Red Rover?

[DownOnRodeo]

Originally posted by Sarah
Something irks me about the way he says Red Rover Red Rover Red Rover.. it just sounds creepy and I don't like it.

Yeah, plus add that to the 'murder' reference, the thread about the Tango-era violence, and his recent remark about how without a music career he'd be in jail ... Are there any strings of unsolved murders in the Beverley Hills region??

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by sodascouts
The only fault I find with it is that it seems that some of the lyrics, poetic as they are, seem awkwardly stuffed into the melody. The natural cadence, syllablic stresses, and pauses have been thrown away so that the song will fit the cadence of the melody.

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Nancy, I bet that was all intentional.

Yet if Stevie had written "Red Rover," there would be three threads running simultaneously, busting her chops over those very same things!

Sorry, I just had to tease a little.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by DownOnRodeo
Are there any strings of unsolved murders in the Beverley Hills region??

Hmm... perhaps the jury was right, and O.J. was innocent after all!

[Karen]

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
Yet if Stevie had written "Red Rover," there would be three threads running simultaneously, busting her chops over those very same things!

You mean like this lyrics from Dreams:

...When the rain wash- ES you clean, you'll know...

It apparently drove Don Henley up the wall. I'm sure he'd feel the same way about the flow of the words in Red Rover.

[BlueGrass]

Here is Lindsey's response about "Somebody's Gotta Change Your Mind" :

GWA In keeping with that, your lyrics have become more philosophical, more ideas-oriented, and not just about people or relationships. For instance, "Change Your Mind" seems to ask a lot of questions about the future of the planet.

Buckingham A lot of the things I say there came from visualizing if there were, not a God, but a bunch of gods, in the Greek sense, looking down on these people really going off the track down here and saying, "What are we going to do about this? Are we going to cut them loose?" And there's also a personal vibe. It's sort of a memory about my childhood in the second verse, things I did with my family, and how much I value them.

It seems to me that the functional family that turns out healty, grounded kids has become a rarer species. It all seems to be going off the track. When I sing, in that context, "Someone's got to change your mind," I don't know who that is - perhaps I'm speaking to myself or perhaps the outside world.


HHMMM...this is basically the same response he seems he gave Livia about Red Rover. Maybe he was in a rush and just gave that one, lol. I dunno, I just don't see the Greek God thing happening @ all in this song.

[Karen]

Thanks for posting that, BlueGrass!

That is so weird that he's said this about two separate songs. Maybe this idea about the Greek Gods was just the basis to more than one song.

[CarneVaca]

BlueGrass beat me to it, but I was about to make that very point. Lindsey had that very explanation for Someone's Gotta Change Your Mind. Three possibilities here:

--Lindsey misspoke when Livia asked him the question.
--Livia's recollection is faulty.
--Lindsey wrote more than one song from the Greek gods' perspective. That would seem unlikely, but then again, why not?

[Sugar]

Ok--I was thinking about this song while I was in the shower this morning and it occurred to me that it could be, yet another, "gotta get away from Stevie/Fleetwood Mac" song (I'm completly ignoring Lindsey's "greek god" rationale). I agree with the death imagery, I'm just thinking it may be more emotional death rather than actual death.

Why do you come around so very much You know it just brings you down, it's just something you can touch

Clinging to a dead relationship OR his final days with Fleetwood Mac in the 80's. "Something you can touch" being something real and secure, even in a dysfunctional way.

You don't belong here, I guess you never did.

Gee, maybe this is why my relationship with Stevie/FM didn't work out. Maybe also commenting on how different his musical direction was from the rest of the band

Whisper murder in your ear, you just keep it so well hid.

Can't you see him working at the mixing board, hating what he's doing, thinking "Working with these guys is going to kill me." But the band really wants him to say, and Stevie really wants him to stay and they all try to accomidate him, but he knows he's got to answer to them at the end of the day. You need to stay and you need to be a team player, regardless of your fancy "artistic" notions i.e whispering murder in his ear.

Anyone at all, could see what was missing, Could see you were dyin', though no one was cryin'

Everyone could see he wasn't happy, but no one did anything to alleviate his pain (probably all too busy with their own...)


And the lips you were kissing, night after night, All were bathed in blue, all bathed in white

The lips could be Stevie or FM, but this person/thing you are so intimately involved with night after night is DEAD. DEAD, DEAD, DEAD.

One of the quiet ones, one of the few, Now fall down onto your knees, Show us all what you can do

Maybe he's "quiet" because he didn't get the spotlight like Stevie. Maybe he's "one of the few" because HE'S the one who broke away from the machine and all the craziness. But now he's left and he's really on his own now. And now he feels like he needs to get a little humble and prove himself.

We came around here, to see if you were well, And there's nothing for you to fear, in heaven or in hell.

More recently the old gang has gotten touch with him and I just see this as kinda "All 's forgiven".

Red Rover, Red Rover...we come to take you over

The fear of giving in and compromising himself. At one time maybe more about getting away from the crazy drug filled days, but also a bit about giving things up artistically for the name Fleetwood Mac. He says it like a warning, like a low alarm going off. Remember the kids' game is about breaking through the other guy's defenses and eventually taking them all over to your side.

Just sumthin' else to kick around...

[Karen]

Originally posted by Sugar
Red Rover, Red Rover...we come to take you over

The fear of giving in and compromising himself. At one time maybe more about getting away from the crazy drug filled days, but also a bit about giving things up artistically for the name Fleetwood Mac. He says it like a warning, like a low alarm going off. Remember the kids' game is about breaking through the other guy's defenses and eventually taking them all over to your side.

Oooh...I especially like the thought of this part of the interpretation. I can definately see this as not wanting to give up control of his artistic freedom. When you incorporate the game into this, it makes a whole lot of sense. He doesn't want to conform.

I love it!

[Karen]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
--Lindsey wrote more than one song from the Greek gods' perspective. That would seem unlikely, but then again, why not?

This is true, but...

Hasn't Lindsey been big on themes in the past? His solo albums all tend to have an underlying theme, and the songs kind of run together like a story.

Then again, this isn't one of his solo albums. This could be why the theme doesn't make sense when applying them to some of his other songs.

[BlueGrass]

RR is 100000% Lindsey. I mean, he did everything, you can tell. There is no bass, so there is no John. The percussion isn't Mick I bet, it is from a machine prolly. This is a masterpiece period.

[wondergirl9847]

Originally posted by BlueGrass
RR is 100000% Lindsey. This is a masterpiece period.

AMEN BG, AMEN!! I've NEVER in my LIFE heard a more unique song!! EVERY FRICKIN DAY, I fall in love with Lindsey more and more! The fact he talked to people on cell phones Friday, he posed for pics, signed autographs, this ALBUM, that SONG...AAAHH!!! LOVE HIM!!!!!

Frankly, it's SICK how much I love Lindsey.

[sodascouts]

Originally posted by Sugar

Whisper murder in your ear, you just keep it so well hid.

Can't you see him working at the mixing board, hating what he's doing, thinking "Working with these guys is going to kill me." But the band really wants him to say, and Stevie really wants him to stay and they all try to accomidate him, but he knows he's got to answer to them at the end of the day. You need to stay and you need to be a team player, regardless of your fancy "artistic" notions i.e whispering murder in his ear.

Anyone at all, could see what was missing, Could see you were dyin', though no one was cryin'

Everyone could see he wasn't happy, but no one did anything to alleviate his pain (probably all too busy with their own...)


And the lips you were kissing, night after night, All were bathed in blue, all bathed in white

The lips could be Stevie or FM, but this person/thing you are so intimately involved with night after night is DEAD. DEAD, DEAD, DEAD[.....]

Red Rover, Red Rover...we come to take you over

The fear of giving in and compromising himself. At one time maybe more about getting away from the crazy drug filled days, but also a bit about giving things up artistically for the name Fleetwood Mac. He says it like a warning, like a low alarm going off. Remember the kids' game is about breaking through the other guy's defenses and eventually taking them all over to your side.

Just sumthin' else to kick around... [/B]

This explanation makes more sense than anything else I've heard so far, including my own bizarre interp. lol

[CarneVaca]

Originally posted by Karen
You mean like this lyrics from Dreams:

...When the rain wash- ES you clean, you'll know...

It apparently drove Don Henley up the wall. I'm sure he'd feel the same way about the flow of the words in Red Rover.

That's a perfect example, Karen. In that line, she emphasizes all the wrong syllables: wash-ES you CLEAN...

But, hey, that's part of the charm of the song.

[Barbara]

I'm sorta inclined to ignore the Greek Gods angle, too. I think LB might have been in such a hurry with Livia, he was thinking Someone's Gotta Change Your mind instead of Red Rover.

Sugar, I absolutely love your interp, especially the "whisper murder in your ear" - his little demon, maybe?

Barbara