Soul Drifter Explained

Soul Drifter
Cover:LBuckingham-Soul_Drifter.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Lindsey Buckingham
Album:Out of the Cradle
B-Side:Say We’ll Meet Again
Released:1992
Genre:Soft rock
Length:3:27
Label:Reprise (North America), Mercury (Europe)
Producer:Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut
Chronology:Lindsey Buckingham
Prev Title:Countdown
Prev Year:1992
Next Title:Don't Look Down
Next Year:1993

"Soul Drifter" is a song by Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1992 from his third solo album Out of the Cradle. It was released as a single in both Europe and North America, reaching number 53 in Germany and number 31 in Canada. During the Out of the Cradle Tour, "Soul Drifter" was included as the final song of the set.[1] Buckingham later performed the song in support of his self-titled album in 2021.[2]

Background

Buckingham said that the lyrics to "Soul Drifter" were finished before they were committed to tape, which contrasted with his usual approach of starting with the instrumentation first.[3] He wrote the song while Fleetwood Mac was at his house mixing Tango in the Night.[4]

Inspired by the music that his parents listened to growing up, Buckingham emulated the conventions of Tin Pan Alley music during the writing process of "Soul Drifter". "I do think there's a lot to be looked at in that type of music. I tried to get that traditional, Tin Pan Alley sort of approach when I was writing 'Soul Drifter'. So I think there's a lot of validity, just looking at that stuff and appreciating it. Especially if it's part of your background."[5] Several of the guitars were treated with a vari-speed oscillator (VSO), particularly during the intro, which features two guitars playing an ascending line in octaves and another guitar playing a figure in triple meter.[6]

Critical reception

BAM highlighted the song's commercial appeal, saying that it "wouldn't sound out of place on any radio format".[5] Timothy White of Billboard said that the “contrasting layers of Lindsey's multitracked vocals are interwoven with various metronomic riff-sounds that constantly supplant each other before their essential sameness can be detected."[7] The New York Times characterized "Soul Drifter" as "a gorgeous folk-cowboy song" that "ends with quotes from The Tokens' "Lion Sleeps Tonight."[8]

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Snyder . Michael . March 12, 1993 . Buckingham Goes His Own Way: Ex-Fleetwood Mac Guitarist On His First Solo Tour . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151230162056/http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=6044&c=9 . December 30, 2015 . January 21, 2024 . The Blue Letter Archives.
  2. Web site: Hernandez . Stephanie . December 23, 2021. Lindsey Buckingham Hits the Holiday Road in Houston . January 21, 2024. Rock and Roll Globe . en-US.
  3. Web site: 1997 . Songwriters On Songwriting, Expanded Edition (1997), (Book Excerpt) . January 21, 2024 . The Blue Letter Archives . December 30, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151230161910/http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=145&c=9 . dead .
  4. Web site: Boehm . Mike . December 10, 1992 . LIFE AFTER MAC : At the Coach House, Lindsey Buckingham Will Be Playing His First Concert Since His Old Band Broke Up . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221130210616/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-10-ol-2617-story.html . November 30, 2022 . January 21, 2024 . Los Angeles Times.
  5. Web site: Holdship . Bill . BAM Magazine, Number 384 (05/1992), Out of the Cradle...And Into The Blue . The Blue Letter Archives . January 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151230162846/http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=92&c=9 . December 30, 2015 . May 1992.
  6. Web site: di Perna. Alan. August 1992 . Musician Magazine (08/1992), The Speed of Sound: Lindsey Buckingham Gets Tight with Tone . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151230161515/http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=103&c=9. December 30, 2015 . January 21, 2024 . The Blue Letter Archives.
  7. Web site: White. Timothy. May 23, 1992 . Out of the Cradle (Billboard) Lindsey Rocks the Cradle . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151230161725/http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=6858&c=9. December 30, 2015 . January 21, 2024. The Blue Letter Archives.
  8. Web site: Holden . Stephen . June 21, 1992 . Recordings View: A Studio Wizard Takes a Psychic Journey . https://web.archive.org/web/20180116072733/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/21/arts/recordings-view-a-studio-wizard-takes-a-psychic-journey.html . January 16, 2018 . January 13, 2024 . The New York Times.