Rumours by Fleetwood Mac is a no skip album. Every song is a joy to listen to. Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and the one and only, Stevie Nicks worked together to create what is often referred to as “one of the greatest rock albums of all time”. Many teens are unfamiliar with Fleetwood Mac. As more new music comes out, the classics get forgotten. Students should listen to Rumours to broaden their musical horizons and to educate themselves on rock n roll. Rumours won album of the year in ‘78 and over 40 million copies have been sold worldwide. Did you know it spent 31 nonsequential weeks at the #1 spot on US album charts?
The band’s drama heavily influenced Rumours. They were infamous for their band breakups, The Great Divide. Buckingham and Nicks were an item from 1972 to 1977. Christine and John McVie’s marriage ended in ‘76 after eight years. Finally, Fleetwood and Jenny Boyd were on and off for fifteen years before officially ending things in 1978. Nicks and Fleetwood having an affair during the making of the album was just the perfect cherry on top. Weirdly, this is what made the album so good. It’s real, dramatic, and messy. They aren’t afraid to call each other out and express their raw emotions in the songs and on stage.
Arguably the best song on the album is “The Chain”. Did you know it’s the only song where all five band members contributed to writing it? On Rumours, each band member kind of had their own time to shine. Everyone wrote and performed their own songs, except “The Chain”. Despite all of the turmoil that was going on, Fleetwood Mac managed to come together and write this iconic, powerful, rock anthem. An iconic part is Buckingham’s iconic guitar solo lasting for approximately 55 seconds in the studio recorded version.
It is very easy to overlook McVie in all of Nicks’ mystique. “Don’t Stop”, “Oh Daddy”, and “You Make Loving Fun” were symbolic, essential tracks to the album. When a person thinks of Rumours, they usually think of sad breakups. In a way, it was Fleetwood Mac’s last hurrah, the end of an era. McVie shined so much light on this album during a tough time for the band. She is known for writing optimistic and cheery songs with a catchy beat. “I never did believe in the ways of magic, but I’m beginning to wonder why,” is a great example of her happy lyrics.
Fleetwood Mac influenced Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, and many others. They absolutely dominated the music scene in the 70s with Rumours and are still heavily talked about today. Go give it a listen!
