Use this thread to express your hatred of "Don't Stop"...

Jyqm · #1 10-15-2005, 03:10 PM

Inspired by something David posted on AMFM over on Usenet, I'm creating this thread just so people can complain about "Don't Stop."

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the song on its own. And the Dance version with the marching band is really great.

But I think it totally ruins the flow of Rumours. It's not that it's a kooky upbeat shuffle; that's cool. I think it's mostly that it's a kooky upbeat shuffle with lyrics that belong in a self-help program more than on a rock album. Chris' other contributions to the album are so perfect, but Rumours sets such a perfect desperate mood with the sequence of the first three songs... and then it all comes crashing down in a barrage of tinkling piano and "Hey, you can do it!" lyrics. Good thing we've got "Go Your Own Way" right after it to thrust us right back into the swing of things.

DavidMn · #2 10-15-2005, 03:12 PM

Well, Don't Stop is definitely down on my list of Chris' favorite songs. And part of it is because it's one of like 3 Fleetwood Mac songs that get regular airplay on the radio these days, the other is that it's just a little too pedestrian for me.

Jyqm · #4 10-15-2005, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

It's funny, I always think I hate this song and then when it comes on my iPod I find myself tapping my feet and humming along.
I think I'm so used to it on Rumours now, I can't tell if it ruins the flow. Maybe I'll give the album another listen, with this in mind...

I actually only came to this realization last night, after years of not disliking it. Don't let memory or habit fool you!

GateandGarden · #5 10-15-2005, 03:38 PM

Okay, this is the thing about me and "Don't Stop." I like it except for this part--"If your life was bad to you/just think what tomorrow will do." Okay, I guess I'm the only person who can't help but take it in a completely different way from what she obviously meant. Context clues tell me it's supposed to be an affirmation (you don't say!) but it doesn't sound like it to my ears. Am I more of a cynic than I realize? To me, it's like "Man, if you think things suck bad now, just wait! You have no idea!"

I really do like the third verse. So much of the rest of it is painfully cheesy. I don't hate it. It just isn't a favorite.

stargazer99 · #6 10-15-2005, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GateandGarden

Okay, this is the thing about me and "Don't Stop." I like it except for this part--"If your life was bad to you/just think what tomorrow will do." Okay, I guess I'm the only person who can't help but take it in a completely different way from what she obviously meant. Context clues tell me it's supposed to be an affirmation (you don't say!) but it doesn't sound like it to my ears. Am I more of a cynic than I realize? To me, it's like "Man, if you think things suck bad now, just wait! You have no idea!"

I totally agree! I always think the same thing when I hear this line. I always thought it was the pessimist in me!

SortaSavageLike · #7 10-15-2005, 03:41 PM

Ever get into a really horrible argument with someone, and about a third of the way through, someone completely spaced out would wander into the room, cheerfully requesting that "everybody quit the fussing and the fueding!" and offering to make coffee or to freshen up the room a bit?

Don't Stop is like that.

Mari · #8 10-15-2005, 03:58 PM

Oh thank you for giving this opportunity. I do really hate it and have hated it for years. It's cheesy. It's been a big hit here, which means I've heard it too much. GYOW suffers from that problem too, but at least that one isn't as cheesy.

GateandGarden · #9 10-16-2005, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SortaSavageLike

Ever get into a really horrible argument with someone, and about a third of the way through, someone completely spaced out would wander into the room, cheerfully requesting that "everybody quit the fussing and the fueding!" and offering to make coffee or to freshen up the room a bit?

Don't Stop is like that.

You know, this thread has been a curse. It has made me think about that song way too much. Your assessment is both humorous and dead-on.

I don't like to think about this song because then I realize how bad it is. If I don't think about it, I think Oh, it has a nice beat and it's Christine and awwww...she wrote it for John.

If I allow myself to think about it any further, it pisses me off, knowing a bit of the story. They were getting a divorce. He didn't want to get a divorce. He was very much in love with her. Okay, I'm putting myself in his shoes. I would be feeling really, really ****ty. And then she writes this song for me, this "oh, you'll get over it" and "turn that frown upside down" song. That would make me want to say "Go f*ck yourself!" The last thing I want is the person who rejected me saying, "Oh, you'll get over it. Tomorrow is a brand new day!"

If I were the suicidal type, that might be the nail in coffin. I would be like, "Lady, get a clue! You are the love of my life! 'It'll be better than before' is not going to alleviate a damn thing!" I mean, it's just so amazingly shallow and it doesn't acknowledge the pain he must have felt at all. The third verse tries to but still misses the mark, I think. And you know, it would be the last thing I would want to hear after "You Make Lovin' Fun." The only thing worse than that is knowing that she's say "You make lovin' fun and I don't have to tell you that you're the only one" and "I never did believe in miracles" etc. and she's talking about someone else!

Obviously I'm using this thread as something cathartic and I'm in a vile mood but I really believe what I'm saying.

Of course David does have a point when he says that for FM, it's not all about the lyrics by any means. I would say that it's more about the lyrics than it is for, I don't know, Barry Manilow, though. I didn't think they were known for crappy lyrics. I also know, as I said before, that Christine and all the others can write better lyrics than that.

shackin'up · #10 10-16-2005, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

I actually only came to this realization last night, after years of not disliking it. Don't let memory or habit fool you!

Well I understand what you say, but for me this irritating feelgood-song really helped me through difficult heartbroken moments when I was a little boy in love between 12 and 18. So memory in this case cannot be cut off for me in the analysis or critization of the album nor the song. It's there and it made the mac big several times. I think it's an irritating song but it makes me feel happy and strong. How can you be against that.

amber · #11 10-15-2005, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

It's funny, I always think I hate this song and then when it comes on my iPod I find myself tapping my feet and humming along.
I think I'm so used to it on Rumours now, I can't tell if it ruins the flow. Maybe I'll give the album another listen, with this in mind...

That's been happening to me, too. But not quite as much. I used to hate it, never listen, always skip. But now, occasionally, I don't hate it for one second.

I usually still mostly do, though. Still, I never listen to it all in a row, on rumours.
I feel like I'm losing my edge now that my hatred has faded a smidge. I'm becoming complacent to crap.

Oh, well, it worked for RAL (the song), too.

MacFans · #12 10-15-2005, 04:33 PM

Likes Don't Stop. Even though it is cheesy, it still makes me feel good every time I hear it. Rumours is such an intense record so it's nice to have a more playful song to balance it out.

(Syd)

David · #13 10-15-2005, 04:37 PM

I don't hate "Don't Stop" but I do hate the way the band has played it live since 1987 all the way to the present. That's because I hate the anthemic, get-em-in-the-aisles quality of the song, which is all they emphasize these days; but I love the sharp, muscular shuffle-on-speed aspect of it, which seems to be gone.

I ... guess ... I like it on the Rumours album, although I think it's the single biggest reason that Fleetwood Mac was blasted for being a bubblegum pop outfit, which was pretty unjust even before Tusk came along.

SortaSavageLike · #14 10-15-2005, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

I ... guess ... I like it on the Rumours album, although I think it's the single biggest reason that Fleetwood Mac was blasted for being a bubblegum pop outfit, which was pretty unjust even before Tusk came along.

I bet if you walked up to any ordinary man on the street and asked "Have you heard of Fleetwood Mac", they would respond "Oh yeah, they did that lame "Don't Stop!" thing for Slick Willy!"

Of course, I was like that until a couple years ago, until I realized that song didn't represent the band's back catalogue in it's entirety.

**mylittledemon** · #15 10-15-2005, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

Inspired by something David posted on AMFM over on Usenet, I'm creating this thread just so people can complain about "Don't Stop."

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the song on its own. And the Dance version with the marching band is really great.

But I think it totally ruins the flow of Rumours. It's not that it's a kooky upbeat shuffle; that's cool. I think it's mostly that it's a kooky upbeat shuffle with lyrics that belong in a self-help program more than on a rock album. Chris' other contributions to the album are so perfect, but Rumours sets such a perfect desperate mood with the sequence of the first three songs... and then it all comes crashing down in a barrage of tinkling piano and "Hey, you can do it!" lyrics. Good thing we've got "Go Your Own Way" right after it to thrust us right back into the swing of things.

You may be biased like me. I think it depends partly on your age, and when you started hearing the tune. That song, now, gets associated with the Clinton-Presidential-Theme. Back in the 70s I'm sure the vibe was different. I personally dont think of Bill Clinton when I hear this song. I think it's a great "pop" song, probably the poppiest pop song on the album...nothing more.