‘March March’ – The Chicks

Lynne writes:

I don’t think I can put into words just how much I love and adore The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks until a very recent name change in response to the Black Lives Matter movement). I have done ever since they first hit the country music big time in the late nineties (when I was just about to turn 20) with their album Wide Open Spaces. As someone who was raised on country music – my parents relationship is pretty much founded on a shared love of the genre – discovering The Chicks was like growing up and finding my own voice (and, funnily enough, that’s pretty much what the title track from Wide Open Spaces is about).

I could wax lyrical about how much I admire the band’s politics, courage, resilience and second-to-none fiddle playing, and I could pontificate endlessly about many of The Chicks’ songs. But the one I have chosen to write about today is the very recent release, ‘March March’. If you haven’t heard it yet then you’re in for a treat – especially if your first introduction to the song is through watching the equally powerful video that supports it. It’s a song all about the individual’s power to make a difference in a difficult world. Lead singer, Natalie Maines sings in the chorus:

March, march to my own drum

Hey, hey I’m an army of one

The Chicks know something about persevering with what you believe is right, even in the face of great adversity. In 2003, while introducing their song ‘Travelin’ Soldier’ at a concert in London, Natalie Maines said that the band did not support the upcoming invasion of Iraq and that they were “ashamed” that President George W. Bush came from Texas.

Many American country music fans were supporters of both Bush and the war and so there was a huge backlash against the band – including being blacklisted from many major radio stations and even death threats. The brilliant documentary ‘Shut Up and Sing’ follows the band over the three years following the statement made in London if you want to know more. And if you want to get a feel for their (what I believe is righteous) anger over the whole thing, then the song ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ will give you a very definite sense of that!

But, back to ‘March March’. Why, out of all the many brilliant lyrical offerings from The Chicks, did I choose to write about this one? This song is an anthem that celebrates, most of all, the power of youth. It lifts up young activists who are putting older generations to shame, particularly with demands for gun control and environmental action.

Standing with Emma and our sons and daughters

Watchin’ our youth have to solve our problems

I’ll follow them so who’s comin’ with me?

“Emma” in this verse is Emma Gonzales, survivor of a high school shooting and one of the young leaders in the protest movement against gun violence in the US. The video that I’ve already mentioned also features images of other young activists, such as Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai and nameless other young people protesting peacefully as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

I love my job. I have the amazing privilege of being part of the Methodist Children, Youth and Family Team and, in particular, developing work that helps to inspire and equip children and young people as agents of change. The belief that our young people can show us the way and help us to grow the Kingdom of God on Earth is what gets me out of bed in the morning. As a team we have spent a lot of time in the past few months reflecting on the story of Samuel and Eli (1 Samuel 3) and we really believe that God is working in and through the children and young people we seek to serve.

We want to encourage children and young people to share their prophetic voice with the wider Church but, just as with the message that Samuel was given for Eli, the things God has given our younger prophets to say may not be easy for the older generations to hear. Greta Thunberg has been mocked and dismissed by the adults she has tried to speak to. Malala Yousafzai was shot for her efforts in championing female education. As Paul says in Galatians 4:16, these young people run the risk of becoming the enemy by telling the truth, and yet they persevere – and that’s why young people give me hope. As the quote at the start of the video for March March says, “If you’re voice held no power, they wouldn’t try to silence you.”

Find out more about The Chicks at thechicks.com