Fly (Dixie Chicks album)

Fly
Fly
	Standard edition cover; limited edition version featured a different background
Studio album by Dixie Chicks
Released	August 31, 1999
Recorded	March–June 1999
Genre	Country
Length	48:02
Label	Monument
Producer	Blake Chancey; Paul Worley;
Dixie Chicks chronology
Singles from Fly
	"Ready to Run"; Released: June 28, 1999; "Cowboy Take Me Away"; Released: November 8, 1999; "Goodbye Earl"; Released: February 28, 2000; "Cold Day in July"; Released: May 8, 2000; "Without You"; Released: August 9, 2000; "If I Fall You're Going Down with Me"; Released: February 12, 2001; "Heartbreak Town"; Released: June 25, 2001; "Some Days You Gotta Dance"; Released: September 24, 2001;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	A−^[3]
Houston Chronicle	^[4]
Los Angeles Times	^[5]
PopMatters	8/10^[6]
Q	^[7]
Rolling Stone	^[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[9]

Fly is the fifth studio album (second major label) by American country music band the Dixie Chicks, released on August 31, 1999 through Monument Records. Compared to their previous album and breakthrough Wide Open Spaces (1998), the group had a stronger hand in writing, co-writing five of the fourteen tracks. The album was produced by Blake Chancey and Paul Worley, both of whom had already produced Wide Open Spaces.

The album was widely praised, even more so than their prior album and has been regarded as one of the best country albums of the '90s decade. The album was a massive commercial success for the group, debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums with 341,000 copies sold first week, becoming the most successful country album of 2000 and making the group the first ever country group in history to debut at number one on the former chart. The album was also moderately successful internationally, debuting atop the Canadian country albums chart and peaking at number six on the Canadian Albums Chart, while also peaking within the top 40 in the album charts in Australia, Finland, and the United Kingdom.

Eight singles were released from Fly, including the Hot Country Songs number one hits "Cowboy Take Me Away" and "Without You", along with their then-highest charting entry on the Billboard Hot 100, "Goodbye Earl", which peaked at number 19. Other successful hits from the record include country top ten hits "Ready to Run" from the Runaway Bride soundtrack, "Cold Day in July", "If I Fall You're Going Down with Me", and "Some Days You Gotta Dance", with the latter having been originally recorded by The Ranch for their only studio album. Original member Keith Urban plays guitar on the Dixie Chicks's version.

The album earned four Grammy nominations in 2000: Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "Ready to Run", Best Country Album, Album of the Year, and Best Country Song also for "Ready to Run" and its two writers Marcus Hummon and member Martie Maguire (then Martie Seidel), with the group winning Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Album.

On June 25, 2002, the album was certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling ten million copies, making the Chicks the only country group to have two diamond albums after Wide Open Spaces.^[10] In 2020, the album was ranked at 224 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.^[11]

Commercial performance

Fly debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart the week of September 18, 1999, selling 341,000 copies in its debut week, giving the Dixie Chicks the second biggest opening week for any country act in the 90's only behind Garth Brooks and the third overall in any week behind Brooks and LeAnn Rimes.^[12] Fly would go on to spend 131 weeks on the former chart, being the group's second consecutive album to spend more than two years on the chart after Wide Open Spaces (1998) spend 134 weeks. Internationally, the album performed decently well. Fly debuted at number six on the Canadian Albums Chart and topped the RPM Canada Country Albums chart. The album was also successful in Australia, debuting the week of September 19, 1999 at its peak position of number 16 and spent eight weeks in total. The album performed poorly in the United Kingdom, where country music already isn't that popular. It debuted on September 11, 1999 at its peak position of number 38 and only spent five weeks on the chart in total. However, Fly performed much better in the UK's country albums chart, where it peaked at number two and would go on to spend 70 weeks in the top ten.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ready to Run"	Marcus Hummon Martie Maguire	3:52
2.	"If I Fall You're Going Down with Me"	Matraca Berg Annie Roboff	3:05
3.	"Cowboy Take Me Away"	Hummon Maguire	4:47
4.	"Cold Day in July"	Richard Leigh	5:12
5.	"Goodbye Earl"	Dennis Linde	4:19
6.	"Hello Mr. Heartache"	Mike Henderson John Hadley	3:49
7.	"Don't Waste Your Heart"	Emily Strayer Natalie Maines	2:49
8.	"Sin Wagon"	Maines Strayer Stephony Smith	3:37
9.	"Without You"	Maines Eric Silver	3:32
10.	"Some Days You Gotta Dance"	Troy Johnson Marshall Morgan	2:27
11.	"Hole in My Head"	Jim Lauderdale Buddy Miller	3:22
12.	"Heartbreak Town"	Darrell Scott	3:53
13.	"Ain't No Thang But a Chicken Wang"		0:01
14.	"Let Him Fly"	Patty Griffin	3:07
Total length:			48:02

Note Track 13 is unlisted on the back cover and disc, though it is listed as "Ain't No Thang But a Chicken Wang" in the booklet. On some pressings of the CD, "Heartbreak Town" lasts 3:47 on track 12 and fades into track 13, which plays the last six seconds of the song. On other pressings of the CD, track 12 lasts for the full 3:53 seconds, and track 13 contains no audio, only lasting for 0:01. Digital versions of the album remove the blank track completely, bumping "Let Him Fly" up to track 13.

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.^[13]

Dixie Chicks

Natalie Maines – lead vocals, background vocals, handclapping
Emily Robison – acoustic guitar, banjo, background vocals, dobro, handclapping, lap steel guitar
Martie Seidel – fiddle, viola, background vocals

String section on "Without You"

Strings conducted and arranged by Dennis Burnside.
Violins – Martie Seidel, Carl Gorodetsky, Pamela Sixfin, Lee Larrison, Connie Ellisor, Alan Umstead, David Davidson, Mary Katherine Van Osdale, David Angell, Janet Askey, Karen Winkelman, Cate Myer, Catherine Umstead
Violas – Kris Wilkinson, Jim Grosjean, Gary Van Osdale, Monisa Angell
Cellos – Bob Mason, John Catchings

Additional musicians

Pat Buchanan – electric guitar
Blake Chancey – handclapping
Steve Conn – accordion
Mike Henderson – electric guitar on "Hole in My Head"
Marcus Hummon – acoustic guitar on "Ready to Run"
Dennis Linde – acoustic guitar on "Goodbye Earl"
Lloyd Maines – steel guitar
George Marinelli – electric guitar on "Cold Day in July" & "Hello Mr. Heartache"
Bob Mason – cello
Terry McMillan – percussion
John Mock – concertina, bodhrán, tin whistle
Greg Morrow – drums
Steve Nathan – Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards
Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
Tom Roady – percussion
Charlie Robison – handclapping
Matt Rollings – Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards
Randy Scruggs – acoustic guitar
Adam Steinberg – acoustic guitar on "Let Him Fly" & "Without You"
Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar on "Sin Wagon"
Keith Urban – electric guitar on "Some Days You Gotta Dance"
Billy Joe Walker Jr. – acoustic guitar on "Ready to Run" & Without You"
Paul Worley – acoustic guitar, background vocals
"Iffy harmony" vocals on "Goodbye Earl" performed by the "Do-Wrongs": Blake Chancey, Paul Worley, Charlie Robison.

Production

Producers: Blake Chancey, Paul Worley
Engineers: Tony Castle, Mark Martin, Chris Rowe, Clarke Schleicher, Billy Sherrill
Assistant engineer: Tony Castle
Mixing: John Guess, Patrick Murphy
Mastering: Denny Purcell
Assistant mastering engineer: Jonathan Russell
Editing: Tony Castle
Art direction: Tracy Baskette-Fleaner, Bill Johnson
Design: Gina R. Binkley
Photography: Ed Rode, Albert Sanchez
Photo consultant: Dari Marder
Stylist: Renee Fowler
Hair stylists: Jennifer Davis, Alex Dizon, Daniel Erdman, Melanie Shelley, Michael Silva
Make-up: Debra Ferullo, Stacey Martin, Maital Sabbon
Cover lettering from Butterfly Alphabet by Kjell Bloch Sandved.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Canadian Country Albums (RPM)	1
Canadian Top Albums (RPM)	6
US Billboard 200^[14]	1
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[15]	1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Fly* by Dixie Chicks
Chart (1999)	Position
US Billboard 200^[16]	52
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[17]	5
Chart (2000)	Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[18]	24
US Billboard 200^[19]	11
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[20]	1
Chart (2001)	Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[21]	130
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[22]	8
US Billboard 200^[23]	42
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[24]	5
Chart (2002)	Position
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[25]	23
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[26]	39

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[27]	Platinum	70,000^{^}
Canada (Music Canada)^[28]	3× Platinum	300,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[29]	Gold	100,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[31]	11× Platinum	8,396,000^[30]
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year	Winner	Category
2000	Fly	Best Country Album
2000	"Ready to Run"	Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal

References

^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Fly – Dixie Chicks". AllMusic. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Dixie Chicks: Fly". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ Nash, Alanna (September 10, 1999). "Fly". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ Hildebrand, Lee (August 29, 1999). "Dixie Chicks Let Emotions 'Fly'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ Hilburn, Robert (August 29, 1999). "Stand-Up CD From Dixie Chicks; Travis Meeks Aims High". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ Zeltner, Mark (October 31, 1999). "Dixie Chicks: Fly". PopMatters. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ "Dixie Chicks: Fly". Q (158): 118. November 1999.
^ Sheffield, Rob (September 16, 1999). "Dixie Chicks: Fly". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ Harris, Keith (2004). "Dixie Chicks". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 245. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ RIAA Bestsellers Archived August 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
^ "Between the Bullets" (PDF). Billboard. September 18, 1999. p. 134.
^ Fly (CD booklet). Dixie Chicks. Monument Records. 1999. 69678.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Dixie Chicks, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Dixie Chicks, CLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2000". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
^ "Top 100 country albums of 2001 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "Top 100 country albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Dixie Chicks – Fly". Music Canada.
^ "British album certifications – Dixie Chicks – Fly". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
^ Paul Grein (October 30, 2013). "Katy Perry Knocks Miley Cyrus Down a Couple Pegs". Chart Watch. Yahoo.
^ "American album certifications – The Chicks – Fly". Recording Industry Association of America.

[1] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Fly – Dixie Chicks". AllMusic. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

[Christgau-2] Christgau, Robert (2000). "Dixie Chicks: Fly". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

[3] Nash, Alanna (September 10, 1999). "Fly". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

[4] Hildebrand, Lee (August 29, 1999). "Dixie Chicks Let Emotions 'Fly'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

[5] Hilburn, Robert (August 29, 1999). "Stand-Up CD From Dixie Chicks; Travis Meeks Aims High". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

[6] Zeltner, Mark (October 31, 1999). "Dixie Chicks: Fly". PopMatters. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

[7] "Dixie Chicks: Fly". Q (158): 118. November 1999.

[8] Sheffield, Rob (September 16, 1999). "Dixie Chicks: Fly". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

[9] Harris, Keith (2004). "Dixie Chicks". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 245. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[10] RIAA Bestsellers Archived August 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

[11] "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.

[12] "Between the Bullets" (PDF). Billboard. September 18, 1999. p. 134.

[liner-13] Fly (CD booklet). Dixie Chicks. Monument Records. 1999. 69678.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[14] "Dixie Chicks, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[15] "Dixie Chicks, CLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[16] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[17] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[18] "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2000". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.

[19] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[20] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[21] "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.

[22] "Top 100 country albums of 2001 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.

[23] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[24] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[25] "Top 100 country albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.

[26] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

[AustraliaDixie_ChicksFlyalbumCertRef-27] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.

[CanadaDixie_ChicksFlyalbumCertRef-28] "Canadian album certifications – Dixie Chicks – Fly". Music Canada.

[United_KingdomDixie_ChicksFlyalbumCertRef-29] "British album certifications – Dixie Chicks – Fly". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 20, 2022.

[chartwatch-30] Paul Grein (October 30, 2013). "Katy Perry Knocks Miley Cyrus Down a Couple Pegs". Chart Watch. Yahoo.

[United_StatesThe_ChicksFlyalbumCertRef-31] "American album certifications – The Chicks – Fly". Recording Industry Association of America.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[31]

[30]

v t e The Chicks
Natalie Maines Emily Strayer Martie Maguire Laura Lynch Robin Lynn Macy
Studio albums	Thank Heavens for Dale Evans Little Ol' Cowgirl Shouldn't a Told You That Wide Open Spaces Fly Home Taking the Long Way Gaslighter
Compilations	Playlist: The Very Best of Dixie Chicks The Essential Dixie Chicks
Singles	"I Can Love You Better" "There's Your Trouble" "Wide Open Spaces" "You Were Mine" "Tonight the Heartache's on Me" "Ready to Run" "Cowboy Take Me Away" "Goodbye Earl" "Cold Day in July" "Without You" "If I Fall You're Going Down with Me" "Heartbreak Town" "Some Days You Gotta Dance" "Long Time Gone" "Landslide" "Travelin' Soldier" "Top of the World" "I Hope" "Not Ready to Make Nice" "Everybody Knows" "The Long Way Around" "Daddy Lessons" "Gaslighter"
Live recordings	An Evening with the Dixie Chicks Top of the World Tour: Live (video)
Tours	Fly Tour Top of the World Tour Vote for Change Accidents & Accusations Tour Long Time Gone Tour DCX MMXVI World Tour The Chicks Tour
Related articles	Discography Awards and nominations Comments on George W. Bush Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing Court Yard Hounds "You Can't Hurry Love" "Sin Wagon" "Roly Poly" "Soon You'll Get Better"
Collaborators	Lloyd Maines David Grissom Dan Wilson
Category

v t e CMA Album of the Year
1967−1970	There Goes My Everything – Jack Greene (1967) Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison – Johnny Cash (1968) Johnny Cash At San Quentin – Johnny Cash (1969) Okie from Muskogee – Merle Haggard and the Strangers (1970)
1971−1980	I Won't Mention It Again – Ray Price (1971) Let Me Tell You About a Song – Merle Haggard and the Strangers (1972) Behind Closed Doors – Charlie Rich (1973) A Very Special Love Song – Charlie Rich (1974) A Legend in My Time – Ronnie Milsap (1975) Wanted! The Outlaws – Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser (1976) Ronnie Milsap Live – Ronnie Milsap (1977) It Was Almost Like a Song – Ronnie Milsap (1978) The Gambler – Kenny Rogers (1979) Coal Miner's Daughter – Various artists (1980)
1981−1990	I Believe in You – Don Williams (1981) Always on My Mind – Willie Nelson (1982) The Closer You Get – Alabama (1983) A Little Good News – Anne Murray (1984) Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind – George Strait (1985) Lost in the Fifties Tonight – Ronnie Milsap (1986) Always And Forever – Randy Travis (1987) Born to Boogie – Hank Williams Jr. (1988) Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1989) Pickin' on Nashville – The Kentucky Headhunters (1990)
1991−2000	No Fences – Garth Brooks (1991) Ropin' the Wind – Garth Brooks (1992) I Still Believe in You – Vince Gill (1993) Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles – Eagles (1994) When Fallen Angels Fly – Patty Loveless (1995) Blue Clear Sky – George Strait (1996) Carrying Your Love with Me – George Strait (1997) Everywhere – Tim McGraw (1998) A Place in the Sun – Tim McGraw (1999) Fly – The Dixie Chicks (2000)
2001−2010	O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Various artists (2001) Drive – Alan Jackson (2002) American IV: The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash (2003) When the Sun Goes Down – Kenny Chesney (2004) There's More Where That Came From – Lee Ann Womack (2005) Time Well Wasted – Brad Paisley (2006) It Just Comes Natural – George Strait (2007) Troubadour – George Strait (2008) Fearless – Taylor Swift (2009) Revolution – Miranda Lambert (2010)
2011−2020	My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean (2011) Chief – Eric Church (2012) Based on a True Story... – Blake Shelton (2013) Platinum – Miranda Lambert (2014) Traveller – Chris Stapleton (2015) Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church (2016) From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton (2017) Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves (2018) Girl – Maren Morris (2019) What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs (2020)
2021−2030	Starting Over – Chris Stapleton (2021) Growin' Up – Luke Combs (2022) Bell Bottom Country - Lainey Wilson (2023) Leather - Cody Johnson (2024)