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"Trouble" is the debut solo single by
Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with ...
, released in 1981 from his debut solo album '' Law and Order''. The single was Buckingham's first hit as a solo artist, peaking at number nine in the US and number 31 in the UK, where it remained charted for seven weeks. In Australia, it topped the chart for three weeks and became the eighth biggest-selling single of 1982. It experienced similar levels of success in South Africa, reaching number one for two weeks and finishing 1982 as the country's 13th best-selling single.


Background

"Trouble" was the only track on ''Law and Order'' on which Buckingham played neither bass nor drums. Buckingham wanted the song to have a "live feel" and recruited George Hawkins and his
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
bandmate
Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John Mc ...
to play bass guitar and drums respectively. Hawkins had previously worked with Fleetwood on '' The Visitor'' earlier that year. He remembered that they played to a pre-existing backing track that Buckingham had prepared. Buckingham believed none of Fleetwood's takes were satisfactory from start to finish, so a
tape loop In music, tape loops are loops of magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound when played on a tape recorder. Originating in the 1940s with the work of Pierre Schaeffer, they were used among ...
of one of Fleetwood's drum tracks (about four seconds long) was used throughout the song: "The irony of that was that the original reason for having Mick play on the song was to approach the track completely live, as opposed to my usual technique." Buckingham later overdubbed some additional drum fills and cymbal crashes to create the illusion of live drums.Madness Fades – Lindsey Buckingham, In His Words
/ref> Buckingham recorded some half-speed guitars for the choruses along with a Spanish influenced guitar solo, the latter of which he was particularly proud of. Buckingham commented in a 2018 interview with ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' that "Trouble" lacked the campiness that the rest of ''Law and Order'' possessed, which he believed factored into the record label's decision to release "Trouble" as a single.


Critical reception

''
Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...
'' called the song an "out-of-the box" smash with a sound that was "simply dazzling." Writing for ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', Sam Sutherland wrote that the song showcased Buckingham's "chiming acoustic guitar signatures" and said that the lyrics were both "coy" and "romantic". Andy Claps of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praised "Trouble" for its "overwhelmingly strong" melody and "soothing atmosphere that slides around the listener like a security blanket."


Music video

The music video for "Trouble" was directed by Jerry Watson and features a multi-instrumental "big band" consisting of six guitarists and six drummers, including
Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John Mc ...
.
Walter Egan Walter Egan (born July 12, 1948) is an American rock musician, best known for his 1978 gold status hit single " Magnet and Steel" from his second album release, ''Not Shy'', produced by Egan, Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut. The song reach ...
also appears in the music video as the second guitarist from the front. The video also features ex-
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
guitarists Bob Welch, who appears in the music video as the third guitarist from the front, and
Bob Weston Bob Weston (born 1965) is an American musician, producer, recording engineer, and record mastering engineer. Critic Jason AnkenyAnkeny, Jason. " Bob Weston: Overview from Allmusic.com declares that "Weston's name and fingerprints are all over t ...
, as well as
Dwight Twilley Dwight Twilley (June 6, 1951 – October 18, 2023) was an American pop/rock singer and songwriter, best known for the top 20 hit singles " I'm on Fire" (1975) and "Girls" (1984). His music is associated with the power pop style. Twilley and Phil ...
, who appears in the music video as the second guitarist from the back, and Andy Ward (the drummer from
Camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
).


Track listings


7": Asylum Records / E-47223 (US)

*A "Trouble" – 3:45 *B "Mary Lee Jones" – 3:12


7": Mercury / 6000 743 (Australia)

*A "Trouble" – 3:56 *B "That's How We Do It in L.A." – 2:52


Personnel

*
Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with ...
– vocals, guitars,
electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...
, drum overdubs and percussion *George Hawkins –
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
*
Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John Mc ...
– drums


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


In other media

* The song is heard in the film ''
Just One of the Guys ''Just One of the Guys'' is a 1985 American teen comedy film directed by Lisa Gottlieb and co-written by Dennis Feldman and Jeff Franklin. It is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night''. The film stars Joyce Hyser, C ...
'' during the blind date. * Metavari recorded a cover version of "Trouble" for their 2017
Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
release, ''Metropolis (An Original Re-Score by Metavari),'' on One Way Static Records and distributed in the United States by
Light in the Attic Records Light in the Attic Records is an independent record label that was established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan. The label is known for its roster of reissue projects and for its distribution catalog. Light in the Attic has re-re ...
. * The song is heard over the credits in the final episode of the controversial
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series ''
13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' (also stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is an American teen drama television series based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. Developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and with Selena Gomez ser ...
''.


References

{{Authority control 1981 songs 1981 debut singles Lindsey Buckingham songs Songs written by Lindsey Buckingham Number-one singles in Australia Song recordings produced by Richard Dashut Asylum Records singles Number-one singles in South Africa