I'm So Afraid

"I'm So Afraid" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham for the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac for their tenth album, Fleetwood Mac. The song was intended for a second Buckingham Nicks album, but the album never came to fruition.

Background
Like all other Buckingham and Nicks compositions on Fleetwood Mac's 1975 eponymous album, “I'm So Afraid” was written before Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham wrote "I'm So Afraid" around the time he was suffering from a bout of mononucleosis. Mick Fleetwood said in his 2014 autobiography that Buckingham had labored over the song for four years and had gotten "the harmony of the guitar parts so in tune they were a virtual orchestra unto themselves." Buckingham incorporated musical themes from church music on "I'm So Afraid" and built the song's chord progression around a series of triads.

"I'm So Afraid" is the final track of the album, and was released as the B-side to the song "Over My Head". It is a hard rock song, atypical of Fleetwood Mac's songs (at least following the Peter Green era), but it quickly became a live staple showcasing Lindsey Buckingham's guitar skills. The studio version of the song is in G natural minor, but live versions are usually transposed down to F natural minor.

In his book Making Rumours, producer Ken Caillat noted how different "I'm So Afraid" sounded during live performances. Compared to the album version, which Caillat described as "mellower with a folk rock vibe", live performances saw "I'm So Afraid" become a "faster, hard-edged song." Buckingham said that performing the song live is "very taxing on a nightly basis because it's got this very long solo that I have to do every night." He has played the song for solo performances, beginning with the Out of the Cradle Tour in 1992–1993.

The song appeared on all of the band's live albums recorded after its release, including Live, The Dance, Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston, the 2015 box set of Tusk, and Rumours Live. The live recording from The Dance was included in an edited form on the US 2002 and UK 2009 release of the greatest hits compilation album The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham also included the song on his solo live albums Live at the Bass Performance Hall, Songs from the Small Machine: Live in L.A., and One Man Show.

Track listing

 * US vinyl, 7", Single (Reprise Records - RPS 1339)
 * 1) "Over My Head" – 3:17
 * 2) "I'm So Afraid" – 4:15

Personnel

 * Lindsey Buckingham – lead vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitar
 * Christine McVie – keyboards
 * Stevie Nicks – backing vocals
 * John McVie – bass guitar
 * Mick Fleetwood – drums