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Jessica Virgin

Professor Jorgensen

English 2010

10/2/2021

The Analysis of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours

The year is 1966, the Vietnam War had a little less than a decade to go, and the

hippie-rock culture that inspired the anti-war movement is still alive and well. It lives vicariously

through many musicians and bands, including the one we know and love as Fleetwood Mac. The

history of this band is a long and rocky one, stretching a little over 50 years and running through

almost 15 members, all the way to the recent firing of Lindsey Buckingham in 2018. Let’s start

with the founders and inspiration for the band name; drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John

McVie, with Peter Green as the main vocalist and guitarist. Jeremey Spencer also joined in 1967

as a second guitarist to the trio. However, both Spencer and Green didn’t last long as they were

the first ones to go in with Green leaving in 1970 after a “steady diet of LSD,” (Greene, 1) and

Spencer leaving after he “came across the religious cult Children of God,” (Greene, 1). Around

this time McVie brought on his wife Christine to sing and she soon became a key part in the

band’s iconic sound.

After Green became more and more engrossed in the word of God, the band brought on

Danny Kirwan to play the guitar, but like the others, he became heavily reliant on substances and

started drinking too much. The band kicked him from the show in 1972 after a “nasty backstage
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brawl with American guitarist Bob Welch,” (Green, 1). Funny enough, that’s how the band met

their next member, Bob Welch. He signed on soon after as a member and guitarist in 1971. That

escapade only lasted till 1974 though, after another member fell victim to alcoholism and quit the

band due the tolls it all took on his marriage. The next two victims Dave Walker and Bob Weston

lasted only one year (1972-73) but Walker didn’t seem to fit the mix and Weston was soon fired

after the 73’ tour due to the affair between him and Fleetwood’s wife Jenny Boyd (Greene,1).

Another pair soon replaced them, though, in 1974 as arguably the most famous (and most

troublesome) duo; Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham voices became big parts of the band

and they would continue to contribute some of the most iconic songs and sounds that came from

Fleetwood Mac. It’s common knowledge Nicks and Buckingham had a lot of chemistry when

writing songs, but it’s even more common knowledge of their long and painful relationship over

the years. Because of this chemistry though, it is debated that the band had their most famous

album and their best songs.

Rumours by far is Fleetwood Mac’s most popular and successful album. “Released in

1977, ‘Rumours’ is Fleetwood Mac’s undisputed masterpiece – a Grammy-winning, 40

million-selling pop culture phenomenon that turned the band into an institution that still fills

arenas nearly 40 years later,” (Levine, 1). Due to the group's recent drama, with the founder

Fleetwood just having been made a cuckold and single dad, and Nicks’ and Stevie’s split, the

album was an emotionally filled piece of art. ““Dreams,” written by her [Nicks], and “Go Your

Own Way,” written by him [Buckingham], name only two songs about their tumultuous

relationship,” (D’zurilla, 1). Although written to unload all the heartbreak and anger the two felt

towards each other, it soon became obvious that these feelings also resonated with the rest of the

world. With iconic lines like “Play the way you feel it But listen carefully to the sound Of your
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loneliness Like a heartbeat, drives you mad, In the stillness of remembering what you had” in

“Dreams” and How can I ever change things that I feel? If I could, baby, I’d give you my world.

How can I when you won’t take it from me? You can go your own way…You can call it another

lonely day” in “Go Your Own Way.” They make it abundantly clear how they felt about each

other and people around the world couldn’t get enough. It’s reported that the two would have

“screaming matches…which only ceased when the recording light was turned on,” (Bertram, 1).

On the other side, Christine was writing her own songs about her and her husband’s

recent divorce. ““Don’t Stop” was Christine's ode to looking ahead in life, while “You Make

Loving Fun” was a celebration of her new-found romance away from ex-husband John,”

(Bertram, 1). The band started work on the album in 1967 and the McVie’s marriage was in no

shape or form a healthy one. They wouldn't speak to each other unless they were working on the

album, and their marriage completely fell apart after Christine started “openly dating the crew’s

lighting director,” (Bertram, 1). Everybody was a mess, and to top it all off, the group put

together another one of the most famous songs from the album, “The Chain,” It was their

“anthem regarding betrayal,” (Bertram, 1). The album is an iconic display of love, lust,

heartbreak, deception, and substance abuse all wrapped into one, big rock exhibition.

Buckingham left the group in 1987, Nicks in 1990, and Christine in 1998. However, all

three returned and have stayed except for Buckingham who was fired in 2018 (Ruggieri, 1). The

three rejoined the group for reunion tours which had become very popular, giving another

generation a full taste of Fleetwood Mac. Throughout the years the band tried to replace the

members with Billy Burnette (1987-1995), Dave Mason (1993-95), and Bekka Bramlett (also

1993-95), but each were only temporary fixes and couldn’t fill the holes the others had made

when they left.

The younger generations who didn’t grow up with the drama and soap opera that was

Fleetwood Mac, were able to get a taste when the band reunited in the late 2010’s and the groups

past was reignited. However, something interesting happened as the crowds entered the stadiums

to hear them. Two very different, very distinct generations filled the stands and proved just how

much cultural influence this band, and specifically the album Rumours, had on the world both in

the past, and the present. The raw emotion of heartbreak is enough to inspire any artist into

creating a masterpiece, Taylor Swift is living proof that heartbreak sells, but this album was able

to survive a little over half a century and still talk to every single person who listened to it. The

raw lyrics mixed with the sweet torture of the electric guitar left a mark on history as a group of

people put their hearts, souls, and misery into creating one of the most iconic albums of the 70’s.
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Works Cited

Bertram, C. (2020, September 8). Fleetwood Mac: Behind the drama, Divorce and

drugs that fueled the making of 'rumours'. Retrieved October 3, 2021, from

https://www.biography.com/news/fleetwood-mac-rumours-album

D'zurilla, Christie. “Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's Rocky Relationship: A

Timeline of Love and War.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sept. 2021,

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-09-10/stevie-nicks-lindsey-b

uckingham-relationship-timeline.

Greene, Andy. “Broken Chain: A History of Fleetwood Mac Firings and Departures.”

Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018,

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/broken-chain-a-history-of-fleetwood-mac

-firings-and-departures-628871/.

Ruggieri, Melissa. “Lindsey Buckingham Rekindles Drama over Fleetwood Mac

Firing; Stevie Nicks Gives Rare Response.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information

Network, 13 Sept. 2021,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/09/09/lindsey-buckingham-still

-angry-fleetwood-mac-firing-stevie-nicks-irving-azoff/8256897002/.

Votaw, E. (2021, August 4). The cultural significance of Fleetwood Mac's 'rumours' 43

years later. Retrieved October 3, 2021, from

https://woub.org/2021/07/21/the-cultural-significance-of-fleetwood-macs-rumours-43-year

s-later/
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clear: non, et al. “Fleetwood Mac's Buckingham/Nicks Years - Rank the Albums.” NME,

29 May 2015, https: //www.nme.com/blogs/nme -blogs/fleetwood-

macs-buckinghamnicks- years- rank-the-albums-759303.