To me, this is a frustrated song, both in the lyrics and the music, IMO, It can be counterpointed quite well with one of Christine's other big tracks on the Tango in the Night album, Everywhere:
Everywhere is typical Christine McVie... Soft Rock (Or at least as Soft Rock as you can get with the instruments and style of the late 80s -- Very much in the same vein as Over my Head and Warm Ways from the Fleetwood Mac album). The word music and the words are about as schmushy as you can get.
Isn't it Midnight is dark, and that lets Lindsey Buckingham gain a greater prescence than in Everywhere. He gets full parts all the way through, and even gets a solo. The song's tempo is faster and more hustled than Everywhere, which adds to the frustrated feel. It's emptier than Everywhere, too. Especially in the verse, where just the four main instrumental parts play. There are no rhythmic 'tickles' (I don't know any better word than that, but I hope you know what I mean) or additions here. Lindsey's solo is somewhat distressed.
Lyrically, I'd imagine this one was about infatuation with a man. 'Midnight' can be time for inner reflection, and I feel that the singer is spending her inner-reflection-time thinking about this man. Because she is infatuated, she wants this man to be thinking about her own pretty face during his midnight. To me, the 'other side of the world' means she does not even know him well enough to know where he lives.
To me, this is a frustrated song, both in the lyrics and the music, IMO, It can be counterpointed quite well with one of Christine's other big tracks on the Tango in the Night album, Everywhere:
Everywhere is typical Christine McVie... Soft Rock (Or at least as Soft Rock as you can get with the instruments and style of the late 80s -- Very much in the same vein as Over my Head and Warm Ways from the Fleetwood Mac album). The word music and the words are about as schmushy as you can get.
Isn't it Midnight is dark, and that lets Lindsey Buckingham gain a greater prescence than in Everywhere. He gets full parts all the way through, and even gets a solo. The song's tempo is faster and more hustled than Everywhere, which adds to the frustrated feel. It's emptier than Everywhere, too. Especially in the verse, where just the four main instrumental parts play. There are no rhythmic 'tickles' (I don't know any better word than that, but I hope you know what I mean) or additions here. Lindsey's solo is somewhat distressed.
Lyrically, I'd imagine this one was about infatuation with a man. 'Midnight' can be time for inner reflection, and I feel that the singer is spending her inner-reflection-time thinking about this man. Because she is infatuated, she wants this man to be thinking about her own pretty face during his midnight. To me, the 'other side of the world' means she does not even know him well enough to know where he lives.