Song Of The Day 5/28/2013: Stretch - "Why Did You Do It"

Classic rock historians will remember the infamous Fleetwood Mac tour of the United States in 1974, because it wasn't actually Fleetwood Mac on tour. After a typically Mac-ian series of departures and personal setbacks, it became clear that FM weren't going to be able to fulfill their obligations to tour the US. So their tour manager Clifford Davis, allegedly with the assistance of Mick Fleetwood, put together an entirely different band specifically to tour the US, with the understanding that Fleetwood would join up the tour at some point.

This didn't work very well, because US audiences could tell that Christine McVie, at the time their most distinguishable member because of, well, her gender (and her status as lead singer on many songs), wasn't there. To make matters worse, Fleetwood didn't join the tour, and in fact declaimed having any knowledge whatsoever about the pseudo-Mac band. So the tour was canceled. Daft Punk would never have this problem. 'Cause they wear helmets. Get it?

The fake Mac band reformed in 1975 as Stretch and recorded "Why Did You Do It" as a musical retort to Mick Fleetwood. They got some consolation out of the whole experience as the song made the British Top 20. They also made a 12-inch dance version. Their chances in the US, understandably, were probably screwed. Stretch reformed a few years ago, but I only knew that because I looked it up.