Goodbye Earl
| "Goodbye Earl" | ||||||||
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| Single by Dixie Chicks | ||||||||
| from the album Fly | ||||||||
| Released | February 29, 2000 | |||||||
| Format | CD Single | |||||||
| Genre | Country | |||||||
| Length | 4:20 | |||||||
| Label | Monument | |||||||
| Writer(s) | Dennis Linde | |||||||
| Producer | Blake Chancey, Paul Worley | |||||||
| Dixie Chicks singles chronology | ||||||||
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"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 the Dixie Chicks on their second studio album featuring Natalie Maines as lead vocalist on Sony's Monument Records label; 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 an ironic 'B-Side' cover of Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette.
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[edit] Song information
The song uses black comedy to tell the story of two best friends from high school, and what became of them after graduation. Mary Ann leaves the town where they had grown up, while Wanda settles on marrying a man named "Earl", who batters her on a continuous basis. 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 some talking, the women decide "that Earl had to die", and they kill him, by poisoning his black-eyed peas. The song plot has been described as a cross between the films Fried Green Tomatoes and Thelma and Louise.[1]
[edit] Chart performance
"Goodbye Earl" reached a peak position of #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 #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.
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 5 |
[edit] Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Evan Bernard, who also played the role of Ezekiel Kincaid, Wanda's divorce lawyer. It starts off with some pictures of Wanda and Mary Ann in high school, and their parting. The next scene shows Wanda wearing a wedding dress in Earl's car after their marriage. As Wanda is increasingly abused by Earl, she dons dark glasses and long sleeve blouses to conceal her injuries. Finally, she hires an attorney for divorce, but Earl appears, abusing Wanda for the last time. Mary Ann hears of Wanda's admission to the Intensive Care Unit, and the two hatch the plan to kill Earl. They poison his black-eyed peas and Earl dies. A few days later, the police show up, seeking Earl but are unable to find him. After the seasons change, the two women are shown as business partners of a roadside stand, selling "Tennessee ham and strawberry jam". As they dispose of Earl's body, the whole town (including a decomposed Earl among them) celebrates his death by dancing in a style that is at times reminiscent of Michael Jackson's video for Thriller.[2]
The video's cast included:
- Dennis Franz as "Earl"
- Jane Krakowski as "Wanda"
- Lauren Holly as "Mary Ann"
- Adrian Pasdar as Police Officer
- Michael DeLuise as Police Officer
- Evan Bernard as "Ezekiel Kincaid"
The music video won both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association Video of the Year Awards in 2000. The "Goodbye Earl" video was placed #6 on CMT's 2004 ranking of the 100 Greatest Videos,[3] and #7 on their 2008 revision of the rankings.[4]
[edit] Other versions and parodies
The song was originally recorded by the country music band Sons of the Desert but not put onto an album, because of a dispute with the band's label. Sons of the Desert had initially planned to record it on their second album for Epic Records, but the Dixie Chicks had claimed the song as their own. The resulting dispute over the song led to Sons of the Desert's exiting Epic in 1998.[5]
Pop punk cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes also performed a cover of the song.
Country music parodist Cledus T. Judd recorded a parody, titled "Goodbye Squirrel", about two hunters and a squirrel.
[edit] References
- ^ Tucker, Ken (September 21, 1999). "No Shrinking Violence". But you gotta love their Thelma and Louise-style taste for revenge, says Ken Tucker. Entertainment Weekly. p. 1. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,82872,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
- ^ Hunter, Sandy (February 1, 2001). "Evan Bernard Testifies". 'Boards Magazine. p. 2. http://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20010201/dc-evan-bernard.html. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
- ^ "100 Greatest Music Videos". CMT. 2004. http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_series/78625/episode_countdown.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ Bierly, Mandi (April 7, 2008). "Johnny Cash's 'Hurt' still the greatest country video". EW.com. http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/04/johnny-cash-hur.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ "Sons of the Desert don't mind getting a little 'SOD'dy". FindArticles.com. 2000. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20001008/ai_n11755376. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
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