Top 10 Fleetwood Mac Songs
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TOP 10 FLEETWOOD MAC SONGS by: Michael Gallucci Warner Bros. Records Hardcore fans will tell you, and insist, that Fleetwood Mac formed in 1967 and released their first album a year later. Those may be the facts, but for all intents and purposes the band didn't really start until 1975, when Americans Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined what was left of the British blues rockers, transforming the band into one of the most popular groups of the '70s. Fleetwood Mac's best songs feature a mix of British-rock muscle, L.A. pop smarts and the push and pull of three distinct singer-songwriters. Our list of the Top 10 Fleetwood Mac songs cover their golden era from 1975 to 1987. 10 'Rhiannon' From: 'Fleetwood Mac' (1975) Stevie Nicks' witchy-woman rep starts here, and it remains her most supernaturally spiked song. Nicks likes to say 'Rhiannon' — which was released as a single in 1976 and just missed the Top 10 on the charts — is about a Medieval Welsh witch. Whatever the case, the haunting melody and fairy-tale lyrics have served as a template for her songwriting over the years, as well as the go-to name for classic-rock-lovin' strippers across the nation. Hear 'Rhiannon' 9 'Hold Me' From: 'Mirage' (1982) The first single from 'Mirage' is one of Christine McVie's best songs and one of the band's greatest singles. That alone makes it one of Fleetwood Mac's Top 10 songs. But it's also a statement of purpose: After the occasionally odd detours Lindsey Buckingham took on 'Tusk,' the band got back to the lean, smart songcraft that fueled their two prior hit albums. Hear 'Hold Me' 8 'Big Love' From 'Tango in the Night' (1987) The last album released by the classic quintet before their 2003 reunion LP 'Say You Will' is a mixed listen. By this time, Nicks, McVie and Buckingham were saving their best songs for their solo albums. The standout single was written and almost entirely performed by Buckingham, who originally slated it for a solo record. It reached No. 5 in 1987, despite the band's waning popularity in an era when looking good on MTV meant more than writing good songs. Hear 'Big Love' 7 'Silver Springs' From: 'Go Your Own Way' single (1976) It's well-known that 'Rumours' was based on the dissolving personal relationships between the band members at the time (both Buckingham and Nicks and John and Christine McVie broke up as 'Rumours' was being made). This song added a professional wrinkle to the turmoil. The terrific 'Silver Springs' was cut from 'Rumours' and shoved to the flip side of 'Go Your Own Way.' Nicks never really forgave the rest of the band for the slight. The breakup song was later released as a single from the live album 'The Dance' and included on the 2004 reissue of 'Rumours,' where it rightfully belongs. Hear 'Silver Spirngs' 6 'Landslide' From: 'Fleetwood Mac' (1975) Stevie Nicks' prettiest song has had a long and winding path on its way to the Top 10 Fleetwood Mac songs. It was originally released on 1975's self-titled album, buried on side two, where no one really paid much attention to it. But over the years, as other artists — including Smashing Pumpkins and Dixie Chicks — covered it, 'Landslide' has become one of the band's enduring songs. Nicks wrote it before she and Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac. She was in her mid-20s at the time, but she somberly looks back on her past and forward to years to come, like there's a lifetime of regret behind her. Hear 'Landslide' 5 'Think About Me' From: 'Tusk' (1979) 'Tusk' is filled with lots of weird moments (see No. 3 below). But the third single from the 1979 album is one of its most straightforward songs, a super-catchy slice of radio pop that clocks in at less than three minutes. The song — written by Christine McVie, who's joined by Buckingham on the chorus — might be the most baggage-free track in Fleetwood Mac's extensive catalog. It's a love song, and a relatively simple one at that. No easy task for a band that's treated the subject like a hard-impact contact sport. Hear 'Think About Me' 4 'Second Hand News' From: 'Rumours' (1977) Lindsey Buckingham's 'Second Hand News' is the perfect introduction to the greatest breakup album ever made. From the very first line — “I know there's nothing to say; someone has taken my place” — the damage is already done. Buckingham gets the final word (“One thing I think you should know,” he sings. “I ain't gonna miss you when you go — been down so long, I've been tossed around enough”), at least in this song. His ex still had a few things to get off her chest (see No. 7 and No. 2 on our list of the Top 10 Fleetwood Mac songs). Hear 'Second Hand News' 3 'Tusk' From: 'Tusk' (1979) Is 'Tusk' the weirdest song to ever hit the top 10? It's certainly an odd choice for the first taste of the long-awaited follow-up to one of the best-selling albums ever made. There's no hook, it's powered by an unwavering tribal drum beat and a freakin' marching band blasts its way through the last part of the song. And don't even bother trying to figure out what it's about. If nothing else, the song is a cornerstone to the consistently magnificent and occasionally baffling 'Tusk,' Lindsey Buckingham's finest moment as studio guru. Hear 'Tusk' 2 'Dreams' From 'Rumours' (1977) Stevie Nicks' greatest contribution to all of the he-said/she-said bickering that propelled 'Rumours' was written as her eight-year relationship to Lindsey Buckingham was falling apart. The song — Fleetwood Mac's only No. 1 — clearly references the breakup, but it also alludes to her fling with drummer Mick Fleetwood and the divorce of the band's other two members, John and Christine McVie. We'd say it best summed up the heart-scarring battleground of 'Rumours' if it wasn't for the song at the very top of our list. Hear 'Dreams' 1 'Go Your Own Way' From 'Rumours' (1977) If you weren't 100 percent certain that ''Rumours' is a breakup album, the first single from Fleetwood Mac's gazillion-selling LP drives a sharp, pointed stake straight into the heart of the subject and holds up the bloody mess for all to see. There's lots of general bitching on the album, but 'Go Your Own Way' is the nastiest kiss-off — basically Lindsey Buckingham airing out his crumbling relationship to Stevie Nicks for all to hear. His cathartic guitar solo at the end of the song says it all, and it's all you need to know why 'Go Your Own Way' sits at No. 1 on our list of the Top 10 Fleetwood Mac songs. Hear 'Go Your Own Way' |
Glad to see Hold Me getting some love. One of my tops, to be sure. A top 5 Christine song for me. I'm not sure where I'd place it on the FM list.
Michele |
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This list is missing You Make Loving Fun. Not sure where in there it would go, or what it would replace, but it's definitley missing. |
Here's my list:
1. Go Your Own Way (rumours) (lb) 2. Gypsy (mirage) (sn) 3. Rhiannon (fm) (sn) 4. Beautiful Child (tusk) (sn) 5. Save Me A Place (tusk) (lb) 6. Walk a Thin Line (tusk) (lb) 7. The Chain (rumours) (all) 8. Over & Over (tusk) (cm) 9. Monday Morning (fm) (lb) 10. Second Hand News (rumours) (lb) |
I'd agree with the entire list if it included "You make lovin fun" and "The Chain".
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Any "Top 10 Fleetwood Mac Songs" list that doesn't include "Oh Well" is bunk (IMO)
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I think the layering in Hold Me is so beautiful. It's gorgeous as an instrumental, but then the vocals are so dense and perfect too. Michele |
I like the songs on this list, but I think it's disrespectful to the earlier incarnations of Fleetwood Mac to say the band "didn't really start" until 1975.
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Interesting top 10 list here, Lindsey gets the most with four songs and Christine's two songs feature Lindsey on co-vocals.
Christine - Hold Me, Think About Me Lindsey - Big Love, Second Hand News, Tusk, Go Your Own Way Stevie - Rhiannon, Silver Springs, Landslide, Dreams I too am a little offended by the comment about Fleetwood Mac basically starting in 1975. I'm fine with just a top 10 Rumours era list, but the comment wasn't really needed. Just for good measure, I have a 19 track Fleetwood Mac favorites CD in my car. Removing the Pre-and Post-Rumours, here's the 11 songs left. Monday Morning World Turning Say You Love Me Go Your Own Way Dreams Don't Stop Sisters of the Moon Wish You Were Here Gypsy Isn't it Midnight Seven Wonders |
Ooh, it's so hard to choose a top ten! Mine would be (not in order)
Landslide Go Your Own Way Dreams Wish You Were Here Sara What Makes You Think You're the One Gypsy Everywhere Angel Why |
My 10:
1) Oh Well 2) Hypnotized 3) Why 4) Albatross 5) Green Manalishi 6) Go Your Own Way 7) Isn't It Midnight 8) Sunny Side Of Heaven 9) Rhiannon 10) In The Back Of My Mind |
Isn't it Midnight, getting some attention. Very nice.
Michele |
From All time, without demos and live versions, here's mine!!!
- Big Love - Sunny Side of Heaven - Can't Go Back - Oh Well (part I) - Sisters of the Moon - Monday Morning - What Makes You Think You're the One - Book of Love - Brown Eyes - Gypsy Lindsey Buckingham 5, Stevie Nicks 2, Christine McVie 1, Peter Green 1, Danny Kirwan 1. |
In no particular order:
Albatross The Green Manalishi Warm Ways Gold Dust Woman Sara That's All For Everyone Brown Eyes Tusk Heart Of Stone Freedom |
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Matt |
1) Sara AND Gypsy
3) Isn't It Midnight 4) Silver Springs 5) Dreams 6) You Make Loving Fun 7) The Chain 8) Hypnotized 9) Gold Dust Woman 10) Big Love Followed by: Landslide, When I See You Again, Woman Of A Thousand Years, Second Hand News, Tango In The Night, Welcome To The Room... Sara, Man Of The World |
Rhiannon
Beautiful Child Isn't It Midnight You Make Loving Fun Heart of Stone GDW Why Sentimental Lady (I know I should pick a Green song, but tough to pick just one)so: Oh Well (same with LB): GYOW I could have an extensive list if I could choose top 10 of Each Songwriter ;) |
I think it's a pretty decent list of top ten hits from the one lineup even though it wouldn't be mine. For me it's still hard to compare the different eras but a list of top songs (not just hits) at least would include more deep cuts. But a band like FM could populate a long list of best hits so I understand the focus.
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Rhiannon
Go Your Own Way Everywhere Seven Wonders Miranda Say You Will Gypsy You Make Loving Fun No Questions Asked Paper Doll Then Second Hand News, Sisters Of The Moon, and Don't Stop |
1) Rhiannon (when performed live)
2) The Chain 3) Gold Dust Woman 4) Hypnotized 5) Albatross 6) Storms 7) Sisters of the Moon 8) Go Your Own Way 9) You Make Loving Fun or Think About Me 10) Brown Eyes 11) Sara 12) Gypsy 13) Oh Well 14) Station Man 15) Love in Store 16) Tusk 17) Silver Springs 18) The Green Manalishi 19) Landslide 20) Dreams or Seven Wonders I did top 20 just cause, 11-20 aren't quite exact but somewhere in that order. |
top ten - no order:
gypsy you make loving fun say you love me dreams seven wonders no questions asked landslide everywhere rhiannon go your own way |
Green Manalishi
Rhiannon Landslide Second Hand News The Chain You Make Loving Fun Go Your Own Way Tusk Big Love Everywhere Almost impossible to narrow it down to 10 though. |
Rolling Stone, March 29, 2013 by Andy Greene
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pi...#ixzz2P0G1Bf72 Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook Fleetwood Mac are days away from launching a huge world tour. They have a catalog that stretches back nearly 50 years, but don't expect to hear many songs that predate the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham era. The band's popularity spiked in a huge way when the two of them joined in 1975, and it kicked off an incredible period of success. They went from a half-forgotten 1960s blues-rock act to one of the biggest bands in the world. We asked our readers to vote for their favorite Fleetwood Mac songs, and it's no surprise that 90 percent of the top 10 songs come from the Buckingham/Nicks era. 10. 'Gypsy' Many of the 1970s' biggest rock bands flamed out as soon as the 1980s began. Led Zeppelin and the Eagles both split in 1980, and acts like the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton and even KISS saw sales fall into the toilet as MTV took over the industry. This wasn't the case with Fleetwood Mac. They adapted well to the video era and landed a ton of hits on the charts. For a short time, Stevie Nicks even took a page out of the Phil Collins playbook and zig-zagged between the band and her solo career. Fleetwood got the decade off to a very strong start in 1982 with Mirage. It scored three Top 40 hits, including "Gypsy." The song was written by Nicks, and it's a nostalgic look back at her pre-fame days with boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham. In essence, they lived like gypsies. 9. 'Sara' There was a lot of pressure on Fleetwood Mac when they started recording Tusk in late 1978. Their last album, Rumours, was about as big as a rock record could be. Topping it would be impossible, and most any effort would seem like a disappointment. They were also going through intense personal problems and had enough leverage to go crazily over budget. The result was an album that cost over $1 million (an industry record) and filled up two LPs. Many see it as their White Album since the tone varies wildly from song to song and it comes across almost like a collection of solo songs. It's also a complete masterpiece, probably the greatest thing they ever created. The label was pissed off they made such a sprawling, uncommercial album – but that's hardly surprising. The most commercial-sounding track on the album is the Stevie Nicks ballad "Sara." Unsurprisingly, it was the biggest hit from the project, landing at Number Seven on the American Hot 100. Nicks originally wrote the song about the group's endless personal problems but eventually changed the lyrics to make the song more universal. 8. 'Gold Dust Woman' Rumours is an emotional roller coaster through the ups and downs of a series of interlocking relationships. It concludes with Stevie's supremely powerful "Gold Dust Woman." Simply stated, it's a drug song. The group was doing a mountain of cocaine at the time, and it didn't exactly help their endless problems. The song shows Stevie was aware of the toll it was taking on her but seemingly powerless to stop. It's a pretty pessimistic way to end the record, but that's where the band was at the time. The group's genius was in the simple fact that they poured all of their pain into songs. America became obsessed with them as if they were a real-life soap opera. It's four decades later, and none of them can get through an interview without being asked to relive this crazy time. 7. 'Oh Well' If it sounds like "Oh Well" was recorded by some other Fleetwood Mac, that's because it basically was. Sure, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie have been in the group from the very beginning, but with Peter Green at the helm initially, they were a very different sort of beast. "Oh Well" is perhaps the most famous song of this era. The blues-rock standard was written by Green in 1969, and it's easy to hear early Led Zeppelin and other 1970s hard-rock bands in the tune. Garage rock bands have been playing it for decades. It's also been covered by everyone from Tom Petty to Ratt to the Black Crowes. The group kept it in the setlist for years, and Lindsey Buckingham did a pretty great job singing Peter Green's parts. 6. 'Silver Springs' "Silver Springs" is one of the prettiest songs that Stevie Nicks ever wrote, yet it caused her and the band all sorts of drama over the years. It was cut from Rumours at the last minute because there simply wasn't enough room. Stevie was crushed and a decade later, she quit the group, partially because Mick Fleetwood wouldn't let her use the song on a solo compilation. Another full decade later, she returned to the band on a giant cash-in reunion tour. They performed "Silver Springs" at the TV reunion gig, and released that new version as a single. VH1 played the hell out of the video and it became a regular part of their gigs. It's a song about how former lovers will never truly be apart, and Stevie has said she derives great satisfaction from singing "You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you" night after night as she stands inches away from Lindsey. 5. 'Dreams' Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were going through a very painful and very public end to their eight-year relationship when they began writing the songs on Rumours. They had clung together over many years of struggle, but enormous success proved harder to endure. Stevie doesn't mask any of her feelings in the lyrics to "Dreams," in which she sings, "Listen carefully to the sound/ Of our loneliness/ Like a heartbeat, drives you mad/ In the stillness of remembering/ What you had and what you lost." The group has had many huge hits, but this is their only Number One single. 4. 'Rhiannon' Fleetwood Mac's 1976 single "Rhiannon" was the group's first huge radio hit with the Nicks/Buckingham lineup. Stevie wrote the song months after reading the novel Triad by Mary Leader. It's about a woman possessed by someone named Rhiannon, which is also the name of a Welsh witch. Her vocal performance on the song is a tour-de-force, and it only grew more powerful as the years went by. The song become so huge that many people began to associate Nicks with actual witchcraft. She has sung the song at pretty much every concert she's done over the past four decades, but still manages to make it sound fresh each time. 3. 'Landslide' Stevie Nicks was only in her mid-twenties when she wrote "Landslide" but somehow, she infused the ballad with decades of wisdom and sorrow. She wrote it in Aspen before joining Fleetwood Mac. Her musical career seemed stuck, and things were rocky with Lindsey. As she contemplated quitting music and returning to school, she looked out at the mountains and thought about an avalanche coming down and swallowing up the house. It wasn't a single in the 1970s, but it quickly became a fan favorite. A live version from the 1997 Fleetwood Mac reunion concert did come out as a single, bringing the song to a new audience. Many have covered it over the years, from the Dixie Chicks to the Smashing Pumpkins. In many ways, it has become Stevie's signature song, and it's only taken on a greater poignancy as she's gotten older. 2. 'Go Your Own Way' The kick-off from Rumours is Lindsey Buckingham's finest moment on the album. Many of Stevie's relationship songs are gentle and sad, but this one is loud and furious. "Packing up/ Shacking up's all you wanna do!" he yells to his ex-lover. Stevie joins him on that famous line though, to this day, she says she resents it, claiming she never "shacked up" with anybody. The song is also a sensational showcase for Lindsey's guitar playing. He's always been drastically underappreciated as a pure player, and this song demonstrates why he's one of the greats. 1. 'The Chain' "The Chain" is the only song on Rumours that the band actually wrote as a group. "It basically came out of a jam," said Mick Fleetwood. "Originally, we had no words to it. And it really only became a song when Stevie wrote some. She walked in one day and said, 'I've written some words that might be good for that thing you were doing in the studio the other day.' So it was put together. Lindsey arranged and made a song out of all the bits and pieces that we were putting down onto tape." They should have joined forces more often, since the end result is absolutely stunning. It was never a single, though radio has embraced it and it's proven to be one of their most enduring works. |
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She received 8 out of 10 mentions? Really? IMO, she only deserved 2-3 at best with the other (forgotten) immensely talented songwriters. |
Yes, the list does seem a little biased, but maybe it speaks to why Stevie was the breakout star. Chris has tons of good songs, but I'm not sure how many would make my Top 10 Favorites. She's rock solid, completely reliable, and everything she turns in will be pretty and/or catchy. On a scale from 1-10, probably 95% of all her material is an 8, and she's probably never done anything worse than a 6. For me, though, Stevie provides the wow moments. Not everything she does is a 10, but when she nails it, she NAILS it. That's why I like Chris a lot, and why I'm completely over the moon for Stevie.
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Michele |
I'm sure there are some people who don't like Oh Well being #7.:laugh:
Michele |
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Stevie - Gypsy, Sara, Gold Dust Woman, Dreams, Rhiannon, Landslide, Silver Springs Lindsey - Go Your Own Way Peter - Oh Well Fleetwood Mac - The Chain The good - glad to see Sara, Silver Springs, and especially Pre-Rumours/Peter Green era with Oh Well The bad - absence of Christine's songs and Tango in the Night not being represented :cool: |
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Stevie has also had another renaissance & interest from the younger twenty-something generation -- Stevie is clearly an icon with a long romanticized & storied rock n roll mythology that captivates peoples imagination. Christine clearly wrote some great songs, but theres not nearly as much interest in her as a person, and that makes a big difference and impression. Stevie's has also seen her UK profile rise higher in the last 7 or 8 years as well, with bands like Bats For Lashes, Florence & The Machine, Ellie Goulding, etc., citing Stevie with reverence and as a big inspiration. |
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you know what i've noticed, that with the recent blitz of Everywhere, people didn't even know that is FM song - just a song that was a hit in the 80s. so it's possible people don't even get what all songs are FM, same as many people here describe their process before they became a fan, and didn't realize that all those diverse songs are by the same band. in addition to other stuff listed, i have a feeling that a month or so of Dave Grohl featuring SN prominently in Sound City Players and the movie did much more for raising SN's visibility with new audiences than all IYD promotion together. great move on her part! so that's what i refer to with the short memory span which is true in music, politics, whatever. SN has been hugely in the spotlight in the last couple of months, also prominently featured in several recent RS magazine articles... so it makes sense to see results like this in that whole context. they do these kind of polls every now and then and results always seem to be completely different from one time to another. :shrug: |
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btw I did not bother to cast any vote in this RS readers poll.:p I'm not surprised that Stevie would dominate this list, It's Stevie's FM songs that still dominate the playlists of classic rock stations I happen upon. "Rhiannon", GDW, "Landslide", "Dreams"", The Chain", "Oh Well" & GYOW are still satples played on adult rock alternative or classic rock stations here in Denver. While "Gypsy" & "Say You Love Me" seem to be mostly played on adult comtemporary stations. I haven't heard "Hold Me", "Little Lies", "Everywhere", "Big Love" or "Sara" for that matter on radio in recent memory at all. |
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I don't know if what I hear in public (like at the salon) are classic rock stations or soft pop, but I know I don't hear Stevie's songs more than I hear Christine's on the radio. Of the 3, I would probably hear Christine songs more than the other 2.
Michele |
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If this had been the UK, you'd have seen Everywhere and maybe Little Lies in that list as both were big hits here. Sara, although one of my favourites, wasn't a hit and wouldn't have got close, nor would Gold Dust Woman. I'm a bit surprised You Make Loving Fun doesn't get mentioned more when it comes to Chris as I think many fans prefer it to Don't Stop. Nice to see Oh Well there though:D |
Rolling Stone Readers' Top 10 FM Tracks
RS Soundtrack: Definitive Mixes to Score Your Week. Hear Readers' Favorite Fleetwood Mac Songs
Fleetwood Mac have a catalog that stretches back nearly 50 years, but don't expect to hear many songs that predate the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham era on their new world tour. We asked our readers to vote for their favorite Fleetwood Mac songs, and it's no surprise that 90 percent of the top 10 songs come from the Buckingham/Nicks era. Listen to the results. The Chain Go Your Own Way Landslide Rhiannon Dreams Silver Springs Oh Well (Live) Gold Dust Woman Sara Gypsy You can liste here: http://www.rdio.com/#people/rollings...ood_Mac_Songs/ Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...#ixzz2PWL0vFoV |
Surprised that no Christine songs made it.
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