Track 22: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours
The most fruitful intra-band breakup(s) in music
I’m not much for Valentine’s Day, but it does create a nice theme to latch onto for posts.
With that I give you Rumours, the greatest album about love, breakup, makeup, more breakup, and fury. You can’t make this stuff up - Mick discovers his wife is having an affair with his best friend; John and Christine McVie divorce, leaving their only interactions in the context of music, and of course Stevie and Lindsay were on/off/on/off and really off again. Literally ever single song has cutting lyrics, whether angry, hopeful, despondent, or optimistic. I’ll prove it -
Second Hand News: One thing I think you should know. I ain’t gonna miss you when you go. Been down so long, I’ve been tossed around enough. Oh, won’t you just let me go down and do my stuff.
Dreams: But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness, like a heartbeat drives you mad, in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost.
Never Going Back Again: She broke down and let me in, made me see where I’ve been.
Don’t Stop: Why not think about times to come? Not about the things that you’ve done. If your life was bad to you, just think what tomorrow will do.
Go Your Own Way: Jen’s note: ouch, this song is one huge burn. The title alone! My skin would crawl if I had to sing this every night. Anyway… Tell me why everything’s turned around. Packing up, shacking up’s all you wanna do.
Songbird: And I wish you all the love in the world, but most of all I wish it from myself.
The Chain: Listen to the wind blow. Down comes the night. Run in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies.
You Make Lovin’ Fun: I never did believe in miracles, but I’ve a feeling it’s time to try. I never did believe in the ways of magic, but I’m beginning to wonder why.
I Don’t Want to Know: Finally, baby, the truth has been told. Now you tell me that I’m crazy, it’s nothing I didn’t know. Trying to survive. Oh you say you love me, but you don’t know.
Oh Daddy: If I could make you see. If there’s been a fool around, it’s got to be me. Yes, it’s got to be me.
Gold Dust Woman: Jen’s note: ok, this has nothing to do with love, it’s just drugs, but I can’t just leave out one song, especially one that’s so good. Rock on, Gold Dust Woman. Take your silver spoon and dig your grave.
Silver Spring: Another Jen note: This is what got me into Fleetwood Mac in the first place. We’ve already covered that I watched a lot of MTV and a lot of Behind the Music and other music-related TV. In 1997, Fleetwood Mac got together for a reunion concert around the 20th anniversary of the release of Rumors. Even after time away from each other, you could still feel the intensity of their feelings. It simmers the entire time. As part of this broadcast was the song Silver Spring. Watching the broadcast you see Stevie sing directly at Lindsey. Not the audience, no one else in the band, fixed on Lindsey. Indeed it’s so intense it became TikTok famous 25 years after it happened.
Time cast a spell on you, but you won’t forget me. I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me. Well, I follow you down to the sound of my voice will haunt you. Give me just a chance. You’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you. Was I just a fool?
When I picked some of these pictures I saw a headline “remember when Stevie Nicks burned a hole through Lindsey Buckingham with her gaze?”
Correct.
