| "Long Time Gone" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDixie Chicks | ||||
| from the albumHome | ||||
| Released | May 23, 2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:10 | |||
| Label | Columbia Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Darrell Scott | |||
| Producer(s) | Dixie Chicks Lloyd Maines | |||
| Dixie Chicks singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Long Time Gone" at CMT.com | ||||
"Long Time Gone" is a bluegrass song by American musicianDarrell Scott, originally recorded by him on his 2000 albumReal Time which Scott recorded together withTim O'Brien. The song was later covered by the American bandDixie Chicks, and served as the lead single and opening track to their 2002 albumHome.
The song chronicles a young person's journey away from his family farm toNashville to become a musician, and eventually back to his hometown, where he settles down to raise a family. The song's last verse criticizes contemporary country music as having no soul, referencing several famous country musicians:
Now they sound tired but they don't soundHaggard / They got money but they don't haveCash / They gotJunior but they don't haveHank...
Despite its upbeat bluegrass melody, the song's lyrics resolve to a verypessimistic outlook on the future of music.[1]
American country music bandthe Chicks, then known as Dixie Chicks, recorded the song for their 2002 albumHome. Released in May 2002 as the lead single, it reached a peak of number 2 on theBillboardHot Country Songs chart and number 7 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[2] Their version won aGrammy Award forBest Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.[3]
The Chicks' version, like the rest ofHome, features heavy influence ofbluegrass music, with fiddle and banjo, and no drums. The song's sound and message were described by journalist Bill Frisicks-Warren as atypical of country music at the time, although group memberMartie Maguire said she did not consider the song to be a "statement".[1] Prior to the song's release to radio, the band performed it on theVH1 showDivas Las Vegas on May 23, 2002 and released it to radio that same day.[4]
Chuck Taylor ofBillboard reviewed the single favorably, calling it "good old-fashioned country" while praising the use of fiddle and banjo in the production.[4] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe ranked it as the best song by the Chicks, writing that "It features the same empowered energy of their best hits...but with a sharper edge and a complete refusal to mince words as they slice and dice the contemporary country landscape that they still ruled at the time."[5]
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[6] | 7 |
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 2 |
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[8] | 97 |
| US Hot Country Singles & Tracks (Billboard)[9] | 35 |
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