Let Me Do My Stuff

Fleetwood Mac “Second Hand News”

I’ve heard a lot of pretty graphic and frank songs about sex in my life. When I was 14, I was way into pop songs with lyrics such as “I want to fuck you like an animal” and “I want to be your blowjob queen.” So why is it that as an adult I find that a line like “won’t you lay me down in the tall grass and let me do my stuff” strikes me as sooooo much more dirty? I figure it must be the sweetness of the sentiment along with the tension between the specificity of the location and the vagueness of the action.

Rumours is rather famously the product of some very dark times for the members of the band, but it never sounds dreary or depressive. “Second Hand News” sets the tone with its springy rhythm and bright notes — it’s optimistic, it’s confident, it’s sexy. When Stevie Nicks comes in on harmony, she joins Lindsey Buckingham in singing “when times go bad, when times go rough,” and I think that is meaningful. He’s more passive-aggressive and spiteful on “Go Your Own Way,” but in this song there’s at least a chance of reconciliation, even if there’s no hope for a reunion. (“I’ve been tossed around enough.”) This certainly qualifies as a kiss-off song, but it’s worth noting that its climax is self-deprecating: “I’m just second hand news, I’m your second hand news.”

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Lindsey Buckingham “Time Precious Time”

Buckingham’s guitar playing on this song is astonishing, total virtuoso stuff. It’s a gorgeous cascade of finger-picked notes, with each plucked note coming fast but sounding like a slow-moving spiral. When the chorus comes in, it’s physically jarring and stunningly beautiful — his voice seems to move against the guitar notes and a subtle harmony of treated vocals. He sounds like he’s defying time itself, trying to impose his will on something he has no ability to control. At the same time, the piece feels meditative and patient. It’s a swirl of mixed emotions about aging, but at the center there’s some wisdom and clarity.

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