Thrown Down: What Makes the Song

[Johnny Stew]

The first thing I thought when I heard the demo for "Thrown Down," was that it would make a great single for Fleetwood Mac.
In my opinion, the lyrics walk the fine line between the more straightforward aspects of Christine's lyrical style, and the typically more ponderable style of Stevie's work.
The chorus is catchy, and sticks with you after the song has finished... which always bodes well for repeated radio play.
I think the third-person nature of Stevie's lyrics here, works well, as it leaves the listener to ponder exactly *who* is being sung about.
She's not coming right out and saying, "this is about me and someone"... but she's being coy enough, that one wouldn't feel wrong in making that assumption.

I'm in love with the Fleetwood Mac version, and I think Lindsey did a terrific job on the production. It's not a major departure from Stevie's original demo, but it has enough changes to give it a nice new twist.
And... as always... those two voices just sound amazing together.
I'm a fan of Stevie's voice, and all its quirks, so I imagine it goes without saying that I think she sounds terrific here. And Lindsey sounds particulary committed on his backing vocals, and gives the track a nice edginess.
(To answer your question, CarneVaca... Stevie's vocals are new. Her voice is a little "softer" here than on her demo.)

Overall, the finished product (if this *is* the finished product) might be slightly predictable, as far as Fleetwood Mac's music goes... but it's still heads above 90% of the music being made today.
And quite honestly, i welcome "The Mac Sound" with open arms, so it doesn't bother me if it's slightly reminiscent of their previous work.

I'm happy as a clam!


Johnny Stew