Under The Influence: Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac)

When you think about the Beatles, it’s usually about the sophisticated way they used pop elements and whatever they were being turned on to by George Martin to do things that hadn’t been done before. [I Saw Her Standing There] is just a standard three chord song, but it’s a rock and roll classic. It still explodes at you when you hear it today. There’s even a terrific live version on [Anthology 1] that made me go, “My God, these guys could really play." It represents in its earliest and most naïve incarnation all the buoyancy the Beatles had to offer. 

Lindsey Buckingham Lava Magazine 

12:13 Sun King

Sun King by John Coulthart

Welcome back to Beatles Sonwriting Academy and the first post of 2011!!!!

Did I say the Beatles rarely ripped off other groups? I spoke too soon. Sun King is a lame parody of Fleetwood Mac’s snoozefest Albatross. In Feb ’69 Peter Green’s lazy instrumental was topping the UK charts. 5 months later the Beatles were ripping it off in order to produce this sloppy soporific song that doesn’t really stand up – in or out – of the Long One medley.

In 1980 Lennon said the song was "garbage". In 2011 I agree with him. We have the Albatross section in E major, followed by a ‘chorus’ in C major. The chorus section is OK, but Lennon could write tunes like that in his sleep. The third section, is a recap of the Albatross section topped off with a monotonal vocal (in 3 or 4 part harmony) singing gibberish - a combination of Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and ‘Scouse’. Here’s a couple of attempts at translation

When, by a lot, my love gives happiness to my heart,
World reporters, my love girl is green for all.
Thanks for this very much, what big hearts

- Jerry619, San Diego

When, for a lot, my love [has a] happy face,
World paparazzi, my love girl parasol.
How much is the overcoat?
So [very] much that can eat it. Carousel

- Jen, NY

Verdict? The most original thing on this track is the synthesized crickets.

Here’s a few quotes from the very wonderful The Beatles Ultimate Experience (aka BeatlesInterview.org)  – highly recommended...

JOHN 1969: "We just started joking, you know, singing `quando para mucho.´ Paul knew a few Spanish words from school, so we just strung any Spanish words that sounded vaguely like something. And of course we got `chicka ferdy´ in. That´s a Liverpool expression...it doesn´t mean anything to me but (childish taunting) `na-na, na-na-na!´ `Cake and eat it´ is another nice line too, because they have that in Spanish-- 'Que' or something.

GEORGE 1987: "At the time, 'Albatross' was out, with all the reverb on guitar. So we said, 'Let's be Fleetwood Mac doing Albatross, just to get going.' It never really sounded like Fleetwood Mac... but that was the point of origin."