CFNN reporter Dana Murray

Not many albums have stood the test of time lie Rumours. It had a renaissance due to the popularity of the song “Silver Springs” and the use of “The Chain” in the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie. “Dreams” also became popular due to a tik tok video of a guy skateboarding to the song while drinking cranberry juice. Taylor Jenkins Reid used this album and the band for the basis of her book Daisy Jones and The Six, which was later adapted into a show for Amazon. It’s become a staple in any record collection and the band is 118th in the world on Spotify. 

While this album is widely considered to be a masterpiece, there was quite a bit of turmoil over its recording. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were breaking up with each other, Christine and John McVie were getting a divorce, and band tension was really high overall. To add to this, they were singing and performing break up songs written about each other. It adds to the deep emotions of the album, yet shows the dark side of being in a band.

Without further ado, here is my take on Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.

“Second Hand News” starts the album off with a folksy tune that leans toward the roots of the band’s start with Peter Green. Stevie Nicks’ and Lindsey Buckingham’s voices work really well together and the harmonies are very crisp. It’s a strong way to start off the album.

“Dreams” is Stevie Nicks’ time to shine. Lyrically, it’s a bitter break up song where she is telling Lindsey off for the things he had said in a song he had written about her. Additionally, it plays into the witchy imagery that Stevie is known for with the mentions of “crystal visions”. As for the music, it’s instantly recognizable and gorgeous. The bass line from John McVie is quite groovy. I find the beat interesting because it has a strong first beat and a softer second like a heartbeat.

“Never Going Back Again” slows the album down a bit. It calls back to the bluesy folk roots of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Despite sounding simple, the finger picking pattern Lindsey is playing here is pretty complicated. It’s my favorite vocal performance from Lindsey.

“Don’t Stop” was Bill Clinton’s campaign song in the 1990s. It’s the most upbeat song on the album with its message of looking towards the future with hope. It’s a nice change of pace from all of the breakup songs on the album thus far. The harmonies between Lindsey and Christine McVie are amazing.

“Go Your Own Way” is written based on Lindsey’s perspective of his break up with Stevie. In the line “Packing up, shacking up’s all you wanna do”, he blames her for some of the issues he caused in the relationship. That doesn’t sit right with me at all and caused this song to fall from favor for me. However, it has a very recognizable riff and amazing harmonies. The tension between band members is very evident.

“Songbird” is my favorite Christine McVie song. It’s a beautiful tribute to her relationship with John McVie, despite ending in divorc. Because of the simplicity of the instrumental, it conveys the emotions so well. It’s raw, yet polished at the same time. 

“The Chain” is iconic. It was the culmination of all of the tension between band members which gives it a darker, southern gothic style mood. The drum beat from Mick Fleetwood gives it that extra bit of a sense of impending doom. The harmonies are so full and it gives the amazing effect of an ethereal choir. The bass line at the bridge from John McVie is amazing. Lyrically, it still keeps up the theme of bitter breakup songs. The line “If you don’t love me now, you will never love me again” is so powerful and really sells the song for me.

“You Make Loving Fun” is popular, but deserves to have more recognition. The bass line has a great groove to it and Christine McVie’s voice is gorgeous. It’s the only other song on the album that doesn’t center around a breakup besides “Don’t Stop”. It’s a refreshing change of pace before getting to some of the emotionally heavier songs of the album.

“I Don’t Want To Know” leans into the roots of the band again. It stands out to me due to the fact that the amazing harmonies between Stevie and Lindsey are on display for the entire song. It’s another breakup song, but surprisingly upbeat! It’s one of my favorite tracks from the album.

“Oh Daddy” is another song written and sung by Christine McVie about her divorce from John McVie. In contrast to “Songbird”, this is a hauntingly bittersweet take on their divorce. Christine is calling herself a fool for falling for her ex-husband’s charms. It really encapsulates the entire album’s meaning with the line “and I can’t walk away from you, baby, if I tried”. Everyone was breaking up with each other, with the exception of Mick Fleetwood, so they really can’t walk away from each other without leaving the band. Instead, they wrote songs about them and made them sing and perform them.

“Gold Dust Woman” is a hauntingly beautiful way for the album to close. Like “Dreams”, it plays into the witchy, fantasy inspired lyrics Stevie is known so well for, but veils the meaning of the song: it details Stevie’s addictions at the time. That dark meaning comes through in the guitar picking, which reminds me of what you’d hear in the background of a scene in a movie set in New Orleans. It has lush harmonies as well, which is the cherry on top of the magnificent sundae that is this song. 

Before I end this review, I have to talk about the best non album B-side of all time: “Silver Springs”. This was one of the songs Stevie Nicks wrote as a response to “Go Your Own Way”, hence why it’s the B-Side for that song. It’s such a poignant portrayal of the hurt felt by someone who was betrayed by a partner they thought they could trust. In the studio recording, you can really hear the hurt in Stevie’s voice. The most powerful part by far is the line “You will never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you”. Lindsey Buckingham truly isn’t able to get away from Stevie since they’re in a band together and their careers were built around that band. In 1997, a live performance of the song was taped and Stevie is staring a hole through Lindsey while she sings the line “I will follow you down till the sound of my voice will haunt you”. Lindsey genuinely looks scared while she’s staring him down. It shows how true that line rang; she really does haunt him. It’s one of the most powerful performances and songs of all time. 

Rumours is an album surrounded by turmoil, but became a classic. One reason for the popularity of this album could be because everyone can relate to it. It speaks so honestly of heartbreak and the conflicted emotions that are felt shortly after, which makes it so much richer than other breakup songs and albums. The musicianship of everyone involved is also another layer that makes this album so amazing to listen to. There isn’t one song on the album that is weaker; they’re all incredibly good. It has and will continue to endure the test of time.