"Countdown" is a song by Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1992 from his third solo album Out of the Cradle. In the UK, "Countdown" was released in July as the album's first single, although in North America, "Wrong" was released as the first single instead. While the song did not chart on the UK Singles Chart or the US Billboard Hot 100, it appeared on Billboard's Mainstream Rock and Adult Contemporary charts. Elsewhere, "Countdown" charted in Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.
| "Countdown" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Lindsey Buckingham | ||||
| from the album Out of the Cradle | ||||
| B-side | "This Nearly Was Mine" | |||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:21 | |||
| Label | Reprise (North America), Mercury (Europe) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lindsey Buckingham | |||
| Producer(s) | Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut | |||
| Lindsey Buckingham US singles chronology | ||||
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| Lindsey Buckingham UK singles chronology | ||||
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Buckingham recorded his guitar parts on a Fender Telecaster with fuzz and a variable speed oscillator (VSO). He used the VSO to slow down the speed of the tape recorder, which in Buckingham's estimation provided a "crystalline" quality to the guitar. During the mixing process, producer Tom Lord-Alge attempted to thicken the sound of the guitar, although Buckingham convinced him to abandon the idea, insisting that the instrument should "sting like a bee."
Critical reception
Mike DeGagne of AllMusic commented that "Countdown" possesses the "pop-catchy appeal of past hits like "Trouble" and "Go Insane" at one level, yet it maintains an enriched, dynamic feel, as if Buckingham has progressed and bettered himself as a solo artist. "Countdown" is an excellent delegate to the kind of music Buckingham is capable of, and it contains a lot of the same constituents that made him such an integral part of the second wave of Fleetwood Mac." Jean Rosenbluth of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "hard not to be swayed by the singer’s practically palpable optimism" on "Countdown".
Personnel
- Lindsey Buckingham – guitars, keyboards, drum programming, vocals
- Larry Klein – bass guitar
- Alex Acuña – percussion
Chart performance
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 29 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) | 20 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 66 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 64 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) | 32 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) | 38 |