View Full Version : The smile I live for
Macfan4life
01-10-2015, 10:27 AM
This is one of my all time favorite Christine songs. I know there are some young people on this board that probably don't know or ever listened to Christine's solo album. Its full of gems like this. This song captivates me. Even better Lindsey Buckingham plays guitar on it. I remember an interview with Christine in 1984 about this song. It was one of the few songs she wrote where she had the title first and then wrote the lyrics. When she began recording her solo album a friend of hers showed Christine a photo of her and her new husband and the woman said.....that is the smile I live for. Christine was like....wow... Can I use that in a song? The rest in history. There is an amazing live version of this with a really cool echo effects on the vocals.
Enjoy. Christine's smile is the smile I live for :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SygGLVKZ0Q
ironman_01701
01-10-2015, 02:54 PM
Chrislover what do you think of this photo of a beautiful 71 year old, and how have you been? :shrug:
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s379/ironman_01701/ChrisSmile_zps301f04a9.jpg (http://s1048.photobucket.com/user/ironman_01701/media/ChrisSmile_zps301f04a9.jpg.html)
pwyll
01-11-2015, 01:23 PM
Always wished this would have been on a Mac album. I can hear Stevie's haunting "oohs" all over this song.
jbrownsjr
01-12-2015, 10:18 AM
Fantastic photo, and song.
PenguinHead
01-12-2015, 11:28 PM
It's notable that the lyrics of the song don't include the title of the song -- a rare instance.
Ideally. if the Rumours era Fleetwood Mac band had been a little more functional and prolific, they would have produced a few more than just five albums. Songs like The Smile I Live For would be a perfect fit on those "could have been" albums. Even the most short-lived bands can claim a larger sonic landscape. Our only concession is the wide array of of solo albums.
The Mamas & Papas (the dysfunctional drama-induced precursor to Fleetwood Mac), managed to produce four albums in the mere three years together, before calling it quits. However rigid expectations and commercial demands were different in that era -- if you didn't put out at least one or two albums a year, your career was at risk.
Christine's song Friend, from her last album, sounds so much like a long-lost great Fleetwood Mac song.
Macfan4life
01-13-2015, 07:44 AM
It's notable that the lyrics of the song don't include the title of the song -- a rare instance.
Ideally. if the Rumours era Fleetwood Mac band had been a little more functional and prolific, they would have produced a few more than just five albums. Songs like The Smile I Live For would be a perfect fit on those "could have been" albums. Even the most short-lived bands can claim a larger sonic landscape. Our only concession is the wide array of of solo albums.
The Mamas & Papas (the dysfunctional drama-induced precursor to Fleetwood Mac), managed to produce four albums in the mere three years together, before calling it quits. However rigid expectations and commercial demands were different in that era -- if you didn't put out at least one or two albums a year, your career was at risk.
Christine's song Friend, from her last album, sounds so much like a long-lost great Fleetwood Mac song.
I agree that Friend sounds like Fleetwood Mac. It almost has a You Make Loving Fun feel to it. But Christine IS Fleetwood Mac IMHO so it should come as no surprise some of her songs sound like the Mac. I don't think Got a Hold on Me sounds like the Mac but many have said that song has a Mac sound with her peppy lyrics.
Back to her 1984 album......so many fantastic songs that I would never change anything with like Ask Anybody with Stevie Winwood on keyboards and Mick Fleetwood on drums and the Challenge with Eric Clapton on guitar. New Mac fans should give this album a good listen.
[QUOTE=Macfan4life;1157901]I agree that Friend sounds like Fleetwood Mac. It almost has a You Make Loving Fun feel to it. But Christine IS Fleetwood Mac IMHO so it should come as no surprise some of her songs sound like the Mac. I don't think Got a Hold on Me sounds like the Mac but many have said that song has a Mac sound with her peppy lyrics.
When Got a Hold on Me was released I thought how this would have been a great Fleetwood Mac track . If the MAC had a 1984 release I would have loved a full band recording of;
Got a Hold on Me
The Smile I Live For
The Challenge
Slow Dancing
Loving Cup
Go Insane
Has Anyone Ever Written Anyting For You
If I Were you
Talk to Me
aleuzzi
01-14-2015, 09:41 PM
This song, along with One in a Million, is my favorite on that album. A somber, majestic ballad.
jbrownsjr
01-15-2015, 03:16 PM
This song, along with One in a Million, is my favorite on that album. A somber, majestic ballad.
I love them both, too! Just ask anybody, they'll tell you that they really got a hold on me and it was a challege not to listen to them. Sorry, I was so excited!
PenguinHead
01-21-2015, 06:12 AM
Always wished this would have been on a Mac album. I can hear Stevie's haunting "oohs" all over this song.
Thata song that could easily slip into the groove if performed live with the band. Since Christine is the Mac of Fleetwood Mac, any of her solo songs would seamlessly work. When I hear her song Friend, I always feel like it's a long-lost, would-be Fleetwood Mac song --- on an album they might have made between Mirage and Tango, or after The Dance.
It's too bad they didn't explore more suitable choices of their solo material in the context of Fleetwood Mac. Stand Back was an incongruous choice, as was Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You, Go Insane was given a solo Big Love treatment. I really liked it when Rick Vito brought back some Peter Green era material to their live shows.
Lindsey was great with OhWell. The could have done justice to songs like Trouble, Got a Hold on Me, Nightbird etc.. just to freshen up the set lists and add an element of surprise to the shows.
aleuzzi
01-21-2015, 08:39 AM
I love them both, too! Just ask anybody, they'll tell you that they really got a hold on me and it was a challege not to listen to them. Sorry, I was so excited!
Your punning means Anything is Possible.
jbrownsjr
01-21-2015, 03:34 PM
Your punning means Anything is Possible.
And I'm Givin back to you!
vermicious knid
02-11-2023, 06:57 PM
This song is so wonderful and deeply felt. It's the best song on the 1984 album, and it should have been the second single after Got a Hold on Me.
Anyways, I'm bumping this because it's been too long since this song got some appreciation.
I went looking for live versions since the link in the first post is dead now, and I found out the music is a lot older than I knew! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzEzPviwyzY
Macfan4life
02-11-2023, 07:25 PM
This song is so wonderful and deeply felt. It's the best song on the 1984 album, and it should have been the second single after Got a Hold on Me.
Anyways, I'm bumping this because it's been too long since this song got some appreciation.
I went looking for live versions since the link in the first post is dead now, and I found out the music is a lot older than I knew! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzEzPviwyzY
Yeah its really cool that Chris kept this piano riff around for so many years and finally wrote a song that fit with it perfectly. Its a shame the live track was removed from youtube. The echo effect really took the song to another level. In concert, they had these mirrors that the lights would hit off of towards Chris. It really was something.
[quote=macfan4life;1157901]i agree that friend sounds like fleetwood mac. It almost has a you make loving fun feel to it. But christine is fleetwood mac imho so it should come as no surprise some of her songs sound like the mac. I don't think got a hold on me sounds like the mac but many have said that song has a mac sound with her peppy lyrics.
When got a hold on me was released i thought how this would have been a great fleetwood mac track . If the mac had a 1984 release i would have loved a full band recording of;
got a hold on me
the smile i live for
the challenge
slow dancing
loving cup
go insane
has anyone ever written anything for you
if i were you
talk to me
SteveMacD
02-13-2023, 03:44 AM
I Want You
If Anyone Falls
The Challenge
Go Insane
Nothing Ever Changes
Who’s Dreaming This Dream
—
Got A Hold On Me
I Must Go
Stand Back
Slow Dancing
Enchanted
The Smile I live For
bombaysaffires
02-13-2023, 10:54 PM
This song is so wonderful and deeply felt. It's the best song on the 1984 album, and it should have been the second single after Got a Hold on Me.
Anyways, I'm bumping this because it's been too long since this song got some appreciation.
I went looking for live versions since the link in the first post is dead now, and I found out the music is a lot older than I knew! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzEzPviwyzY
I find it not surprising that Stevie's motivation for them writing together is based on money-- "we could form a corporation" and do this for x hours a week and "be millionairesses in two years"...... Not something that would ever have occurred to or motivated Christine
SteveMacD
02-13-2023, 11:03 PM
I find it not surprising that Stevie's motivation for them writing together is based on money-- "we could form a corporation" and do this for x hours a week and "be millionairesses in two years"...... Not something that would ever have occurred to or motivated Christine
Especially since they were all already millionaires.
However, I’m wondering if the context was they’d be like a Los Angeles mega-hit Tin Pan Alley. If that’s the case, it wasn’t a stupid idea.
bombaysaffires
02-14-2023, 12:20 AM
Especially since they were all already millionaires.
However, I’m wondering if the context was they’d be like a Los Angeles mega-hit Tin Pan Alley. If that’s the case, it wasn’t a stupid idea.
It's possible.... She used to refer to herself and Sandy Stewart as Rodgers and Hammerstein ....:shocked:
HomerMcvie
02-14-2023, 02:11 AM
It's possible.... She used to refer to herself and Sandy Stewart as Rodgers and Hammerstein ....:shocked:
Would you say that to Blob Dylan?
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