From American Songwriter · Alex Hopper · · 30s
Country Hits Without Nashville Rules
Three 2000s country songs broke Nashville's formula and still charted.
In brief
Three 2000s country songs broke Nashville's formula and still charted. The Chicks' 'Long Time Gone', Gretchen Wilson's 'Redneck Woman', and Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss' 'Whiskey Lullaby' became hits without following Nashville's 2000s country trends. Originally reported by American Songwriter.
Long Time Gone
The Chicks' song broke Nashville's 2000s country formula with raw, unfiltered lyrics.
“Now me, I went to Nashville / Tryin’ to beat the big deal / Playin’ down on Broadway / Gettin’ there the hard way / Living from a tip jar / Sleeping in my car / Hocking my guitar / Yeah, I’m gonna be a star”
Redneck Woman
Gretchen Wilson's track defied expectations with unflattering female country artist authenticity.
“’ Cause I’m a redneck woman, I ain’t no high class broad / I’m just a product of my raisin’, I say, ‘Hey, y’all’ and ‘Yee-haw’ / And I keep my Christmas lights on, on my front porch all year long / And I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song”
Whiskey Lullaby
Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss' ballad devastated listeners but became a 2000s country hit.
“He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger / And finally drank away her memory / Life is short, but this time, it was bigger / Than the strength he had to get up off his knees / We found him with his face down in the pillow / With a note that said ‘I’ll love her ’til I die’ / And when we buried him beneath the willow / The angels sang a whiskey lullaby”
At a glance
The Chicks' 'Long Time Gone', Gretchen Wilson's 'Redneck Woman', and Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss' 'Whiskey Lullaby' became hits without following Nashville's 2000s country trends.
