Released Nov 1981 Recorded 1981 Length 3:56 | Format 7" single Genre Rock | |
B-side "That's How We Do It in L.A." | ||
"Trouble" is a song written, composed and performed by Lindsey Buckingham and released as the lead single from his 1981 debut solo album Law and Order.
Contents
- Background
- 7 Asylum Records E 47223 US
- 7 Mercury 6000 743 Australia
- Music video
- In other media
- Personnel
- References
The single was Buckingham's first hit as a solo artist, peaking at #9 in the US and #31 in the UK, where it remained charted for seven weeks. It was most successful in Australia, where it topped the chart for 3 weeks and became the 8th biggest selling single of 1982.
Background
Buckingham approached "Trouble" differently from his other songs, wanting the song to have more of a "live feel". He recruited his Fleetwood Mac bandmate, Mick Fleetwood, to play drums. However, Buckingham believed none of the takes were solid from start to finish, so a taped loop of the drum track (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 would later overdub some additional drum fills and cymbal crashes, in addition to other percussion instruments, creating the illusion of live drums. George Hawkins was brought in to play bass guitar. Hawkins had worked with Fleetwood on his first solo album earlier that year. "Trouble" was the only track on "Law and Order" on which Buckingham played neither bass or drums. Buckingham was also particularly proud of the Spanish guitar solo.
Some of Buckingham's vocals for the song are sung in falsetto.
7": Asylum Records / E-47223 (US)
7": Mercury / 6000 743 (Australia)
Music video
The distinctive music video for "Trouble" features a multi-instrumental "big band" consisting of male musicians—five as guitarists and one bassist, 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 and Bob Weston, as well as Dwight Twilley and Andy Ward (the drummer from Camel).
In other media
The song is heard in the film Just One of the Guys during the blind date.