"Hypnotized" is a song written by Bob Welch. The song originally featured on Fleetwood Mac's 1973 album ''

Mystery To Me ''Mystery to Me'' is the eighth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 October 1973. This was their last album to feature Bob Weston. Most of the songs were penned by guitarist/singer Bob Welch and keyboardi ...

''. The track was released on a single as the B-side of "

For Your Love "For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots ...

" and has been described as "gorgeous and lyrically strong", and referred to as the album's best track.

Background and style

The song features triple time rhythm on the drums by

Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of t ...

and combines with acoustic guitar and electric keyboards. Welch draws upon the use of jazz fourth chords in the song, playing in a minor key, and also features a guitar solo by

Bob Weston Bob Weston (born 1965) is an American musician, producer, recording engineer, and record mastering engineer. Critic Jason AnkenyAnkeny, Jason. " Bob Weston: Overview from Allmusic.com declares that "Weston's name and fingerprints are all over th ...

covering many octaves.

Hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...

and dreaming are specifically referred to in the lyrics, and Welch also draws upon references to places such as

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. According to Welch, the atmosphere of the song was heavily influenced by his residence at the Benifold Mansion in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, a place he described as "rather spooky and strange even in summertime". In 1978, the song was covered by the Pointer Sisters on their album ''

Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...

''.

Reception

Donald Brackett, in his 2007 book ''Fleetwood Mac, 40 Years of Creative Chaos'', discussed the album ''

'' and the song "Hypnotized", which he described as "a gentle yet compelling hit for Welch on this record". In discussing Fleetwood Mac's change in direction in 1972 and 1973, he describes their stylistic changes as being better received at concerts in the United States, as at the time Americans were more open to them than the British, who were still in heavy demand for blues-oriented rock. Hal Horowitz describes the song as "the highlight of the ''Mystery to Me'' album, and undoubtedly one of Bob Welch's most fully realised songs for the band". In 1999, Welch received an award from ASCAP recognising 25 consecutive years of airplay for "Hypnotized" and "

Sentimental Lady "Sentimental Lady" is a song written by Bob Welch. It was originally recorded for Fleetwood Mac's 1972 album '' Bare Trees'', but was re-recorded by Welch on his debut solo album, ''French Kiss'', in 1977. It is a romantic song, originally w ...

Personnel

* Bob Welch – lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar *

– electric guitar solo and rhythm, backing vocals *

Christine McVie Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...

– Hohner Pianet N II, keyboards, backing vocals *

John McVie John Graham McVie (born 26 November 1945) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fle ...

– bass guitar *

– drums

References

External links

''Hypnotized'' ranked 643rd in the top 1,000 rock songs, Thompson, Dave. ''1000 Songs that Rock Your World''. Krause Publications, 2011

''All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul'', p. 413

My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hypnotized (Fleetwood Mac Song) Fleetwood Mac songs The Pointer Sisters songs 1973 songs Songs written by Bob Welch (musician) Reprise Records singles