"The Long Way Around" is a country–pop song written and recorded by the American all-female trio Dixie Chicks for their seventh studio album, Taking the Long Way (2006). The song was released as the third physical single from the album in late 2006.

Song information

The song is the opening track of Taking the Long Way and provides the album its title, which derives from the chorus. The song, just like "Not Ready to Make Nice", also refers to the controversy Natalie Maines caused when she said that the band is ashamed that the United States President George W. Bush is from their home-state of Texas. The line "Well I fought with a stranger and I met myself" is a reference to the public feud Maines had with Bush. Many people think that the line speaks of Toby Keith, but the writing of that line was discussed in "Shut Up & Sing." Also the line, "It's been two long years now, since the top of the world cam crashing down." refers to their public problems with the concert where their notorious statement was made.

Comments about the song by band members

This is what band members Emily and Natalie commented about the writing process of the song :

• Emily: "That's a journey song, about the different stages in our lives. A recap of where we've been, where we're going - and it was nice to remind ourselves of all that."
• Natalie: "We've always written songs that are about other people. It's so much harder to put yourself out there and be honest with your emotions and your beliefs, but the songs are so much better and mean so much more when you can let yourself be vulnerable."

Critical response

On December 8, "The Long Way Around" was elected the twentieth best song of 2006 by the Rolling Stone magazine. It was declared in the magazine that it is "a heart-tugging guitar anthem for small-town girls with big dreams -- and the best ersatz Springsteen song in a year that was packed with them."

Chart performance

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Canadian Country Songs	4

Appearances in the media

• The band performed the song live in the June 16, 2006 episode of Later with Jools Holland.
• On May 3, 2007, a clip from the song was used as part of a clue on the ABC game show Jeopardy!.

References