"Trouble"
Single by Lindsey Buckingham
from the album Law and Order
B-side"That's How We Do It in L.A."
ReleasedOctober 1981 (US)[1]
Recorded1981
Length3:56
LabelAsylum
Songwriter(s)Lindsey Buckingham
Producer(s)Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut
Lindsey Buckingham singles chronology
"Trouble"
(1981)		 "It Was I"
(1981)

"Trouble" is the debut solo single by Lindsey Buckingham, 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 or drums. Buckingham wanted the song to have a "live feel" and recruited his Fleetwood Mac bandmate, Mick Fleetwood, to play drums. However, Buckingham believed none of Fleetwood's takes were satisfactory from start to finish, so a tape loop 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.[2]

George Hawkins, who had worked with Fleetwood on The Visitor earlier that year, was brought in to play bass guitar. 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.[2] Some of Buckingham's vocals for the song are sung in falsetto. Buckingham commented in a 2018 interview with Stereogum 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.[3]

Critical reception

Record World called the song an "out-of-the box" smash with a sound that was "simply dazzling."[4] Andy Claps of AllMusic praised "Trouble" for its "overwhelmingly strong" melody and "soothing atmosphere that slides around the listener like a security blanket."[5]

Music video

The distinctive music video for "Trouble" features a multi-instrumental "big band" consisting of male musicians—four as guitarists and two bassists, besides Buckingham, and six as drummers, including Mick Fleetwood. Walter Egan also appears in the music video as the second guitarist from the front. The video also features ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarists Bob Welch, who appears in the music video as the third guitarist from the front, and Bob Weston,[6] as well as Dwight Twilley, who appears in the music video as the second guitarist from the back, and Andy Ward (the drummer from Camel).

The video received regular airplay on MTV during late 1981 and early 1982.

Track listings

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

  • A "Trouble" – 3:45
  • B "Mary Lee Jones" – 3:12[7]

7": Mercury / 6000 743 (Australia)

  • A "Trouble" – 3:56
  • B "That's How We Do It in L.A." – 2:52[8]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

In other media

References

  1. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham singles".
  2. 1 2 Madness Fades – Lindsey Buckingham, In His Words
  3. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham Reveals Stories Behind His Solo Songs And Whether He'll Ever Rejoin Fleetwood Mac". Stereogum. December 10, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 24, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ Claps, Andy. "Trouble by Lindsey Buckingham - Track Info". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ Trouble Video – Spot the players
  7. ↑ "Discogs.com – Lindsey Buckingham "Trouble" 7"". Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Discogs.com – Lindsey Buckingham "Trouble" 7"". Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham – Trouble" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham – Trouble" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0440." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 0442." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Trouble". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham – Trouble" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham – Trouble". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  17. ↑ "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs T-V". Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Lindsey Buckingham Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lindsey Buckingham – Trouble" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  23. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. January 3, 1983. Retrieved January 22, 2023 – via Imgur.
  24. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 82". RPM. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1982". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Top 100 Songs of 1982 – Billboard Year End Charts". Bobborst. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Platinum and Gold Singles 1982". Kent Music Report. February 28, 1983. Retrieved November 10, 2021 – via Imgur.
  29. ↑ "One Way Static". One Way Static. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Metavari – Metropolis (An Original Re-Score by Metavari) | Light in the Attic Records". Light in the Attic Records. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
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