Lindsey's (misplaced?) dedications

[CarneVaca]

Lindsey has made some odd choices when dedicating songs. Much ado has been made of his dedicating What's the "World Coming To" to his wife. On the surface it appears to be a peculiar choice.

But he also dedicated "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" to George Harrison. I always thought that was weird.

Can you think of others?

Do you think the message of the song enters into his decision to dedicate it to someone?

[Merf]

Hi Carne!

I think if the dedication is repeated, then yes, the song in itself probably has something to do with who he dedicates it to. Several times this tour he has dedicated WTWCT to his wife, which definitely is a peculiar choice as you said. Not exactly the most romantic song in the world.

"Every night, every day, in this house filled with shame, I can say I care but there's no one there... there's no truth in my lies, there's no light in my eyes... and it's all I guess, that I'll ever miss, what's the world coming to?"

While an easy message to dissect, it certainly is an odd one to direct to his wife, no? However, I do recall he dedicated "Big Love" once-- to his family at the first show of the tour in May, which seemed like a more logical choice. [especially after going into the whole story about how he'd built that house on the hill and now there were kids and a wife in it, which I thought was very sweet.]

Lindsey definitely is not big on the dedications, that's more Stevie territory , but I'd love to hear more of the off the wall dedications he's given over the years, if anyone knows of any?

Merf

[Cristian]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
But he also dedicated "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" to George Harrison. I always thought that was weird.

It was probably something related with the fact that, besides being a HUGE Dylan fan, George Harrison recorded a number of Dylan tunes ("If Not For You", "I'd Have You Anytime", "Abandoned Love", "I Don't Want To Do It", "Absolutely Sweet Marie", which is his best live performance ever IMHO), worked with him in the Traveling Wilburys singing songs that Dylan had written (like his VH1 performance of "If You Belonged To Me"), and were pretty much friends.

Do you think the message of the song enters into his decision to dedicate it to someone?

And because of that reasoning, I don't think that the message of the song is necessarily related to the person who he dedicates it. (Am I explaining this the right way, he wonders). I tend to think he does it because that someone to whom the song is dedicated might actually love the song... as much as one loves a song even if it's not related to one. Like Stevie when dedicates "Landslide" to his daddy, or "Silver Springs" to the audience... they were not the original inspiration for them. Matter of liking the song... more or less, I think



Song of the moment - Don't Look Down

[sodascouts]

I think Lindsey intended to do "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" all along. Then, because George Harrison died a few days before the concert, he dedicated the song to him. I don't think he picked it out for George.

As for dedicating the song WTWCT to his wife... I find that inexplicable. Did he choose it randomly?! That is NOT a love song, folks! I agree with Merf - at least "Big Love" made sense. Why did he feel the need to change it? Bizarre!

"Bleed to Love Her" was his dedication song on The Dance. He dedicated it at different points, to Kristen, Stevie, or the whole band. It was all-purpose that way. Again, I'm surprised he didn't stick with Big Love to be his dedication song this time. Who can understand the mind of Lindsey Buckingham?

[shackin'up]

to his wife have anything to do with discovering the worth of social-emotional values in society since he became a parent? Or at least his concern about the loss of those values that he discovered since he became a parent? I could relate to that. His egocentrism all these years could have kept him from that. And his wife could have been a big part in opening him up to the world. At least she had a big part in him becoming a dad!


gerald

[CarneVaca]

Gerald, that's a very astute observation. It very well could be that his wife helped him reach an understanding that led to the themes Lindsey tackles in the song. While he has said the song is about the music industry, I wonder if that's not one of his easy answers to a complicated question. I believe the song could be interpreted to tackle other social ills, and Lindsey knows it, even if he wrote it with the specific industry in mind.

[Cammie]

Gerald...Good explanation!!!
Kristen seems to be the one
person who has got Lindsey to
get out of the studio and start
to live...to feel...to have a family
and feel how wonderful that is!
Lindsey is now seeing with "new
eyes of the world"! Unselfishly!
Big Love is a more romantic choice
but...maybe he wrote the other one
because of Kristen's influences!Sky

[shackin'up]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Gerald, that's a very astute observation. It very well could be that his wife helped him reach an understanding that led to the themes Lindsey tackles in the song. While he has said the song is about the music industry, I wonder if that's not one of his easy answers to a complicated question. I believe the song could be interpreted to tackle other social ills, and Lindsey knows it, even if he wrote it with the specific industry in mind.

I really think lindsey, through his solowork, has become an artist who works/thinks in themes/philosophies. So the whole picture will never be clear because he takes so long working on a project. And maybe some songs are the result of another thinking/working-flow than other songs. So sometimes, in interviews, he answers from another point of view then the one he stood in when he wrote the song. And some concepts are working for him as a strategy: the interviewer is stunned and can't think of another question. f.i the greek gods, the loss of values, the use of force, they all are more or less connected, AND more or less can be seen as a metaphore of what we go through on a personal, micro-level: in our love-and-hate everyday life called relationships. So I think his -sometimes-hard to follow-dedications- can be seen in that light. But on the other hand : what the hell do I know, and what am I talking about?

Oh, and thanks for the compliment. I needed a dictionary for it, but now I know the Englisch word for "scherpzinnig" (please, try to pronounce that one!!! ): astute.


gerald

[shackin'up]

i just read les' contribution on the "what you don't like about lindsey's music"-thread and that sums up my thoughts exactly, but now in plain understandable english

I quote Les:


" I don't feel like any one of his albums doesn't represent him in a very tangible way. In fact, I think Law & Order, Go Insane, and Out of the Cradle all communicate a similar sort of almost socio-political view that says a lot about Lindsey the person, even though each album is dressed up quite differently from its predecessor.

Take Law & Order's songs collectively and see how many of them touch upon the idea of personal integrity - committment to family, friends, values, trying to do the right thing. The title is all about that. The covers he selected for that album are all about that. "Mary Lee Jones" is about a woman who has lost that because she's lost herself. "Johnny Stew", an incredibly funny/goofy song, is, at its heart, about the cruelty of a world that has left a man of integrity, John Stewart, out in the cold. Given this context, I think "I'll Tell You Now" is also indirectly about Lindsey's own feelings about wondering how to fit in a world that doesn't much reflect what he thinks is important.

Look at the songs from Go Insane. In microcosm, they're about a painfully failed relationship. In a broader sense, they're also about valuing committment, responsibility to self and others & love, and trying to deal with the feelings of the loss of control when those things don't last - when those core values and desires don't seem to be able to find a foothold in the crazy world. None of these are preachy songs in any respect, but they're very internal conflicts about the successes and failures he seems to see in himself in pursuing these values. Even for all the sexual innuendo in a song like "Loving Cup", it is still a song about wanting committment reciprocated in the same strong way that he feels it.

Out of the Cradle does this too. So many of the songs seem to touch upon the idea of rediscoverying himself, his values, after a period of having felt like he lost touch with them. I'd say this one is more sober than Law & Order, certainly, but not nessecarily more "serious" - as I think Law & Order was just as serious about its underlying values too. Again, Cradle seems to touch upon the pressures of life that intrude upon what he wishes it could be, and he ruminates on the successes and failures against the measuring stick of committment, family, friends, values, responsibility.

I think a similar type of theme can also be seen underlying many of his Mac songs. That's how I see them anyway. " end of quote.

Sorry les, that I repost this one in another thread, but you said the things like i'd say them in my mothertongue.

[Les]

Originally posted by shackin'up
Sorry les, that I repost this one in another thread, but you said the things like i'd say them in my mothertongue.

Hehe. I thought you did a fine job of saying it actually. I knew what you meant perfectly. You certainly said it a lot quicker than I did.

Lindsey just described the meaning behind Steal Your Heart Away in the Virgin Radio interview, which I think kind of re-enforces this idea that his songs are often both about a smaller life issue and a larger society issue at the same time.