink hits like "So What" and "U + Ur Hand" (both also great records). And when you get two or three women singing it at karaoke, almost the whole place joins in -- even the men. I noted with "Midnight Train to Georgia" that four consecutive songs on the RS 500 had found a place on my ongoing compilation series A Few of My Favorite Things. I'm happy to say that you were wrong. This is five in a row. I first put it on my list of songs no later than 2004. Because of delays in the project and that I had to digitize my 45 to use it, I finally included it in 2020. It is on A Few of My Favorite Things, Volume 48 (track 22).
Being respectful of another person's wishes doesn't cost me anything, and I wouldn't like it if someone called me something other than my name. Sometimes things are just made overly complicated when it's as simple as following the golden rule. Anyway, I love the Chicks and highly recommend their latest album, Gaslighter, which is just barely a step below Home in quality. As far as I'm concerned, they're the best two country albums of the 21st century.
I don't get it. They dropped "Dixie" out of deference to their "diverse" fan base, but kept "Chicks," a word often considered disrespectful to women.
Their fans have called them the Chicks for many years, and no, it's not disrespectful to women. Also, not sure why diverse is in quotation marks? What is bringing out all the nastiness here? Is it so difficult to just respect the choice that someone has made? Do y'all do this to John Mellencamp, too?
Showing respect and having respect aren't always the same thing. I can curse someone out in my head for cutting me off in traffic, but still not give them the middle finger when I catch up with them down the road.
I do kind of cringe when I hear a guy calling a woman a "chick", it makes them seem like objects as opposed to human beings. But that being said, the Chicks probably felt they needed some continuity and this was the easiest choice. Very glad they dropped the other word though.
And that they got the permission of Australian-based sixties band The Chicks before they did so. It was a classy move. Getting back to "Goodbye Earl," I was not a huge fan of Wide Open Spaces, but hearing "Earl" and "Sin Wagon" encouraged me to buy Fly, which is a great album. It's one of the few albums in history to win the CMA and ACM Album of the Year award and the Grammy for Best Country Album. I like their post-Fly work more, but I feel they really came into their own on Fly. "Cowboy Take Me Away" is another gem.
I put diverse in quotes because I was referring to the previous post that said they made the name change because of their more diverse audience and that particular word was key to my question. Diversity with regard to geography but not with regard to sexism.... there was no nastiness intended. The Mellencamp question is completely off point because the Diversity issue is not at play. Even so, I was not disrespecting the choice.... not that I said I don't get it. That means the lack of understanding is mine, not an assault on the group. You really need to not be so thin skinned and stop making butter assumptions. And FYI, feminists have often objected to the term "chick" at least since the 90s. Look it up. It may not ne offensive in most circles, but then neither is "Dixie,"which id my point.
