and the song of the year at this year's grammy awards went to the dixie chicks' "not ready to make nice". and rightly deserved, too. listen to the lyrics, set against a country-pop melody carefully and it is evident that "not ready to make nice" is more than just a song, it's a strong statement about sticking to your guns, standing by your principles and not blindly toeing the line and buckling against pressure from everybody else.

the song itself was a stand-up to the huge backlash they received from (ex) fans and the media as well as many of their fellow americans in general when singer natalie maines, in a 2003 concert in london, expressed shame that "the president of the united states is from texas" just ten days before the american invasion of iraq. it was a statement that decried the decision to invade, as well as one that mirrored the sentiments of many around the world, americans themselves included. and it was also an act that resulted in half of their concert tour dates in america being canceled, as well as a huge decline in album sales and radio airplay, and we're talking about a group whose previous two albums debuted at number one on many charts. the country music scene was, and still is, a conservative one, and this contributed in the huge boycotts and death threats that the chicks received following that statement.

the chicks may have garnered a large number of haters, but the grammy, the result of votes from a great many esteemed individuals in the recording industry, showed that they there are still many who support and respect them for standing up and speaking out against what they think is wrong, the fact that the person in question is the president of what is arguably the world's premier superpower notwithstanding. and that is further substantiated by the fact that their stand took the form of a totally rockin' song.

freedom of expression. that's what america is most widely said to have been built on. and these ladies have shown just that - they are americans, and they express what they feel without fear, because they know that they believe in what they believe with very good reason. it's a refreshing change from the many people who choose to allow societal pressure to impose conformity among them and to give in to the need for human validation by being sycophantic. it's not a secret, too. most, if not all of us have been there and done that at one time or another, in one way or another. and in doing so, in a way, we allow ourselves to be controlled, albeit to a certain degree, by others, society, politicians or whatever. and that is, in a way, having some part of the only thing nobody is supposed to be able to touch in a person, that is his or her beliefs, taken away.

the chicks were told to "shut up and sing". they did just that, and they showed us all just exactly how to do it -- in style.

you go, girls.