I'm So Afraid

Last updated
"I'm So Afraid"
Song by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Fleetwood Mac
A-side "Over My Head"
ReleasedSeptember 1975 (US) / February 1976 (UK)
RecordedFebruary 1975
Genre Hard rock
Length4:22
3:08 (Single remix)
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Lindsey Buckingham
Producer(s) Fleetwood Mac, Keith Olsen
"I'm So Afraid (Live)"
Song by Fleetwood Mac
from the album The Dance
Released19 August 1997 (The Dance)
12 October 2002 (US version of The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac )
2009 (UK version of said compilation)
Recorded23 May 1997
Genre Hard rock
Length7:45
6:01 (Compilation edit)
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Lindsey Buckingham
Producer(s) Lindsey Buckingham
Elliot Scheiner

"I'm So Afraid" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham for the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac for their tenth album, Fleetwood Mac . The song was intended for a second Buckingham Nicks album, but the album never came to fruition. [1]

Contents

Background

Like all other Buckingham and Nicks compositions on Fleetwood Mac's 1975 eponymous album, “I'm So Afraid” was written before Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac. [2] Buckingham wrote "I'm So Afraid" around the time he was suffering from a bout of mononucleosis. [3] Mick Fleetwood said in his 2014 autobiography that Buckingham had labored over the song for four years and had gotten "the harmony of the guitar parts so in tune they were a virtual orchestra unto themselves." [1] Buckingham incorporated musical themes from church music on "I'm So Afraid" and built the song's chord progression around a series of triads. [2]

"I'm So Afraid" is the final track of the album, and was released as the B-side to the song "Over My Head". It is a hard rock song, atypical of Fleetwood Mac's songs (at least following the Peter Green era), but it quickly became a live staple showcasing Lindsey Buckingham's guitar skills. [4] The studio version of the song is in G natural minor, but live versions are usually transposed down to F natural minor. [5]

In his book Making Rumours, producer Ken Caillat noted how different "I'm So Afraid" sounded during live performances. Compared to the album version, which Caillat described as "mellower with a folk rock vibe", live performances saw "I'm So Afraid" become a "faster, hard-edged song." [6] Buckingham said that performing the song live is "very taxing on a nightly basis because it's got this very long solo that I have to do every night." [7] He has played the song for solo performances, beginning with the Out of the Cradle Tour in 1992–1993. [8]

The song appeared on all of the band's live albums recorded after its release, including Live , The Dance , Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston , the 2015 box set of Tusk , and Rumours Live . [9] [10] [11] The live recording from The Dance was included in an edited form on the US 2002 and UK 2009 release of the greatest hits compilation album The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac . [12] Buckingham also included the song on his solo live albums Live at the Bass Performance Hall , Songs from the Small Machine: Live in L.A., and One Man Show .

Critical reception

"I'm So Afraid" has generally received positive reviews from music critics. In his review of the band's 1975 self-titled album, Bud Scopa of Rolling Stone thought that the song stood out upon repeated listens. [13] In 2022, the same publication ranked the "I'm So Afraid" 34th on its list of the top 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs, labeling it a "paranoid blues blowout". [4] The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the song a "soulful closer". [14]

Track listing

  1. "Over My Head" – 3:17
  2. "I'm So Afraid" – 4:15

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Buckingham</span> American guitarist (born 1949)

Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.

<i>Tusk</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Tusk is the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as a double album on 12 October 1979 in the United States and on 19 October 1979 in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Records. It is considered more experimental than their previous albums, partly as a consequence of Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post-punk. The production costs were initially estimated to be about $1 million but many years later were revealed to be about $1.4 million, making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.

<i>Mirage</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1982 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Mirage is the thirteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 2 July 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. This studio effort's soft rock sound stood in stark contrast to its more experimental predecessor, 1979's Tusk. Mirage yielded several singles: "Hold Me", "Gypsy", "Love in Store", "Oh Diane", and "Can't Go Back".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Your Own Way</span> 1976 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Go Your Own Way" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 in the United States. Written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham, it became the band's first top-ten hit in the United States. "Go Your Own Way" has been well received by music critics and was ranked number 120 by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010, and re-ranked number 401 in 2021. They also ranked the song second on their list of the 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.

"Second Hand News" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham. The song was first performed by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac as the opening track of their 1977 album Rumours.

"Never Going Back Again" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham that was first released by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eleventh studio album Rumours (1977). The song was also released as the B-side to the top-ten single "Don't Stop" in the US and the "You Make Loving Fun" single in the UK. It was also the B-side of "Dreams" in the Netherlands. "Never Going Back Again" has been covered by other artists, including Colin Reid and Matchbox Twenty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhiannon (song)</span> 1976 song by Fleetwood Mac

"Rhiannon" (released as a single under the title "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)") is a song written by Stevie Nicks and originally recorded by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eponymous album in 1975; it was issued as a single the following year. The song's U.S. chart peak was in June 1976, when it hit no. 11. The song peaked at no. 46 in the UK singles chart for three weeks after re-release in February 1978.

<i>Live</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1980 live album by Fleetwood Mac

Live is a double live album released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on 5 December 1980. It was the first live album from the then-current line-up of the band, and the next would be The Dance from 1997. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1981. A deluxe edition of the album was released on 9 April 2021.

"The Ledge" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. It is the second song from the multi-platinum Tusk album and was composed by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The band rehearsed “The Ledge” several times for the Tusk Tour, although it was ultimately not included in the set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sisters of the Moon</span> 1980 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Sisters of the Moon" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was written and sung by band-member Stevie Nicks and was released in the US as the fourth single from the 1979 album Tusk. The song peaked at No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100, although it was not released in the UK. The single version of "Sisters of the Moon" is included on the compilation The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac and both the 2004 and 2015 remasters of 'Tusk'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Want to Know</span> 1977 song by Fleetwood Mac

"I Don't Want to Know" is a song written by Stevie Nicks which was first released by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their 1977 album Rumours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Think About Me</span> 1980 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Think About Me" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in the US in March 1980. The song was composed by Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie. "Think About Me" was slightly remixed for single release.

"I Know I'm Not Wrong" is a song by Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP Tusk. It was recorded as the final song of side three of the LP on 19 September 1979, written by Lindsey Buckingham, whose sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of punk rock and new wave were the leading creative force on it and other Tusk tracks. The song was worked on for the duration of the Tusk album and took around a year to complete.

"Oh Daddy" is a song written by Christine McVie that was first performed by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac as the tenth song off their 1977 album Rumours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not That Funny</span> 1980 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Not That Funny" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1980. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was written as a response to the punk movement in the late 1970s. The song shares some lyrics with "I Know I'm Not Wrong", another Buckingham penned song that appeared on the Tusk album.

"Walk a Thin Line" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was one of his nine songs that appeared on the Tusk album.

"That’s All For Everyone" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was one of his nine songs that appeared on the Tusk album. The song was also included on Fleetwood Mac's 1992 box set, 25 Years – The Chain.

"Brown Eyes" is a song by Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP Tusk. It was one of six songs from the album composed and sung by Christine McVie. The song includes uncredited playing from founding member Peter Green.

"What Makes You Think You're the One" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was one of his nine songs that appeared on the Tusk album. The song was also included on the US 2002 and UK 2009 editions of The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac.

"Storms" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by vocalist Stevie Nicks, it was one of her five songs that appeared on the Tusk album. The song was also included on the US 2002 and UK 2009 editions of The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac as the final track on disc one. An alternate mix with more stripped back production was included on the 2015 deluxe edition of Tusk. Nicks said that the song was about her affair with bandmate Mick Fleetwood, which she believed contributed to the dissolution of his marriage with Jenny Boyd.

References

  1. 1 2 Fleetwood, Mick; Bozza, Anthony (October 2014). Play On: Now, Then & Fleetwood Mac. New York: Little, Brown And Company. pp. 164, 169. ISBN   978-0-316-40342-9.
  2. 1 2 Lenker, Maureen Lee (14 September 2021). "Lindsey Buckingham Breaks Down 10 of His Best Guitar Riffs". EW.com. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Howe, Zoë (2015). Stevie Nicks: Visions, Dreams, & Rumours. Omnibus Press. p. 23. ISBN   978-1-4683-1066-5.
  4. 1 2 Sheffield, Christopher R. Weingarten, David Browne, Jon Dolan, Corinne Cummings, Keith Harris, Rob (11 July 2017). "Fleetwood Mac's 50 Greatest Songs [No. 34]". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 September 2019.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, p.89. ISBN   978-0-300-09239-4.
  6. ↑ Caillat, Ken (2012). "Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album". Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 186. ISBN   978-1-118-21808-2.
  7. ↑ Taysom, Joe (31 December 2023). "Fleetwood Mac song Lindsey Buckingham struggled to perform". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Heng, Melissa (March 18, 1993). "Buckingham Does Just Fine Solo, Also Offers Some Fleetwood Mac". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  9. ↑ Egan, Sean, ed. (2016). Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters. Chicago Review Press. p. 76. ISBN   978-161373-234-2.
  10. ↑ Sinclair, Paul (29 October 2015). "Fleetwood Mac / Tusk / 8-disc super deluxe edition box set". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  11. ↑ Vito, Jo (8 September 2023). "Fleetwood Mac Unveil Rumours Live from 1977" . Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  12. ↑ Wild, David (2002). The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac (Liner Notes). Fleetwood Mac. Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Records Inc. p. 12.
  13. ↑ Scopa, Bud (25 September 1975). "Fleetwood Mac". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  14. ↑ Coleman, Mark; Kemp, Mark (2004). "Fleetwood Mac". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  303–304. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.