>> When Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon broke up last week, there were plenty of distraught fans worried that it might signal the end of the band. No more songs like Sugar Kane (my favourite as a teenager – and yes, I know it’s the poppy one).
But there’s no need to write the eulogies just yet. As the piece I wrote in The National explores, band members breaking up is sometimes the inspiration for brilliant songwriting – particularly in Fleetwood Mac’s case. Would Go Your Own Way have ever sounded so urgent and thrilling if it hadn’t actually described the domestic affairs of its writer, Lindsey Buckingham? Incidentally, this live version from 1979 reclaims them from MOR hell.
“Falling in and out of love is, essentially, what all the best pop songs are about – and when they seem to feature the parties involved, so much the better.”
Click here to read the full story about Sonic Youth and intra-band heartache in The National.
Ah, you did mention Abba after all – just not on the Ben East website. Really enjoyed reading this!