Like or Dislike: Whole Lotta Trouble

[skcin]

Words cannot describe my dislike for this song. OK, I'll try anyway. Hate seems such a strong word, but I think it's appropriate here. I hate it. I hate the HORNS/brass/whatever the most - you guys know how I feel about horns in Stevie songs. I hate the finger snapping. I hate the lyrics. I hate the rhythm. I hate the bass and the slide guitar. The chorus may be her worst ever. GAH! I just do not like it. I almost always skip it when it some on.

I don't know what they were going for here and I'm shocked & disillusioned that she co-wrote it with Mike Campbell - how can such a **** song come from two such talented people? Is it supposed to be bluesy? Sexy? Sassy? Rock? I don't get it.

Now here's the bizarre thing. If I do leave it playing, I sometimes sing along with it. WTF? I don't understand it. The first note plays & I cringe, yet I sing along. Especially "Not guilty, have mercy!" I have no defense, no explanation, no reasoning. I need help.

I NEVER want to see it back in the setlist - if it ever returns, it will be my pee break.

BTW - I hate it so much I can't bring myself to think up anything cute & happy for the poll options. I feel that strongly about it.

[gldstwmn]

I have never been able to get into this song. It was always my bathroom break when it was in the set.

[amber]

Wow, I'm suprised. That song really grew on me, in that way that I got Timespace first and had hardly any other Mac/Stevie for years. It's an unusual song for Stevie, I think. The stop go rhythms and those horns intrigue me. It has a slight flavor of a stripper song (the music, not the words). You know "*Bwaaaahhhh, bwahhh, bwahdleompbwahhhh!* Could you change yo miiind.intheverylastmoment, wouldjasaySTOP!forasecond" etc. Admittedly, I usually don't care for horns with Stevie, but this is an exception.
The bwah part is the one that reminds me of stripper music. So, yeah, I can't think of any other Stevie song like it and I really do enjoy the strange vocal rhythm. The midslowtempo of the chorus drags a little for me, but over all I think it's a lovely curiosity. It has chutzpah. There's some good yellsinging, some romantic anger...yep, yep, it's good.

[Johnny Stew]

I love the lyrics and Stevie's vocal, but I find the album mix to be rather leaden. However, I love Tom Lord-Alge's single remix. His little touches (especially the echo on Stevie's vocal, and the editing of the end choruses so that the track is tighter) make all the difference for me.

So that version is a favorite of mine.

I have never liked this song live though. No, I take that back -- I thought the Woodstock performance on the Enchanted Tour was great. Stevie seemed to be having fun with it.
But other than that, it's not a live favorite... total dullsville.

[Sahara]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I love the lyrics and Stevie's vocal, but I find the album mix to be rather leaden. However, I love Tom Lord-Alge's single remix. His little touches (especially the echo on Stevie's vocal, and the editing of the end choruses so that the track is tighter) make all the difference for me.

I haven't heard this -- can you post? I'm still trying to make up my mind on this song. I think most of the time I need to be in the mood for it.

[Jyqm]

I've got very mixed feelings on this song. (Anybody notice a pattern in how I feel about these TOSOTM tracks?) Let's see if I can parse them out:

First the music. I actually like it quite a bit. No dominating synth-y keyboards, no f***ing Kenny G. So in those two respects, this track already leaps above the rest of the pack on this album. Plus, I don't feel like I have a head cold listening to this track. As far as "what they were going for" - of course I can't think of any song titles at the moment, but I think this song is very much in the same vein of a certain kind of sorta-bluesy rock music that seemed to be somewhat popular at the end of the 80s. I could hear Bonnie Raitt singing this song - not the lyrics, but the music has something of a Bonnie Raitt feel to me. I like the horns, I like the snaps, I love the guitar; all of them give this song a lot of attitude, something sorely missing from the blander offerings on this album. That said, the chorus is atrocious in that it's just terribly boring. The verses setting up such an interesting feel, and you get the sense that things ought to just explode with the chorus, but instead you just get this boring nothing of a beat. It's like a void in the middle of the song.

Next: vocal. Once again, lots of attitude, at least during the verses. There's not much of a melody, but this song is about the rhythm, so it works. Stevie molds her voice and her verses around this great stop-start beat, and it really propels the song (as does the kick-ass bridge; where's that vocal power on the rest of this album?). Unfortunately, it doesn't propel it towards anything, because the choruses are a bunch of boring nothing. Even the overdubbed wailing vocals can't save the chorus; it just sounds boring and stationary, while the rest of the song wants to slink along and sneak up on you for a surprise attack that unfortunately never materializes.

Last and definitely least: The lyrics. What a mess. The core idea here - being unsure about whether or not you should really leave that troublesome lover - is a good one (and one that really fits the music), and the first verse sets it up really nicely, but everything just falls apart after that. All the crap about the angel's dream - huh? "Not guilty... have mercy..." - huh? This is just a big sloppy mess in dire need of an editor. Someone should have sat Stevie down and said, "Look, this is a great idea, but all of this after the first verse - this is a bunch of crap, and it doesn't make any sense, even for you. Go home and rewrite it and come back tomorrow with something better, because you know you can do better than this."

So there's my take. Once again, a TOSOTM track that has a lot of hidden potential but unfortunately gets derailed, though this time it's mostly Stevie's fault.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by Sahara

I haven't heard this -- can you post?

Do you have 'Timespace' or 'Enchanted'? The version of "Whole Lotta Trouble" on both of those releases is the single remix.

[petep9000]

The funny thing is that in their review of TOSOTM 'People' magazine called WLT "...her most credible dance-floor entry since 'Stand Back'..."
I remember reading that and being like WTF??? How can you dance to WLT? It's such a plodding mopey song, and it was my pee-break during the tours she performed it. I think I read on the nicksfix Lori saying that she hated WLT because there was an extended synth/horn solo thing and everyone was expected to dance to it and she felt embarassed.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

All the crap about the angel's dream - huh? "Not guilty... have mercy..." - huh?

You reminded me of my least favorite part!
"And the angel said, 'Well you must have had a dream'
And you remember it, till the dream followed through...
Till the, ooh, end of the dream...and the dream came true...."

Yeah, Stevie definitely could have written better. At least she redeems herself (to a certain degree) with the terrific, diva-licious next line, "when I want something -- I get it!"

[amber]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

Last and definitely least: The lyrics. What a mess. The core idea here - being unsure about whether or not you should really leave that troublesome lover - is a good one (and one that really fits the music), and the first verse sets it up really nicely, but everything just falls apart after that. All the crap about the angel's dream - huh? "Not guilty... have mercy..." - huh? This is just a big sloppy mess in dire need of an editor. Someone should have sat Stevie down and said, "Look, this is a great idea, but all of this after the first verse - this is a bunch of crap, and it doesn't make any sense, even for you. Go home and rewrite it and come back tomorrow with something better, because you know you can do better than this."

Oh, suprise, the lyrics are being called out. Sure, to be awesomely proper, they should be reworked extensively. But for a Stevie song, it's fine to me. I understand her emotion, and isn't that really Stevie's whole point? Those disjointed words do paint an emotional picture for me. That may not be true for many people, and I get that. But for me, it is just regular Stevie, and I get her point.
I like your analysis of the music.
And that "dream" part? The best rhythm in the whole song.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by amber

Oh, suprise, the lyrics are being called out. Sure, to be awesomely proper, they should be reworked extensively. But for a Stevie song, it's fine to me.

That's my point - even for a Stevie song, I think it's awful. (Hence the "this doesn't make any sense, even for you" comment.) I know better than to expect linear or "proper" songwriting from Ms. Nicks, and I love the way she can throw together a bunch of images or "quotes" or whatever to paint an emotional or psychological picture, but I think this song really fails on that level, at least beyond the first verse.

And that "dream" part? The best rhythm in the whole song.

Agreed! I love the rhythm there. I just think the words are crap. Not only do they not make sense, they don't even make Stevie-sense.

[markolas]

I think it's an okay song, although I do prefer the version on Enchanted and Timespace. As for the lyrics...I don't see how they're any worse than on any of the other songs from this album. I mean, really.

[petep9000]

Stevie apparently wrote half a dozen versions of WLT. She said this in a radio interview I had, she said she played it for Mike Campbell in his hotel room while sitting on the floor plunking out the chords on her guitar. He liked it (eeek) and told her he'd work on it. When they regrouped 6 months later she had forgotten about that version and instead was "really into" her new versions of WLT. Michael told her "no Stevie, this is how we wrote it remember", Stevie said she hated being told what to do but adored Michael so WLT was recorded the way it was.

[amber]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

That's my point - even for a Stevie song, I think it's awful. (Hence the "this doesn't make any sense, even for you" comment.) I know better than to expect linear or "proper" songwriting from Ms. Nicks, and I love the way she can throw together a bunch of images or "quotes" or whatever to paint an emotional or psychological picture, but I think this song really fails on that level, at least beyond the first verse.



Agreed! I love the rhythm there. I just think the words are crap. Not only do they not make sense, they don't even make Stevie-sense.

Ah. I guess the difference is that I think it all does make Stevie sense. Whatever that is. Which is the other part of my point, do you really have standards for Stevie making sense? I've eschewed mine long ago, if ever I had any. To me, that's just something that is futile to try and measure.
I see your point, but I think there are other songs that make equally less sense.

Edit - yeah, what Markolas said about the lyrics
Edit, again - I never heard that, Pete9000! Interesting. But would the new one that stevie did have been better? I wouldn't bet on it.

[foxyluva]

I Love OSOTM - and this is my least favourite. I just really don't like it. Probably my least favourite Stevie song of the 80's