"The Long Way Around" (a.k.a. "Taking the Long Way Around") is a song written by Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, Emily Robison, and Dan Wilson and recorded by the American all- female trio

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and ...

for their seventh studio album, ''

Taking the Long Way ''Taking the Long Way'' is the seventh studio album by American country music group Dixie Chicks. Released on May 23, 2006, through Columbia Nashville, it was also the group's last album released under the “Dixie Chicks” name. The album debut ...

'' (2006). The song was released as the fifth and final single from the album.

Song information

The song is the opening track of ''Taking the Long Way'' and provides the album its title, which derives from the chorus. The song, just like " Not Ready to Make Nice", also refers to the controversy

Natalie Maines Natalie Louise Maines (born October 14, 1974) is an American singer. She is the lead vocalist for the all-female country band The Chicks. In 1995, after leaving Berklee College of Music, Maines was recruited by the Dixie Chicks to replace their ...

caused when she said that the band is ashamed that the

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

is from their home-state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. The line "Well I fought with a stranger and I met myself" is a reference to the public feud Maines had with Bush. Many people think that the line speaks of Toby Keith, but the writing of that line was discussed in "Shut Up & Sing." Also the line, "It's been two long years now, since the top of the world came crashing down." refers to their public problems with the concert where their notorious statement was made during their "Top of the World Tour."

Comments about the song by band members

This is what band members Emily and Natalie commented about the writing process of the song: * Emily: "That's a journey song, about the different stages in our lives. A recap of where we've been, where we're going - and it was nice to remind ourselves of all that." *Natalie: "We've always written songs that are about other people. It's so much harder to put yourself out there and be honest with your emotions and your beliefs, but the songs are so much better and mean so much more when you can let yourself be vulnerable."

Critical response

The Long Way Around received unanimous critical acclaim. It was ranked as the 20th best song of 2006 by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine, which called it "a heart-tugging guitar anthem for small-town girls with big dreams -- and the best ersatz Springsteen song in a year that was packed with them.""The best songs of 2006 - Part II"
December 8, 2006, ''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long Way Around, The 2006 singles The Chicks songs Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Songs written by Martie Maguire Songs written by Emily Robison Songs written by Dan Wilson (musician) Songs written by Natalie Maines Columbia Nashville Records singles 2006 songs