Wide Open Spaces (song)
"Wide Open Spaces" is a song written by Susan Gibson and recorded by the American country music group Dixie Chicks. It was released in August 1998 as the third single and title track from the band's album Wide Open Spaces.[1] The song hit number one on the U.S. Country singles chart and spent four weeks there in November 1998.[1][2] It also placed to number 41 on the U.S. Pop singles chart.
Not to be confused with Wide Open Space."Wide Open Spaces"
August 17, 1998
1997
3:44
In 2001, the RIAA placed "Wide Open Spaces" at number 259 on its 365 Songs of the Century list. In 2003, CMT named it number 22 in its 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music list.
Music video[edit]
The music video for "Wide Open Spaces" portrayed the Chicks in a Rocky Mountains setting, cavorting through wide open fields of wildflowers and the like. Interspersed were scenes of the then-all blonde Chicks on tour: in performance, backstage, and on their tour bus (the last showing the slogan "Ain't Skeerd" on the outside). The performance was filmed at West Fest, an annual event in Winter Park, Colorado[12] where the Chicks appeared four years running.[5] The mountain scenes were done around Winter Park as well, and included background shots of some of the Chicks exercising their trampoline talents. It was directed by Thom Oliphant, who previously directed "There's Your Trouble," and would later co-direct "Without You."[12]
This effort was directed by Thom Oliphant,[12] and was named the Country Music Association Awards Music Video of the Year in 1999. It was placed at #32 on CMT's 2004 ranking of the 100 Greatest Videos.[13]
Legacy[edit]
The commercial success of the single and album gave songwriter Gibson something of a windfall, which she celebrated by going to San Marcos, Texas and buying gifts for everyone she knew.[6] She would later say the song was both innocent and personal for her, in the latter detailed so much that she was surprised another artist would relate to it.[22] She would say of the song's recording by the Chicks that it was "beautiful [with] stunning musicianship and very professional production ... [a] gorgeous recording."[4] And of the song's popularity, Gibson would say, "So much of the success of that song belongs to [the Chicks] ... but pairing that song with that group is what made 'Wide Open Spaces' what it is. It really was just a magical combination of right place, right time, right group. I'm glad it happened to me."[22]
"Wide Open Spaces" has been a constant on the Chicks' concert tours, and indeed was the only song from Wide Open Spaces still in the set list as of the 2006 Accidents & Accusations Tour. The New York Times said that in one such 2006 performance, in light of the still-ongoing Chicks political controversy, "songs like 'Wide Open Spaces' ..., about women leaving home and striking out on their own, sounded more than ever like mission statements."[23] It remained on the playlist during the DCX MMXVI World Tour. Gibson also continues to perform it at her live performance outings.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution edition CMT presents Karaoke Revolution Country. An introspective interpretation by the artist Soccer Mommy has gained some media attention.[24] That singer said in 2018, "I'm a huge Dixie Chicks fan. I think 'Wide Open Spaces' is one of those perfect '90s alt-country songs. Plus it's relatable to any girl who's moved away from home and had to start a new life somewhere."[25]
The song was used in the fifth episode of the second series of the British sitcom Gavin and Stacey in a scene where Bryn West, played by Rob Brydon gives his sister-in-law Gwen West, played by Melanie Walters a surprise barn dance birthday party