Without You (Dixie Chicks song)
Encyclopedia
"Without You" is a song written by Eric Silver along with Natalie Maines
, lead singer of the American country
group the Dixie Chicks
, who recorded the song for their 1999 album Fly. It was released as the album's fifth single in August 2000 and in January 2001, hit number one on the U.S. country singles chart
. It also reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
and country songwriter Eric Silver, "Without You" is on the surface one of the Chicks' more conventional efforts, lacking the "attitude" factor that distinguished them at the time. A ballad that directly speaks of lost love
It was accompanied by acoustic guitar
and soft percussion
at the start, adding drum
s on the chorus, pedal steel guitar
into the bridge and a dramatic strings
part out of the bridge and into the last chorus, before finishing as it started. The tender melody is sung by Maines without excessive ornamentation, and the harmonies from Emily Robison and Martie Seidel are unobtrusive.
"Without You" was performed on the Chicks' 2000 Fly Tour
, but generally not on subsequent tours.
for "Without You" was one of the Chicks' more startling. Directed by Thom Oliphant and Maines' husband Adrian Pasdar
, almost every scene consisted of a nude person against a completely white background, be it the three Chicks (from the shoulders up), a muscular African-American male, a very pregnant woman, another woman, or a baby. Vulnerability was the general tone. In contrast to their more light-hearted early videos from the same album, such as for "Cowboy Take Me Away
", here they looked much more serious, with Maines having longer hair and Robison having made her move to dark hair.
The video ends on a very sad note, with a white-on-black inscription reading "Dedicated to the memory of Jackson Miles Ezell Oct. 7 – Oct. 11, 2000". The actress playing the pregnant woman in the video had given birth to a son shortly after it was made, but the boy only lived four days. The Chicks were extremely devastated and offered to re-film a new video, but the mother wanted this one released, and so the Chicks added the postscript in remembrance.
Natalie Maines
Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success as the lead vocalist for the female alternative country band, the Dixie Chicks...
, lead singer of the American country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
, who recorded the song for their 1999 album Fly. It was released as the album's fifth single in August 2000 and in January 2001, hit number one on the U.S. country singles chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
. It also reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
History
Written by lead singer Natalie MainesNatalie Maines
Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success as the lead vocalist for the female alternative country band, the Dixie Chicks...
and country songwriter Eric Silver, "Without You" is on the surface one of the Chicks' more conventional efforts, lacking the "attitude" factor that distinguished them at the time. A ballad that directly speaks of lost love
- I thought by now the time,
- Would take away these lonely tears.
- I hope you're doing fine all alone,
- But where do I go from here, 'cause —
- Without you, I'm not okay
- And without you, I've lost my way
- My heart's stuck in second place
- Ooo - ooo
- Without you ...
It was accompanied by acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and soft percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
at the start, adding drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on the chorus, pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
into the bridge and a dramatic strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
part out of the bridge and into the last chorus, before finishing as it started. The tender melody is sung by Maines without excessive ornamentation, and the harmonies from Emily Robison and Martie Seidel are unobtrusive.
"Without You" was performed on the Chicks' 2000 Fly Tour
Fly Tour
The Fly Tour was the Dixie Chicks' 2000 concert tour in over 80 cities in North America in support of their album Fly.-History:Announced in mid-April 2000, this was the Dixie Chicks' first headlining tour. Moreover, the group was jumping directly to playing mostly in arenas...
, but generally not on subsequent tours.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Without You" was one of the Chicks' more startling. Directed by Thom Oliphant and Maines' husband Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Kayvan Pasdar is an American actor, voice artist, and film director. He is known for playing Jim Profit on the TV series Profit, for his roles in Near Dark, Carlito's Way, Mysterious Ways and as Nathan Petrelli on Heroes. Additionally, he directed the feature film Cement...
, almost every scene consisted of a nude person against a completely white background, be it the three Chicks (from the shoulders up), a muscular African-American male, a very pregnant woman, another woman, or a baby. Vulnerability was the general tone. In contrast to their more light-hearted early videos from the same album, such as for "Cowboy Take Me Away
Cowboy Take Me Away
"Cowboy Take Me Away" is the title of a song recorded by American country group the Dixie Chicks. It was released in November 1999 as a single from their album, Fly. The song's title is derived from a famous slogan used in commercials for Calgon bath and beauty products. It reached Number One on...
", here they looked much more serious, with Maines having longer hair and Robison having made her move to dark hair.
The video ends on a very sad note, with a white-on-black inscription reading "Dedicated to the memory of Jackson Miles Ezell Oct. 7 – Oct. 11, 2000". The actress playing the pregnant woman in the video had given birth to a son shortly after it was made, but the boy only lived four days. The Chicks were extremely devastated and offered to re-film a new video, but the mother wanted this one released, and so the Chicks added the postscript in remembrance.
Chart performance
| Chart (2000-2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |