"Go Insane" by Lindsey Buckingham

Song#:  1995
Date:  07/28/1984
Debut:  70
Peak:  23
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Synthpop



Pop Bits:  The last time Fleetwood Mac went on a little hiatus, Buckingham issued his debut solo disc titled Law and Order. It featured his first and only solo Top 10 hit, the #9 "Trouble." Following their 1982 album Mirage and subsequent tour, the Mac took another extended break. Buckingham then retreated to the studio to record his second album Go Insane. Just as he did with his first solo outing, Buckingham once again played nearly every instrument on the LP. The title-track to the album was issued as a first single and it did well at Rock getting to #4. However, it stalled earlier than expected at Pop and got locked out of the Top 20. A second single, "Slow Dancing," was a non-starter and failed to chart. This song would end up being Buckingham's last to reach the Pop chart. His next solo album, Out of the Cradle, would produce a couple of minor entries at both AC and Rock in 1992. He would return to Fleetwood Mac for 1987's Tango in the Night, then quit, then rejoin again later in the 90s. He also continued to release solo discs along the way.

ReduxReview:  I was insanely in love with this song when it came out. Being a student of sound and production, all the stuff Buckingham did with this track just fascinated me. And then the album was even better. I would listen and try to dissect all the layers of sound. Of course, it sounds incredibly 80s now and with all the advancements in technology since then, folk now pretty much have the power to practically replicate this in their living rooms. However, back then it was cool as shit to me. I still love this song and album and was always sad they didn't do better. Yeah, the material may not rival his brilliant Fleetwood Mac songs, but it showed a different side to Buckingham and I loved it.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Depending on who you ask, this song is either about Stevie Nicks or Carol Ann Harris. Nicks had been in a relationship with Buckingham for many years, but by this point they had not been a couple for a long while. Prior to making this album, Buckingham's seven-year relationship with Harris came to an end. Buckingham dedicated the album to Harris and Harris stated in her memoir that the song "Go Insane" was about the couple's breakup. However, Buckingham stated in an interview many years later that the song was about the post-breakup period between he and Nicks. Either way, it seems Buckingham certainly had some traumatic breakups based on the title of the song and album.

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