Family Man

[Fleetwoodmark]

What the hell does Mick say during the chorus lol

Is it "Pussy" ?

[lilwing80]

You mean right where it goes.. "I am what I am! (Am what I am!) ....A family man." ....I always thought it was "It's true."

[mylittledemon]

What the hell does Mick say during the chorus lol

Is it "Pussy" ?

Yeah. That makes sense. :rolleyes:

[HejiraNYC]

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/1bondgirl-gal-pussy.jpg
http://www.tvacres.com/images/music_josie.jpg
http://www.taiko.org.nz/cat1.jpg

:shrug:

[petep9000]

"Are those....pussy willows?"

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc297/jcastr01/sm5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Musicman408]

You all talking about the chorus- the low goofy voice thing??? If so, I always just thought it was saying "a family man".

[Musicman408]

Speaking of the devil- here's an extended pseudo dance extended version of the song. Kind of cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kY7fveOU7U

[gypsy4life]

"It's true"

[PenguinHead]

What the hell does Mick say during the chorus lol

Is it "Pussy" ?

Are you kidding? It's not Mick. It's Lindsey's manipulated voice.

[skuncles]

Yeah that's Lindsey singing background on that. Another case (like "Big Love") where he tweaked himself vocally. That's not Stevie singing on it either.

[Spikey]

I thought it was 'a family', done by Lindsey in a weird Tusk-like voice. noone else sings on the track than LB, do they?

- Spike

[Musicman408]

It's definitely "A Family Man" :nod:

[TrueFaith77]

I don't even hear anything other "A Family Man"; which part are y'all talking about?:shrug:

[David]

Folks paying too much attention to the silly vocals & not enough to the Spanish guitar!

[sodascouts]

Perhaps because the silly vocals are ridiculously distracting. I will never understand why Lindsey thinks they are so clever and cool. The insipidity and repetitiveness of the lyrics doesn't help.

Worst. Mac. Song. Ever.

[petep9000]

Yeah that's Lindsey singing background on that. Another case (like "Big Love") where he tweaked himself vocally. That's not Stevie singing on it either.

That sucks. Because it was sort of fun to imagine she allowed her voice to be made so comical with the "I am what I am what I am what I am..." part.
I have heard it was Lindsey for years, but in this instance I heard something so close to how her recorded vocal really sounded in this period. It's almost uncanny.

So now that we know it's not Stevie, that leaves 'Little Lies' as the only non-penned song she sang a vocal for on the TITN album. Mick's book says Steviemade a big hoo-ha about not being on 'Everywhere', but i dont' hear her.

[HejiraNYC]

So now that we know it's not Stevie, that leaves 'Little Lies' as the only non-penned song she sang a vocal for on the TITN album. Mick's book says Steviemade a big hoo-ha about not being on 'Everywhere', but i dont' hear her.

Isn't she "ooh"-ing on "You and I Part II?" :shrug: And what about all of the over-the-top vamping she does on the 12" remixes of "Big Love" and "Family Man?"

[petep9000]

You're right, the 12" mixes had some additional vocals. I forgot about them becuase they were seperate releases. I like her Little Lies vamps, actually. "ooo hoo hooo hooo hooo, sweet lies, lies, lies, lies..."

[lilwing80]

I don't even get the song. He wasn't even a family man then.. I thought..Ehm, Mick??

Yes, it's very interesting that Lindsey sounds like Stevie when he manipulates his voice. I've always thought that too.

[Street_Dreamer]

Family Man is one of my top 10 favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. There, I said it.

Matt

[badanimals87]

Folks paying too much attention to the silly vocals & not enough to the Spanish guitar!

I'm with you David. I've always found the repetitive lyrics ridiculous but the spanish guitar is the star of this song. I only wish they would not have faded the solo at the end. Those Macsters...always fading out on the best parts!

[HejiraNYC]

I don't even get the song. He wasn't even a family man then.. I thought..Ehm, Mick??

Yes, it's very interesting that Lindsey sounds like Stevie when he manipulates his voice. I've always thought that too.

Well, just because he didn't have a wife or kids didn't mean he wasn't a "family man." This seems to be an homage to the nuclear family of his parents- "mother, father, brother..." which makes it especially sad that his own brother died suddenly shortly after TITN.

[HejiraNYC]

I'm with you David. I've always found the repetitive lyrics ridiculous but the spanish guitar is the star of this song. I only wish they would not have faded the solo at the end. Those Macsters...always fading out on the best parts!

It's the castanets that make the song. The castanets, I tell you!

[badanimals87]

It's the castanets that make the song. The castanets, I tell you!

How could I forget the castanets?!?! I wonder if after hearing the track played back in the studio Stevie told them "if we do this on stage I could TOTALLY play that castanets again!" :lol:

[HomerMcvie]

Family Man is one of my top 10 favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. There, I said it.

Matt

"I am what I am.....ak, ak, ak, ak, ak, ak, ak, ak, ak"
~Popeye~








:lol:

[vivfox]

Perhaps because the silly vocals are ridiculously distracting. I will never understand why Lindsey thinks they are so clever and cool. The insipidity and repetitiveness of the lyrics doesn't help.

Worst. Mac. Song. Ever.

That award goes to Oh Diane.

[badanimals87]

Perhaps because the silly vocals are ridiculously distracting. I will never understand why Lindsey thinks they are so clever and cool. The insipidity and repetitiveness of the lyrics doesn't help.

Worst. Mac. Song. Ever.

That award goes to Oh Diane.

I'm one of the few that really enjoys Oh Diane apparently. I especially loved watching the lip sync performance from UK TV in 1982. Does anyone have a good copy of the tv appearance I'm referring to?

Tim

[Street_Dreamer]

Perhaps because the silly vocals are ridiculously distracting. I will never understand why Lindsey thinks they are so clever and cool. The insipidity and repetitiveness of the lyrics doesn't help.

Worst. Mac. Song. Ever.

That award goes to Oh Diane.

You must have never listened to When You Say or The Second Time. Talk about a lifeless, dull and depressing song. Stevie's vocals on The Second Time almost make me wish that I had never been born.

Matt

[badanimals87]

You must have never listened to When You Say or The Second Time. Talk about a lifeless, dull and depressing song. Stevie's vocals on The Second Time almost make me wish that I had never been born.

Matt

I agree about The Second Time. Only Stevie song on a Mac album I always skip.

[HejiraNYC]

[QUOTE=vivfox;865670]

You must have never listened to When You Say or The Second Time. Talk about a lifeless, dull and depressing song. Stevie's vocals on The Second Time almost make me wish that I had never been born.

Matt

Well, I'm going to stick my neck in a guillotine and vote for "Stand on the Rock." It's just the most insipidly generic, bland middle-of-the-road piece of bluesy-rock puff-pastry I've ever heard. It belongs on a Sammy Hagar album, not a Fleetwood Mac album.

[SortaSavageLike]

Worst. Mac. Song. Ever.

Well, since it's on the "Very Best Of" CD, there must be, like, 200 Mac songs that are worse than it. ;)

[jbrownsjr]

Well, since it's on the "Very Best Of" CD, there must be, like, 200 Mac songs that are worse than it. ;)

haha!! wrong!!

[sodascouts]

Well, since it's on the "Very Best Of" CD, there must be, like, 200 Mac songs that are worse than it. ;)

Ah yes. The inclusion of that song on the VBoFM was completely inexplicable!!!!! While not everyone holds "Family Man" in as low regard as I do, you'd be hard pressed to find folks who truly believe it deserves to be counted among the "Very Best of Fleetwood Mac."

BTW, I find "Oh Diane" to be catchy and pleasant in a retro-sort of way. "Stand on the Rock" has its moments.

I have to agree that "When I See You Again" is wretched. There is no excuse for a line like "So she stares at the stairs... there are many stairs to stare at these days." The answer from Lindsey at the end is nice, though.

I also concur that "The Second Time" is pretty bad, although I like the way she sings "someone that you loved, and would always love." I would add to the Hall of Shame the self-indulgent and rambling "Welcome to the Room... Sara."

I still argue that "Family Man" outsucks them all. However, in this contest, there are no winners!

[jbrownsjr]

Ah yes. The inclusion of that song on the VBoFM was completely inexplicable!!!!! While not everyone holds "Family Man" in as low regard as I do, you'd be hard pressed to find folks who truly believe it deserves to be counted among the "Very Best of Fleetwood Mac."

BTW, I find "Oh Diane" to be catchy and pleasant in a retro-sort of way. "Stand on the Rock" has its moments.

I have to agree that "When I See You Again" is wretched. There is no excuse for a line like "So she stares at the stairs... there are many stairs to stare at these days." The answer from Lindsey at the end is nice, though.

I also concur that "The Second Time" is pretty bad, although I like the way she sings "someone that you loved, and would always love." I would add to the Hall of Shame the self-indulgent and rambling "Welcome to the Room... Sara."

I still argue that "Family Man" outsucks them all. However, in this contest, there are no winners!

Let me add to the weirdness...

I love Oh Diane, "but only after the lip synch video" just cracked me up...
I love When I See You Again mainly because Lindsey and Christine save it...
I love Family Man because of the guitar at the end...
I hate the Second Time.. just really stinks...
I love Welcome to the Room Sara.. Again the chorus is saved by CM LB background vocals... and it's got a nifty arrangement..
I don't really know how I feel about Stand on the Rock... maybe cos it's so generic... but the chord progression is kind of cool at times..

[Street_Dreamer]

Well, since it's on the "Very Best Of" CD, there must be, like, 200 Mac songs that are worse than it. ;)

It's inclusion on the "Very Best Of" CD is likely because Family Man was released as a single.

Matt

[jbrownsjr]

It's inclusion on the "Very Best Of" CD is likely because Family Man was released as a single.

Matt

Haha.. ur right... it was.. in UK and USA or just one or the other?... I can't remember..

[Street_Dreamer]

Haha.. ur right... it was.. in UK and USA or just one or the other?... I can't remember..

Both. It got up to 23 on the A/C charts and 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Matt

[lilwing80]

Hejira --- Good point! You're right. I definitely see that now. I don't know why I didn't think of it that way before.

I also appreciate the spanish guitar on it.

[michelej1]

I have to agree that "When I See You Again" is wretched. There is no excuse for a line like "So she stares at the stairs... there are many stairs to stare at these days." The answer from Lindsey at the end is nice, though.



That is pretty bad. It should get mocked as often as "forgotten chimpanzee" or "it hurts my everything."

Michele

[petep9000]

I love love love the dance/ trance track called 'Te Quiero' from The Cube Guys, released a few years back. It uses a sample of Family Man as it's foundation. I heard it in Europe, and it brings back a lot of memories.

[GoldDustBoy]

I love love love the dance/ trance track called 'Te Quiero' from The Cube Guys, released a few years back. It uses a sample of Family Man as it's foundation. I heard it in Europe, and it brings back a lot of memories.

I was just about to mention that. They played it quite often here a few years ago. They used the Spanish guitar part, which is the only part of the song that doesn't suck a**. It is quite possible that family Man is the worst FM song ever. I kinda like Oh Diane. I don't love it, but it's ok. And I do love The Second Time, and When I See You Again. They both have a kind of sadness in them. It's strange though how both Stevie and Lindsey included their worst songs ever on Tango (Family Man and Welcome To The Room). Oh wait, I forgot about Silver Girl and red Rover... YUCK!

[holidayroad]

[QUOTE=Street_Dreamer;865674]

Well, I'm going to stick my neck in a guillotine and vote for "Stand on the Rock." It's just the most insipidly generic, bland middle-of-the-road piece of bluesy-rock puff-pastry I've ever heard. It belongs on a Sammy Hagar album, not a Fleetwood Mac album.

Even Sammy would know enough to not put 'Stand on the Rock' on an album!

[skuncles]

I have to agree that "When I See You Again" is wretched. There is no excuse for a line like "So she stares at the stairs... there are many stairs to stare at these days." The answer from Lindsey at the end is nice, though.

Except those aren't the lyrics, they are "And she stares and the stairs, ooh there are many things to stare at these days...." Not a huge improvement but still.
Though clearly Stevie has a fixation with stairs. To wit from "Thousand Days":

The closest you've ever come to me
Was to help me up the stairs
You stood in the middle of the stairway
You nearly dragged me up the stairs

The lyric doesn't take you anywhere, just uses the same word repeatedly.

[michelej1]

Oooh, well he took my album and he left it against the stair. And I stared at him all night and he was aware, but he never picked Bella Donna up off of the stair.


Michele

[vivfox]

Except those aren't the lyrics, they are "And she stares and the stairs, ooh there are many things to stare at these days...." Not a huge improvement but still.
Though clearly Stevie has a fixation with stairs. To wit from "Thousand Days":

The closest you've ever come to me
Was to help me up the stairs
You stood in the middle of the stairway
You nearly dragged me up the stairs

The lyric doesn't take you anywhere, just uses the same word repeatedly.

She was dark at the top of the stairs and she called to me.

[sodascouts]

Except those aren't the lyrics, they are "And she stares and the stairs, ooh there are many things to stare at these days...." Not a huge improvement but still.

Forgive the slip! I typed the wrong word. Happens to the best of us, eh? ;)

More fun with stairs:

"I fell down the stairs, a broken rag doll" - Street Angel

And of course.... "I went searching for an answer up the stairs and down the hall"

[WarmSir3]

Downstairs the big old house is mine, upstairs where the stars still laugh and they shine...

[PenguinHead]

Perhaps because the silly vocals are ridiculously distracting. I will never understand why Lindsey thinks they are so clever and cool. The insipidity and repetitiveness of the lyrics doesn't help.

Worst. Mac. Song. Ever.

That award goes to Oh Diane.

It's funny (or not that funny) that both Family Man and Oh Diane were singles! It's amazing that Oh Diane, in particular, was a minor hit in Europe. I even have a 12" picture sleeve record of the song. It's a thin whisp of a song, but it has grown on me, as a little musical sketch.

Some of Lindsey's lyrics push the limits brevity and simplicity, however the evidence from his more recent records shows his lyrics have more substance.

[PenguinHead]

[QUOTE=vivfox;865670]

You must have never listened to When You Say or The Second Time. Talk about a lifeless, dull and depressing song. Stevie's vocals on The Second Time almost make me wish that I had never been born.

Matt

The Second Time was a pathetic attempt to create something emotional on the level of Landslide, but is a huge misfire. For me, it exposes an odd quirk and a big weakness/flaw in Stevie's lyrics -- she obliviously switches tenses within a stanza and it spoils any comprehensible cohesiveness. The last lines of the song is the epitome of it.

Someone that you loved and will aways love second person
The second time around for us first person
She never looked back, she could never look back third person

Uhh!

[holidayroad]

[QUOTE=Street_Dreamer;865674]

The Second Time was a pathetic attempt to create something emotional on the level of Landslide, but is a huge misfire. For me, it exposes an odd quirk and a big weakness/flaw in Stevie's lyrics -- she obliviously switches tenses within a stanza and it spoils any comprehensible cohesiveness. The last lines of the song is the epitome of it.

Someone that you loved and will aways love second person
The second time around for us first person
She never looked back, she could never look back third person

Uhh!

This is exactly what Lindsey was trying to say to her in the Destiny Rules documentary about the lyrics in "Thrown Down" when she was like 'Well, you wouldn't say that to Bob Dylan"

[David]

I think Rick wrote the music & the lead vox melody line of SECOND TIME. I think it's superb -- the melody has its own lyric integrity, & can be sung a cappella with very little loss of musical power.

Stevie's lyrics are good, too -- one of her more believable songs.

[Spikey]

Viv, you rock :)

I wonder if I'll ever listen to BTM. I feel almost afraid I'll enjoy it, I guess.


Family Man is certainly not the worst FM song, there are worse on Tango, let alone FM's career. And if you count b-sides, FM has a lot of ****ty ones of those (albeit a lot of great ones too).

Listen to the extended Family Man and you may see what I see, with an extra verse (a dark one) and a lot more Spanish guitar. Much more enjoyable than the album version.


As to the genesis of Family Man, I always thought it and some other Tango LB tracks were the start of a solo project like OOTC, which he put on hold so that FM could have another record.
A lot of Lindsey's Tango tracks feel like solo stuff to me, like on the Go Insane album.


Oh Diane isn't a bad track either, it's just too simple. I give Lindsey a lot more credit for it after hearing the much angrier demo, very Tusk-like (A Tusk session?), which was obviously pared down to sound like the rest of the album. Same goes for Eyes of the World.


I just want to know who considers Mystified and Empire State better tracks than OD and FM. I don't like Can't Go Back much either, and I love Lindsey.

I used to hate WISYA, but I heard it listening to Tango yesterday and it has qualities I like. Stevie just doesn't do well on the track. Lindsey has such a profound influence on every track on Tango, that's why the album is a good one, for me.
I like Welcome to the Room, it has neat vocals in it, very 80's Stevie. I'm amazed she came up with Seven Wonders and WTTR given how little she was there for TITN.

It's funny (or not that funny) that both Family Man and Oh Diane were singles!
Look at some of the other singles they released over time. Stupid choices, most of them post-Rumours. Guess coke'll do that to you :P


- Spike

[HomerMcvie]

[QUOTE=PenguinHead;866008]

This is exactly what Lindsey was trying to say to her in the Destiny Rules documentary about the lyrics in "Thrown Down" when she was like 'Well, you wouldn't say that to Bob Dylan"
I'd have given my left n*t for Lindsey to have said, "Yeah, well you're no Bob Dylan, you self absorbed loon!"

[michelej1]

[QUOTE=holidayroad;866024]
I'd have given my left n*t for Lindsey to have said, "Yeah, well you're no Bob Dylan, you self absorbed loon!"

To me his face did say, "Well, you're no Bob Dylan." That made it so funny to me. His tongue may not have moved, but the sentiment was there in his eyes.

Of course, I wouldn't have wanted him to call her any names and hope he's more mature than that.

For her part, given the fact that he leaves a sentence completely unfinished in Tusk, I can see why she won't be taking grammar lessons from that ellipsis master any time soon.

Michele

[HomerMcvie]

[QUOTE=HomerMcvie;866037]

To me his face did say, "Well, you're no Bob Dylan." That made it so funny to me. His tongue may not have moved, but the sentiment was there in his eyes.


Right, and the funny thing is, that she thinks she is as good a songwriter as Dylan! :lol:

She IS a self absorbed loon!:sorry:

I wonder if she's ever regretted saying that?

[michelej1]

I wonder if she's ever regretted saying that?

No, I'm sure she pats herself on the back for that great comeback.

It's funny to me that although they're known for their arguing, how the things they do not say to each other, the things they hold back, are pretty interesting.

That's why I laughed so much when Mick didn't say anything to Lindsey's face, but was talking to Ray about him. You can just hear the inner dialogue that must have been going on in Mick's head when Lindsey was discussing making sacrifices for his craft. Later Mick said Lindsey knew he wouldn't ever be in a two room apartment. Point taken, as we saw the construction site for Lindsey's mansion and him driving around in an $80,000 car discussing how he had no allies in the band.

But with them, and so many of the show biz couples really, a lot of the stuff that's amazing to me is what they don't fight about. The quirks and craziness that they just accept from the other person without challenge. I think that's fascinating in a relationship dynamic.

Michele