Song of the Day 2/5: Lindsey Buckingham, “Go Insane”
My pick for the new Republican Party theme song.
I still find it incredible Fleetwood Mac fired the guy most responsible for their superstardom, but when the band had to choose between him and their most popular member, Stevie Nicks, the choice was pretty obvious. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie can always find two guitarists to replace Buckingham, but Nicks is irreplaceable, even though her songs owe a great deal to Buckingham’s arrangements.
“Go Insane” is the title track of Buckingham’s third solo album, released in 1984. The single marked his second and last appearance in the U.S. Top 40. As one of the YouTube comments points out, it perfectly captures the high-strung guitarist’s mix of anxiety and depression, and though he initially talked about its inspiration in general terms, he eventually admitted that, like virtually every song he’s written over the past 45 years, this one’s about his breakup with Nicks. It’s been a staple of his solo concerts since its debut.
If you expect bands to make sense you’ve probably have never been in one, same goes for musicians in general and vocalists in particular. I’m both so stand back. But good song writers are rare to say the least, know a sum total of one. But battling couples in bands are horrible, they bring all their dirty laundry to the band and make it toxic to say the least, as in hold my beer and hand me that gun.
All true — it’s very hard to find a combination in which no egos are bruised. As you note, many a band has had to cope with LSD — Lead Singer’s Disease. It’s even in the Urban Dictionary.
Your right, but if they play as well as sing it usually tempers the diva act.