Goodbye Earl

History

Linde had written several songs that included a character by the name of "Earl," most notably "Queen of My Double Wide Trailer" by Sammy Kershaw (wherein Earl is the "other man" of the narrative, described as a man who rebuilds automobile engines and is nicknamed "the Charlie Daniels of the torque wrench," which stems from his rather fast ability at his profession). This song was (in part) an effort to kill off the "Earl" character that had been used in past songs.

Song information

The song uses black comedy to tell the story of two best friends from high school, and what became of them after graduation. Mary Ann leaves the town where they were raised, while Wanda settles on marrying a man named "Earl," who physically abuses her repeatedly. Wanda files for divorce based on the domestic violence, but "Earl walked right through that restraining order and put her in intensive care." Mary Ann flies in from Atlanta, Georgia, and after a discussion, the women decide "that Earl had to die," and they kill him, by poisoning or drugging his black-eyed peas. The song plot has been described as a cross between the films Fried Green Tomatoes and Thelma and Louise.

Linde plays acoustic guitar on the song, while producers Blake Chancey and Paul Worley, along with Charlie Robison, provide backing vocals.

Chart performance

"Goodbye Earl" reached a peak position of number 13 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, a spot somewhat short of the Chicks' usual placings at the time. It also made the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 19, and would become the trio's highest charting song among pop listings until "Long Time Gone" in the summer of 2002. Regardless of rankings, the song has become one of the Chicks' most well-known tunes. It is an enthusiastically-received staple of all their concert tours.

Music video

The music video for the song was produced by Keeley Gould and directed by Evan Bernard, who also played the role of Ezekiel Kincaid, Wanda's divorce lawyer. It begins with some photographs of Wanda and Mary Ann in high school, and their parting. The next scene shows Wanda wearing a wedding dress in Earl's car after their marriage. As Wanda is increasingly abused by Earl, she dons dark glasses and long sleeve blouses, as conveyed in the song's lyrics, to conceal her injuries. Finally, she hires an attorney for divorce, but Earl appears, abusing Wanda for the last time. Mary Ann hears of Wanda's admission to the Intensive Care Unit, and the two hatch the plan to kill Earl. They poison his black-eyed peas and Earl dies. A few days later, the police arrive, seeking Earl but are unable to find him. After the seasons change, the two women are shown as business partners of a roadside stand, selling "Tennessee ham and strawberry jam" (with corresponding gestures suggesting the characters are prostituting themselves). As they dispose of Earl's body, the whole town, including a zombie Earl, celebrates his death by dancing in a style that is at times reminiscent of Michael Jackson's video for "Thriller".

The video's cast included:

The music video won both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association Video of the Year Awards in 2000. The video was subsequently placed at #6 on CMT's 2004 ranking of the 100 Greatest Music Videos, and #7 on their 2008 revision of the rankings.

Other versions and parodies

The song was originally recorded by the country music band Sons of the Desert but not put onto an album, because of a dispute with the band's label. Sons of the Desert had initially planned to record it on their second album for Epic Records, but the Dixie Chicks had claimed the song as their own. The resulting dispute over the song led to Sons of the Desert's exiting Epic in 1998.

Punk cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes also performed a cover of the song.

Country music parodist Cledus T. Judd recorded a parody, titled "Goodbye Squirrel", about two hunters and their unsuccessful attempts to kill a squirrel.