“Not Ready To Make Nice” by The Chicks

"Not Ready to Make Nice" was the opening single from Taking the Long Way, the Dixie Chicks' seventh album, released in 2006, and it's their answer to the backlash that hit them in 2003 after they criticized President George W. Bush. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison wrote it with Dan Wilson, and it does not back down an inch.

Rick Rubin produced, and the arrangement swells well past country: a string section with Maguire among the players, flute from Steve Kujala, French horns from Joe Meyer and Brad Warnaar. It reached number four on the Hot 100, became their only double-platinum song and their biggest hit in Canada, and in February 2007 won three Grammys, Record of the Year and Song of the Year among them, with the country award for best duo or group performance on top. Rolling Stone later put it at 77 among the decade's best songs.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.