Lindsey Buckingham explains the “limitations” of his songwriting
Although he is celebrated for a multitude of reasons, the eminence afforded to Lindsey Buckingham is primarily due to his aptitude as a songwriter. A master of melody, famed for his unique form of fingerpicking on the guitar, the Californian musician penned some of the best-loved songs by Fleetwood Mac, including ‘Go Your Own Way’ and ‘Monday Morning’.
Whilst his significance is somewhat overlooked in the story of Fleetwood Mac due to the prominence of Stevie Nicks and Peter Green, Buckingham’s work with the band and as a solo artist evidence the breadth of his skill. Despite his work being so celebrated, though, he has been dismissive of the plaudits awarded to him over the years and played down the quality of his efforts.
When speaking on the Sodajerker On Songwriting podcast in 2021, it was put to the former Fleetwood Mac man that he once described himself as more of a “stylist” than “a writer”. Asked if he was being modest in this assertion, Buckingham then proceeded to outline what he believes are the “limitations” of his songwriting.
He began: “Right after all the stuff went down with Fleetwood Mac at the beginning of 2018, I decided I would put out a Best Of compilation of just my solo work, which I’d never done before and in going back and taking it in – so much of it – it became a more visceral thing. And I really did begin to feel a bit better about my writing and a bit better about the fact that I actually have pulled a few things off here and there.”
Comparing himself to some of the greats that he admires, such as Burt Bacharach and John Lennon, he continued: “I wasn’t necessarily trying to be modest when I made that statement. I would not think of myself as a skilled writer in the way I would think of Henry Mancini or Burt Bacharach, or anyone who I would admire, or, you know, McCartney or Lennon – or Brian Wilson. I think I do approach it more from a certain set of limitations that I have as a writer that then are enhanced hopefully by style. And I think that’s all I meant. It wasn’t necessarily trying to diminish anything.”
Buckingham concluded by outlining how he believes his songwriting might have improved: “Having said that, I would say hopefully, over time, the writing part of it has gotten a little more mature and a little more poetic. I certainly feel my lyrics have gotten better over time because they’ve gotten less literal and so become more of a Rorschach for whoever is listening to them. Hopefully, some of the constructions of the songs themselves have matured and gotten a little more skilful over time.”
Listen to the full podcast below.
