I'm So Afraid
| "I'm So Afraid" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Fleetwood Mac | |
| from the album Fleetwood Mac | |
| A-side | "Over My Head" |
| Released | September 1975 (US) / February 1976 (UK) |
| Recorded | February 1975 |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 4:22 3:08 (Single remix) |
| Label | Reprise |
| Songwriter(s) | Lindsey Buckingham |
| Producer(s) | Fleetwood Mac, Keith Olsen |
| "I'm So Afraid (Live)" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Fleetwood Mac | |
| from the album The Dance | |
| Released | 19 August 1997 (The Dance) 12 October 2002 (US version of The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac) 2009 (UK version of said compilation) |
| Recorded | 23 May 1997 |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 7:45 6:01 (Compilation edit) |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Lindsey Buckingham |
| Producer(s) | Lindsey Buckingham Elliot Scheiner |
"I'm So Afraid" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham for the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac for their tenth album, Fleetwood Mac. The song was intended for a second Buckingham Nicks album, but the album never came to fruition.[1]
Background
[edit]Like all other Buckingham and Nicks compositions on Fleetwood Mac's 1975 eponymous album, “I'm So Afraid” was written before Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac.[2] Buckingham wrote "I'm So Afraid" around the time he was suffering from a bout of mononucleosis.[3] Mick Fleetwood said in his 2014 autobiography that Buckingham had labored over the song for four years and had gotten "the harmony of the guitar parts so in tune they were a virtual orchestra unto themselves."[1] Buckingham incorporated musical themes from church music on "I'm So Afraid" and built the song's chord progression around a series of triads.[2]
"I'm So Afraid" is the final track of the album, and was released as the B-side to the song "Over My Head". It is a hard rock song, atypical of Fleetwood Mac's songs (at least following the Peter Green era), but it quickly became a live staple showcasing Lindsey Buckingham's guitar skills.[4] The studio version of the song is in G natural minor, but live versions are usually transposed down to F natural minor.[5]
In his book Making Rumours, producer Ken Caillat noted how different "I'm So Afraid" sounded during live performances. Compared to the album version, which Caillat described as "mellower with a folk rock vibe", live performances saw "I'm So Afraid" become a "faster, hard-edged song."[6] Buckingham said that performing the song live is "very taxing on a nightly basis because it's got this very long solo that I have to do every night."[7] He has played the song for solo performances, beginning with the Out of the Cradle Tour in 1992–1993.[8]
The song appeared on all of the band's live albums recorded after its release, including Live, The Dance, Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston, the 2015 box set of Tusk, and Rumours Live.[9][10][11] The live recording from The Dance was included in an edited form on the US 2002 and UK 2009 release of the greatest hits compilation album The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac.[12] Buckingham also included the song on his solo live albums Live at the Bass Performance Hall, Songs from the Small Machine: Live in L.A., and One Man Show.
Critical reception
[edit]"I'm So Afraid" has generally received positive reviews from music critics. In his review of the band's 1975 self-titled album, Bud Scopa of Rolling Stone thought that the song stood out upon repeated listens.[13] In 2022, the same publication ranked the "I'm So Afraid" 34th on its list of the top 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs, labeling it a "paranoid blues blowout".[4] The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the song a "soulful closer".[14]
Track listing
[edit]- US vinyl, 7", Single (Reprise Records - RPS 1339)
- "Over My Head" – 3:17
- "I'm So Afraid" – 4:15
Personnel
[edit]- Lindsey Buckingham – lead vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitar
- Christine McVie – keyboards
- Stevie Nicks – backing vocals
- John McVie – bass guitar
- Mick Fleetwood – drums
References
[edit]- ^ a b Fleetwood, Mick; Bozza, Anthony (October 2014). Play On: Now, Then & Fleetwood Mac. New York: Little, Brown And Company. pp. 164, 169. ISBN 978-0-316-40342-9.
- ^ a b Lenker, Maureen Lee (14 September 2021). "Lindsey Buckingham Breaks Down 10 of His Best Guitar Riffs". EW.com. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ Howe, Zoë (2015). Stevie Nicks: Visions, Dreams, & Rumours. Omnibus Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-4683-1066-5.
- ^ a b Sheffield, Christopher R. Weingarten, David Browne, Jon Dolan, Corinne Cummings, Keith Harris, Rob (11 July 2017). "Fleetwood Mac's 50 Greatest Songs [No. 34]". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, p.89. ISBN 978-0-300-09239-4.
- ^ Caillat, Ken (2012). "Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album". Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-118-21808-2.
- ^ Taysom, Joe (31 December 2023). "Fleetwood Mac song Lindsey Buckingham struggled to perform". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Heng, Melissa (March 18, 1993). "Buckingham Does Just Fine Solo, Also Offers Some Fleetwood Mac". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ Egan, Sean, ed. (2016). Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters. Chicago Review Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-161373-234-2.
- ^ Sinclair, Paul (29 October 2015). "Fleetwood Mac / Tusk / 8-disc super deluxe edition box set". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ Vito, Jo (8 September 2023). "Fleetwood Mac Unveil Rumours Live from 1977". Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Wild, David (2002). The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac (Liner Notes). Fleetwood Mac. Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Records Inc. p. 12.
- ^ Scopa, Bud (25 September 1975). "Fleetwood Mac". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ Coleman, Mark; Kemp, Mark (2004). "Fleetwood Mac". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 303–304. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
