The Chain
The RS collectors edition has this song at 5. I actually would have had this at 1 (certainly higher than Don't Stop). BUT - am I wrong - or was the write up on this a bit odd. There is no doubt that last half is all the jam session from Keep Me There. But LB said he wrote the lyrics? I thought Stevie said she did. She certainly wrote the chorus and the title is hers. And she got no mention. A bit odd. Odd giving them all writing credit. That has to be because of the jam session at the end of Keep Me There. But Stevie gets credits for the title and the chorus at least. But I thought she wrote all the lyrics.
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Thank you. I am familiar with the acoustic version of the Chain. No doubt LB did a great job pulling together. Love this song. So powerful given the history of the band.
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according to Stevie, in an interview done around that time, they didn't have lyrics. Lindsey knew her song and, in her words, asked if they could use part of it. She said to him "you're ripping the chorus out". She said, "he didn't care that much". So they put her chorus into the song, but still didn't have verses. Ultimately Lindsey wrote the verses, the "listen to the wind blow"etc. then it blended into her chorus "And if you don't love me now...." and then into John's bass and the whole ending which was grafted on straight from Christine's song. John def deserves his writing credit coz that bass line is stunning. He should get a cut of the royalties, it's a big part of the song's success.
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The Chain Writing
I know we've started a million threads on how The Chain got finalized. But has everyone heard these 1976 audio clips of Christine, Lindsey, and Stevie working out harmonies, lyrics, rhythms?
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...V4?usp=sharing |
recent discussion on the percentage of contribution from each of the 5 - http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showth...ain+percentage
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"['The Chain'] started off as–jogging the memory here–it was really Stevie's and mine to begin with in the verse: 'Listen to the wind blow....' And my ever-present pseudo-blues riffs in there. And at some point I think Christine fashioned the feel of the chorus, and the chorus was certainly Stevie's lyrics. And then at some point there's this bass line which came in at the end that's kind of a hook, and there was some case to be made for it to be a valid enough contribution as to deserve songwriting credit. I can't honestly say that Mick had anything to do with writing the song. But we did give credit to all members of the band."–Lindsey Buckingham 1993, Songwriters On Songwriting by Paul Zollo
It's ambiguous to me whether he is saying the lyrics to the "Listen to the wind blow" verse are his, or his and Stevie's both. Insert a comma before "and mine" and it could read as the former. P.S. From the same interview: "['Walk A Thin Line'] was me on the drums. Mick was appalled. He was appalled that these drums were going to go out and people would think that's him because it offended the finer points of his sensibilities. And I understand that. I was really going for slop. And trying to cut through the slickness in some ways.... They're left and right drums, and the kick and snare are on either side, and these military press fills, which is really what the song is built on.... That worked out well, too." |
Curious that WATL became one of Mick’s favorites, so much so that he did it on The Visitor.
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i've been amazed too, and he's definitely been very clear about his love for WATL. |
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A decent interview overall, as it focusses on songs and songwriting. The book is worth getting, particularly if you're a fan of a number of the interviewees, as I am. I have the 2003 edition, which includes interviews with Lindsey, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Carole King, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Petty, Lou Reed, and Jackson Browne (among many others). Leonard Cohen's interview is my favorite. |
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