D.W. Suite
| "D.W. Suite" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Lindsey Buckingham | |
| from the album Go Insane | |
| A-side | "Slow Dancing" |
| Released | October 1984 |
| Recorded | 1983–1984 |
| Studio | L. B.'s Garage |
| Length | 6:50 |
| Label | Reprise/ Warner Music Group |
| Songwriter(s) | Lindsey Buckingham |
"D.W. Suite" is the final song on Lindsey Buckingham's second solo album, Go Insane (1984). It was released as the B-side to the song "Slow Dancing", also from the same album. The song was written as a tribute to Dennis Wilson, who drowned in December 1983.[1]
Composition
[edit]"D.W. Suite" was not one of the dozen songs that Buckingham presented to Roy Thomas Baker in England.[2] Rather, Buckingham wrote the song a few days after the death of Dennis Wilson in late 1983. Buckingham, who had been working with engineer Gordon Fordyce on Go Insane, requested one week off to work on "D.W. Suite", which he assembled over the course of six days.[3] Buckingham explained his reasoning for dedicating a song to Dennis Wilson:
"Dennis wasn't really a friend, but he dated Christine [McVie] for about three years so I knew him fairly well. He created for me a window into the inner workings of the Beach Boys. Of course, Brian Wilson had always been such a big influence on me that when Dennis died, it got me thinking about The Beach Boys and the rough time that they've had all around, really, and the fact that Brian went from a very commercial format into a far more experimental vein".[4]
The song is divided into three movements: "The Wish", "The Prayer", and "The Reflection".[5] Buckingham incorporated both contemporary and traditional themes into "D.W. Suite", including an interpolation of "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond".[6] One section of the song features a live audio recording of the Beach Boys being introduced to a screaming audience.[5] Whereas most of the lead vocals on Go Insane were recorded at Cherokee Studios, Buckingham instead conducted some vocal work for "D.W. Suite" in one of his bathrooms.[4][7] A nineteenth century lap harp is utilized throughout the song; Mick Fleetwood gave the instrument to Buckingham as a gift during the Mirage sessions.[8]
Critical reception
[edit]AllMusic hailed “D.W. Suite” as Go Insane's most ambitious composition and the only song on the album that did not succumb to "gimmicky sound effect[s] or [a] busy arrangement."[9] Ultimate Classic Rock singled out “D.W. Suite” as "an exquisite piece of art-pop that shows what Buckingham can achieve when he traps himself in his studio with a Fairlight synthesizer."[5] In a review from the Los Angeles Times, Kristine McKenna wrote that "D.W. Suite" was "the best song Brian Wilson never wrote." The publication further highlighted the song’s "wafting layers of sound [that] incorporate harp, church bells, ambient noise and gurgling water."[10] The Washington Post described the song as "a heartfelt eulogy for a musical hero who never quite coped with the breakdowns on the road to utopia."[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History. New York: Sterling. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-4027-8630-3.
- ^ Strauss, Duncan (November 1984). "Simplicity as a Way of Life: Lindsey Buckingham Seeks Peace of Mind". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Scoppa, Bud (September 1984). "Music Connection, Volume III, Number 19 (09/13/1984), Lindsey Buckingham". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Paige, Bill (November 1984). "Lindsey Buckingham: Insane Or Not Insane". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c Hernandez, Stephanie (October 5, 2021). "Underrated Lindsey Buckingham: Most Overlooked Song From Each LP". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Brunning, Bob (1990). "Behind the Masks (1990), (Book Excerpt)". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Scoppa, Bud (September 13, 1984). "Music Connection, Volume III, Number 19: One-Man Band With a Bound-up Heart". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Graham, Sam. "Lindsey Buckingham: Personal Brinksmanship and State-of-the-Art Subconscious". The Penguin. Archived from the original on 2005-10-16. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Lindsey Buckingham - Go Insane Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
- ^ McKenna, Kristine (August 16, 1984). "Los Angeles Times, Go Insane". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (September 16, 1984). "Lindsey Buckingham's Unusual Mix". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 28, 2023.