Sensational '70's tune for Tuesday, April 7th, '09

The first in an incredible series of huge hits for the newly California-based Fleetwood Mac, "Over My Head" is another great example of Christine McVie's restrained craftsmanship. Always an excellent musical chameleon, McVie easily absorbed the cool, artless pop style of '70s Southern California, and with this song, she does it without compromising her English pop roots. A beautiful, almost jazzy melody is surrounded by a series of almost Burt Bacharach-inspired chord changes, and this is lifted to even greater heights by the rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. The lyrics are a simple but eloquent reflection of being lost in love, and McVie captures it all in her simple and literate style.