While the release of the Dixie Chicks’ new album Gaslighter has been left in limbo due to the coronavirus pandemic, the trio is treating us to another song from the upcoming collection that could not be more applicable. In “Julianna Calm Down” the lyrics speak to the power of perseverance and overcoming a storm, specifically name-checking important women in the lives of the bandmates.
Taken literally, the song speaks directly to a number of women (Julianna, Harper, Violet, Katie, Eva and more) on the precipice of heartbreak.
“Julianna, calm down / You know he's about to leave, but don't panic,” they read. “Don't give him the satisfaction that you can't handle it/Breathe, it'll be okay.”
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But taken more broadly, the lyrics have a comforting and hopeful message worth singing, especially during quarantine.
“I guess this is the time to remind you / Sometimes, what's going through your head / Is just a temporary situation / And light will soon be shed, oh,” the bridge goes.
Each verse addresses multiple women, most of whom are friends and relatives of the band. Eva, Katie, and Harper are daughters of Marie Maguire, and Juliana and Violet belong to sister Emily Robinson. Juno, Yaya, Berta, Hesper, Amelia, and Naomi are likely similarly connected to the singers, but that’s unconfirmed.
“So just put on, put on, put on your best shoes / And strut the fuck around like you've got nothin' to lose,” the chorus goes. “Show off, show off, show off your best moves / And do it with a smile so that no one knows it's / Put on, put on, put on.”
While Juliannas, Harpers, and Evas everywhere now have a personalized anthem, even if you aren’t named in the song, the Dixie Chicks are absolutely singing to you, and everyone who is Going Through It right now.
This single follows the release of “Gaslighter,” which is about Natalie Maines’s divorce from her estranged ex Adrian Pasdar. Pasdar at one point demanded $60,000 a month in support and attempted to block the release of Dixie Chicks music, claiming it would break the confidentiality clause in their prenup. The two finalized their divorce in December 2019.
Watch the full lyric video for “Julianna Calm Down” below.
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