April 19th, 2011 1:00am
You Only Want Me When I Get Over You
Lindsey Buckingham is a hopeless romantic, and writes almost exclusively about love and relationships. His lyrics are conversational, but usually aren't the things you actually say to someone. In "Monday Morning," his first track on a Fleetwood Mac album, he really lays it on the line with some very frank words about a relationship that has run its course without ever really starting. He comes off as more bitter in later songs but here he's very warm and sweet, expressing his frustrations while quick to remind the woman being addressed that he has nothing but love for her. I love that this song is so kind despite being about someone leading him on and toying with his heart. The sound is so sunny too -- it gallops along, a bit chunky in its tones but still light and breezy. Mick Fleetwood's drumming is key to pulling this off; his fills keep the piece snappy and brisk, particularly when the song seems to plunge into that excellent "I don't miiiind" bridge into the chorus.
"Hold Me" is a Christine McVie song, but Buckingham is the dominant figure on the recording. Technically the song is a duet between Christine and Lindsey, but her cool voice recedes into the mix as his more passionate phrasing takes the lead. He brings all the fire to this song -- after he finishes singing, his guitar solo carries much of the emotion in the piece. This is a breathtaking composition; harmonically sophisticated and atypical in structure without calling much attention to its form. There are so many dazzling bits of melody here -- McVie's piano figures, the lead vocal part, the cascading harmony in the chorus, the subtle chug of John McVie's bass line. I love the way this plinking percussive part is the earthy counterpoint to the ethereal quality of the chorus. This is a truly an ensemble performance, but I credit Buckingham with getting it all to fit together so perfectly. This is what happens when a brilliant piece of songwriting is realized by a thoughtful producer and a group of musicians who play to their strengths but not necessarily their usual habits.
(By the way, the
original demo version by Christine McVie is significantly different -- still a very good song, but nowhere near as great as what it becomes once Lindsey gets his hands on it.)
Stay tuned, there will be more Lindsey Buckingham tomorrow.
8 Responses.
4/19/11 3:06 am
Awww yay! Lindsey’s awesome!
I especially love his vocals on Crystal and with Christine on Mystified. I used to own You And I Part One which I remember being particularly beautiful and such an interesting counterpoint to the track that ended up on Tango, You And I Part Two. :p
Lovely yummy Lindsey!
4/19/11 8:23 am
“Hold Me”…Not unlike “Good Vibrations”…100% weird and experimental but also 100% percent pop precision…MJ with Quincy, Paul Simon and not many others were ever as good in this way…
4/19/11 1:29 pm
Get outta my head! For decades I’ve considered Hold Me the prime example of Lindsey Buckingham’s unrivaled genious as producer. Rarely credited for making some of the most perfectly crafted pop music of all time, his skills are clearly evident hearing the demos of a few Fleetwood Mac top hits. I’ve had these same thoughts as you on Hold Me, nearly word for word:
“This is a breathtaking composition; harmonically sophisticated and atypical in structure without calling much attention to its form. There are so many dazzling bits of melody here”
I’ve been listening to the demo for years. Hearing the McVie original against Buckingham’s finished recording always brought, to my mind, the priceless contribution he made to Fleetwood Mac as producer and music stylist, not just as the guitarist/frontman. The same could be said comparing many demos of Stevie Nick’s hit Gypsy from the same album. Demos of Gypsy rejected for Nicks solo album, Bella Donna, pale in comparison to the pop perfection of Buckingham’s version on Mirage.
Tusk is hearalded as Buckingham’s artistic masterpiece of experimental sonic painting. Let’s not forget Mirage showcases his superior workmanship and effort in the labor of songcraft. The two top ten hits from Mirage, compared to their original demos, prove the expertise he brings to the table when producing other band memembers’ material. Every band should be so lucky to have one of the best producers in pop music moonlighting as a singer-songwriter and A level guitarist in the group.
4/19/11 9:05 pm
anybody read the biography on Lindsey Buckingham called Dreams by his ex girlfriend. I love lindsay buckingham, but this book presented him as a total asshole. and i don’t doubt it, but he’s seriously talented.
4/19/11 10:53 pm
Yeah, well, I think a lot of the charm of Lindsey is that he’s this high strung, controlling guy with petty impulses, and that comes through in the music. He’s a very human character. I was reading this collection of quotes from Stevie Nicks about him from over the years, and you get the sense of him being this very complicated guy who is just as sweet as he is kinda negative and draining.
4/20/11 12:40 pm
“Slip your hand inside my glove” is such a dirty line and for whatever reason it’s the word “slip” that makes it so filthy.
4/22/11 1:25 pm
“I was reading this collection of quotes from Stevie Nicks about him from over the years, and you get the sense of him being this very complicated guy who is just as sweet as he is kinda negative and draining.”
Hah, that makes me think of the lyrics in Angel, “When you were good, you were very good.”
I’m loving these posts on Buckingham, I hadn’t thought about alot of these songs in years, but now I’m on a Fleetwood Mac binge.
4/29/11 9:41 am
i’m glad i found this post. i’ve been re-obsessed with it for the last two weeks. it really makes me feel alive revisiting songs i’ve always loved and gaining a new perspective on them. i totally agree with Kamera here. if more pop musicians were capable of creating a song of this caliber these days, i’d consider listening to the radio again