FAVORITE Fleetwood Mac songs?
 

There's been enough negative energy circulating around here in the thread about the few songs by Fleetwood Mac that we hate. We're all here because we adore this band, so I want to hear about the songs you love. Explain what it is you like about the song: the musical merit, a strong identification with the words, or possibly a good experience that you correlate with the specific song(s) you consider your favorite(s).

'Monday Morning', from the FM album. When Stevie comes in with her harmony the hair on my arms stands up. She was so sweet, and the song conjures up so many nice memories for me in 1975 when I was just a wee tyke. I love it just as much from the 'FM Live' album, except that we were hearing a much different Stevie there, right? Instead of this bubbly, California girl, she sounded shrouded, mysterious and low....

Sara is my absolute favourite. It is how I discovered the band, and after that, the song was there for me in every crisis/problem/sad day/etc I've been through. It always manages to come through for me in a completely different way each time. That's the great thing about Stevie's lyrics...different things to different people at different times. I think the production of it is amazing...especially if you listen through a really good pair of headphones. The dream harmony vocals...

So yeah...that's my fav

Honorable mention goes to Gypsy, for almost the same reasons. It reminds me of my sister.

I can't pick just one.....

Storms
Gypsy
Thrown Down
Bleed to Love Her

Go Your Own Way is both my favorite song, and my favorite Fleetwood Mac song, funny how that works. I know it's not very original, but I didn't grow up with a big Fleetwood Mac influence in the house, my parents are not fans at all, and when I finally heard Rumours and GYOW and really what I had been missing out on, it was like the first cut. The deepest one of all; this is a dream right? Haaa, ew. Anyway, it made an impression. Plus I wanted to throw my panties at that guitar solo.

I'm So Afraid

Greatest song ever written, IMO. :thumbsup:

I'm listening to the Dance version of the song right now and nothing compares to ISA. When I listen to it I'm in...another world. I believe Lindsey says more in that solo than anyone could say in words. I've seen him play it live lots of times and I never fail to be moved by it.

My other favorites are too many to mention but ISA is just a cut above all for me. Red Rover runs an extremely close second though.

Angel!!!! :thumbsup:

The Chain
Dreams
Go Your Own Way
I'm So Afraid
Gypsy
Hold Me
Sara
Rhiannon
Blue Letter
Oh Well
Silver Springs
Thrown Down
Bleed to Love Her
Little Lies

I truly don't understand how his solo in ISA isn't in the top guitarist solos of all-time... I mean, really? It. is. epic. And I love how at different periods of Fleetwood Mac (i.e. the different tours), he plays that solo a little bit differently. It's brilliant. The man is brilliant. What more is there to say?

Oh I just realized that I haven't said mine! It's really, really difficult for me to narrow mine down, but if I absolutely had to, I would say my favorite is...

Rhiannon: I feel really, REALLY cliche saying that, so for a long time I kinda denied my love for the song. When people ask me why I admire Stevie Nicks as much as I do, I want to play this song for them-- not because it is the absolute best music or writing I've ever heard, but because Stevie is, in my eyes, the earthly Rhiannon-- the one with the flaws and occaisonally a lack of subtlety. The song made me realize what attributes I want to aquire for myself, and then I further began to see them in the writer :). I just LOVE the idea of being "taken by the sky," of being comparable to the mundane things in life ("cat in the dark") but being exquisitely distinct despite of that-- BECAUSE of that ("the darkness"). To rule one's life ("like a fine skylark") even when all the guiding light is gone and you're ruling unrecognizable terrain (starless sky)-- even when that terrain is inside of you. "Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind"... perfect.

A close second by...

Crystal: As a writer myself, I love seeing Stevie write as a poet before a songwriter. I don't think she does that much anymore (albeit "Illume", maybe, which I don't like as a song but I LOVE the imagery). "Crystal" is the prime example of Stevie's ability to make relatively common images blend in a way they haven't before. The lyrics make no sense, but they make total sense if you FEEL them, not analyze them. Plus, the last minute of the song is musically awe-inspiring. It revives my soul everytime I hear it.

The Chain: In the context of the band, it COMPLETELY blows my mind away every time I listen.

Silver Springs: The first Fleetwood Mac song I ever really really loved. I heard it when I was five years old :). I used to sing it in the car with my mom since she played The Dance nonstop for all of 1997. The slightly crazy bitch aura of the ending lines ("time cast a spell on you...") is so honest. I remember realizing (yes, at 5) the unbelievably sense of raw truth behind those words. I see The Dance performance as Stevie's "turning over a new leaf" experience with Lindsey-- as if she was finally admitting to him that they would always have something phenomenal and there will always be that pent up resentment, but now that the air is cleared for good, they could move on.

Beautiful Child: Need I say anything? Obviously the song is gorgeous. I first heard it while I was in the throes of growing up WAY too fast, so the timing and subject matter has stuck to my bones forever.

Sisters of the Moon: Kinda along the same lines as why I love "Rhiannon".

I apologize for how long this is.... hahaha

The Chain: lyrics, music, everything comes together
YMLF: the lyrics hold special meaning, love the music
Gypsy
Sara
GYOW
ISA (genius)

If I were to add non-Rumours era: Need Your Love So Bad (I know it's not an original), Future Games, Sunny Side, and Spare Me a Little.

This is going to be tough... (my top 25):

(in no particular order, after the first one)

Gypsy (perhaps my favorite song of all time)
Dreams
Go Your Own Way
Rhiannon
Sister of The Moon
I'm So Afraid (The Dance version is truly spectacular)
Everywhere
Sara (I disliked this song the first six times I heard it, but have since grown to cherish it)
You Make Loving Fun
Little Lies
Angel
Crystal
Bleed To Love Her
Thrown Down
Hold Me
The Chain
Oh Daddy
Gold Dust Woman
Never Going Back Again
Landslide
I Know I'm Not Wrong
Isn't It Midnight
Straight Back
Blue Letter

-Matt

I love every single song very, very much but if I have to pick just a few (it's quite impossible but however...) it'll probably be Beautiful Child, Landslide, Dreams, Rhiannon, The Chain, I'm so afraid and all the other Fleetwood Mac songs, haha! But those are the once I got those chilss when I hear them...And everytime Stevie's harmony comes into a song I get those same chills. Her voice is magical!!!

Favorite Fleetwood Mac songs...

Oh Well (done by anybody except Lindsey or Kenny Wayne Shepard)

and...well, it's just easier (and MANY less keystrokes) to list the Fleetwood Mac songs I don't like:

When You Say
(I'm A) Roadrunner
Not That Funny (studio version....live version is cool)
Oh Diane
Welcome To The Room...Sara
No Questions Asked
Stand On The Rock (Sorry, Rick! "Got No Home" should've been on the album instead)
The Second Time

Eight songs out of the entire 40 year Fleetwood Mac catalogue...that's a pretty good percentage of "Favorite Songs".

^^
What bothers you about Lindsey's version of Oh Well?

Favorites:
Christine: Why, Brown Eyes, Sugar Daddy, Isnt it Midnight, Hold Me, Love Shines
Stevie: Gypsy, Landslide, Storms, Silver Springs, Angel, Sisters of the Moon
Lindsey: Go Your Own Way, Second Hand News, I Know I'm Not Wrong, Bleed to Love Her, Blue Letter (yes I know he didn't write it), Tango in the Night

Non-Rumours members songs: Oh Well, Man of the World, The Derelict, Hypnotized

Oh, yeah, and my favorite pre-SnL Fleetwood Mac songs: Hypnotized, The Ghost, Oh Well, Future Games, Bare Trees, Sunny Side of Heaven, Sentimental Lady, Forever, Emerald Eyes, and Coming Your Way.

-Matt

I'm not even going to attempt this
I will just end up listing every single song ;)

but Gypsy is way up there just because its my mom's favorite song and my ringtone for whenever she calls me.

World Turning is also up in the top ten.

and I like a lot of others that most don't prefer (brown eyes, never forget, mystified, not that funny, little lies, honey hi, welcome to the room...sara, thats enough for me, only over you, no questions asked)

ok, I'm done. promise!

I agree with the Lindsey thing except that I think that I can add the version he's been doing on this tour to the list of possible favourites. He's got so much better at it since 1982. The early versions are okay, but they lack just a little something.

1) I just don't get "honesty" from him on that one...seems he'd rather not be doing the song.

2) I don't like his guitar's tone on the song...sounds really thin & wimpy (sounds like he's using solid state effects to try to make the guitar "bigger", instead of overdriving his amp's tubes, which has a more authentic tone)...the song just needs that beefier overdriven tube tone (listen to Jimmy Page's tone on the version he did with The Black Crowes a few years ago...THAT's how the "Oh Well" guitar sound should be. That's my favorite non-Fleetwood Mac version. And, I'm really not all that big of a Jimmy Page fan)

Well, my favourite FM song as well as my favourite song ever is RHIANNON. It's magical. That song lives. It breathes. And it changes. Call me crazy if you want, but this song seems to be a little different to me everyday. It has its own life I swear. Stevie gave something away to this song from deep in her heart and brought it to life. I've never tried drugs but I guess it feels like listening to Rhiannon. If I should have to spend eternity with nothing but this song I won't miss a thing.

I have to say. My favorites are Gypsy [extended], Thrown Down, Running Through the Garden. Those are just Stevie's though haha.

Gold Dust Woman also gets an honorable mention.

Lindseys-
Tusk
Not That Funny
Book of Love

Christine-
You Make Loving Fun
Isn't It Midnight
Honey Hi/Think About Me

:D

WELLL....yes, this is a very challenging thread. It's so hard to pick an all time favorite because I'll listen to 3 or 4 for a really long time and then accidently, something else will play like "Everybody Finds Out" and then that is my new fav because it describes where I am in life. BUTTTT, I will choose, generally speaking, these as my favorite songs. Many have already been listed, but I will get creative here and say why they are undeniably the best songs ever.

#1-- "Rhiannon"--it's the first connection I made with Stevie when I was about 10 or 11. This song touched me deep, y'all, just because the ending was so intense. I couldn't believe I had lived 10 years without this music in my life. The day I heard it, I vowed my first daughter's name will be Rhiannon and I stand firm in that decision (though I have no children at the moment, but someday...)

#2--"The Chain"--yeah...these are SO common, I know. But, in general, if my ipod is on shuffle and this plays, I never change it, especially the one from The Dance. I love it so much cus of John's solo.

#3--"Sisters of the Moon"--in particular, the version from the Mirage tour. It needs no explanation, y'all know why this is spectacular!

#4--"You Make Loving Fun"--This was the first song I heard Christine McVie sing and it makes me want to dance...for whatever reason....a weird dance too...that I will not be describing now...so moving on...

#5--"So Afraid"--ALL TIME FAV Lindsey song, for me. I know the guitar solo can be long winded at times, but what can I say, I love me some guitar, especially some Lindsey guitar. It's so incredibly sexy to me. Love you long time, Linds.

#6--"Gypsy"--it's my dads favorite Stevie song, every time I go to a concert, I have to call him when she sings this and I think he cries because he isn't there for it. Sad.

#7--"Say Goodbye"--it is as horrible as it is wonderful to me. Guys, don't hate on me for this, but this song is like the WORSE/BEST romance novel of all time. It's like watching a sappy chick flick and hoping it ends good, but then it ends bad....they just have to say goodbye, but you don't want them too, but they both know and are okay saying goodbye to each other. Maybe I love it because I've had a similar relationship that was pretty intense....sad. haha.

#8--"Go Your Own Way"--I just love the beat. This is essential Fleetwood Mac material here, you can never not love this song and be a true fan. It's classic.

And thats really all I have to say, though I've said more than enough. haha, sorry guys. I'm a communication major, once I start, I can't shutup.

Well this is hard to choose so I am gonna name my very favorites ...though I love almost all of them soooo much.

Silver Springs - This song made me fall in total love with this band. The ending is so haunting how she sings it and puts so much feeling into it. I just feel the emotions pouring out in that song. I love it! :angel:

Angel - This is just uplifting to me. I can put that song in when I am feeling down and it just lifts my spirits again and puts a smile on my face. Makes me really wish i was born back in the day to enjoy it live! :D

Sara - That is just a special song to me because Stevie will always be the poet of my heart. Yes I'm sure that's corny... but I don't care. :p It just has alot of meaning to me.

So Afraid - Wonderful passionate song. I can feel the emotions Lindsey put into that song and I love when Stevie sings chours with him, they harmonize so awesome together.

Songbird - This song touches me and it also has alot of meaning to me I won't bore you with but it's one of my very favorites as well.

Ok I better stop now before I go through every one of them. :lol:

Ok. Here's my list in no real particular order. All of these songs just make me feel good. I enjoy listening to and playing the drums to them. These are all songs that I've played just by myself with my headphones on, sitting at the drum kit.

I'm So Afraid (The Dance version)
Blue Letter
Sugar Daddy
Go Your Own Way (The Dance version)
The Chain
Think About Me
Over & Over (from "Live")
Brown Eyes
World Turning (Live in SF, 1987. Video doesn't do the actual performance justice. If you weren't there you just didn't get the whole experience. Mick blew me away that night and I wanted to learn to play drums based mainly on seeing him that night.)
Gypsy (extended version)
Beautiful Child (25 Years version)
Isn't It Midnight (Live in SF, 1987, I know it's not Lindsey playing it, but it just rocked on that tour)
Fireflies
Seven Wonders
Little Lies
Welcome To The Room . . . Sara (just love the percussion and beat of this song, don't really listen to the words much when I'm playing this track on the CD)
Bleed To Love Her (either The Dance or SYW versions but I fell in love with in on The Dance tour, I like the solo at the end of the SYW version)
My Little Demon
Wish You Were Here (has a lot of meaning for my wife and I from early in our relationship when we could not always be together)
What's The World Coming To
Steal Your Heart Away
Say Goodbye

I also like Lindsey's take on "Oh Well" but I don't consider it a "Rumours" era song since it was done with the original blues line up so I don't list it here. My list of favourites from the original FM is much longer.

Wow you really took the words from my mouth there.

I feel the exact same way :)

Hands down, Silver Springs. No other song can touch it.

That's Alright

Yep...... I never tire of listening to this song or Angel :angel:

AMEN! There's really no other way to put it.

Yeah, "Say Goodbye" is a close runner up or me. It makes and breaks your heart within the span of 3 minutes and 26 seconds.

Pick four
 

I'm usually pretty stringent when someone says pick one, but since Rumours era Mac has three really strong songwriting voices, I'll just narrow down to one of each, plus one for early Mac!

Peter Green era-I hate to be so obvious, but I have always loved Oh Well and I just went nutso on opening night of this tour when it was on the setlist. I do think LB has gotten MUCH more into it, maybe the earlier performances were throwaways, but he rocks the hell out of it now!

Stevie Nicks-My first ever favorite was Dreams, it was on every radio station when my family drove (eternally it seemed like!) from New York to Florida. It's one of the most deeply embedded songs in my person. I loved Gypsy, it was a great song for that MTV era, because the video was awesome. Silver Springs just killed me when they did it for The Dance. I'm definitely a new convert to Sisters of the Moon. But I think I'll go with Gold Dust Woman.

Lindsey Buckingham-Lord this is tough. I love Blue Letter. Love Monday Morning. Love Second Hand News. Love What Makes You Think You're the One. Love Never Going Back Again. But Go Your Own Way is quintessential for me, so I'll pick that.

Christine McVie-Really loved Over My Head for a couple of decades. And loved Hold Me for the same reason I loved Gypsy, and Love in Store even though it had no video. Right now I'm feelin' Think About Me.

It's so impossible to pick one for each it just doesn't seem to get to the gist of it.

Ok. If we're going to do early Mac, then here's my (partial) list off the top of my head while at work:

I Loved Another Woman (Peter's guitar just tears me up every time I hear it!!)
Oh Well (Who doesn't love this song? Honestly!!)
Rattlesnake Shake (Again, what's not to love about this song?)
Jumping At Shadows (I know it wasn't penned by anyone in the band but I love Peter's rendition.)
Black Magic Woman
Stop Messin' Round
Shake Your Moneymaker (same as Jumping At Shadows, except with Jeremy)
Albatross (Of Course!!!)
Green Manalishi
Looking For Somebody
Sugar Mama
I Can't Believe You Wanna Leave (just like Jumping At Shadows)
Fleetwood Mac
Homework
Hypnotized
Why
The City (love that opening slide part)
Spare Me A Little Of Your Love
Danny's Chant
Sunny Side Of Heaven
Show Me A Smile
Dissatisfied

That's all I can remember and it's 00:40 in the morning. I think I'll stop there!!

A chiffonhead I see! :thumbsup:

Please don't think me totally stupid, but I'm not sure how my (grossly incomplete) list of pre-Rumours FM favourites makes me a chiffon head. I had been under the impression that "chiffonheads" were big-time, deep, "committed 'til death" Stevie Nicks fans. Not to say I'm not a fan of Stevie's. I certainly am, just a bigger fan of FM than of just her solo.

If I'm mistaken, by all means, please correct me. I'm more than happy to be enlightened.

Cheers!

by Stevie

Dreams, Sara, Gypsy, Straight back, Sister of the moon, Gold dust woman, Silver springs, landslide etc, but the first two are absolute favorites :)

by Lindsey

I'm so afraid, Go your own way, Bleed to love her, Not that funny (live mirage tour video version)

by Chris

Isnt it midnight, Never make me cry, Only over you, wish you were here. (yes these are odd choices you may think :P )

I'm pretty sure Liam was being facetious.

More or less all of LB's songs from the Tusk and Tango in the Night.

Dreams, Gypsy, Sara, & Silver Springs from Stevie.

SYLM, YMLF, Hold Me, Little Lies, & Everywhere from Christine.

Before the Beginning: poignant musical landscape redolent of the Midlands
Prove Your Love: one of the best hooks Chris ever wrote in a lifetime of excellent hooks
Angel: Welch's best psychedelic groove, & one of his simplest structures
Crystal: the epitome of the early '70s folk confessional, with chord progression obviously helped along by Buckingham (based as it is on fingerpicking fret work)
Go Your Own Way: more non-fans probably like this song than any other FM song from the band's post-Green catalog
Sands of Time: a monstrously catchy groove at just the right tempo, & one of the best examples of Fleetwood Mac's "expanded" rhythm section: bass, drums, & electric piano.
Dragonfly: top-notch psychedelia again, but winsome lyricism & landscape painting in place of a rhythmic pocket
Gypsy: Not even a bleating lead vocal can mar this extraordinary example of Buckingham's concern with orchestration & voice delineation; more complex even than that album's other orchestrative masterpiece.
Tusk: Best radio single of 1979, as Rolling Stone critics said -- & probably 1980, too. Wildly inventive & wholly successful aesthetic ideation, with seemingly no pinpointable antecedents.

I'll give fifteen since the band's recording history is so rich and varied.

Rollin' Man
Station Man
Sometimes
Dust
Honey Hush (BBC live recording)

Hypnotized
Say You Love Me
World Turning
Sugar Daddy
Oh Daddy

Tusk
Love in Store
Everybody Finds Out
Illume
Big Love (Dance)

My list changes quite a bit, but the first ten songs are always on there.

I've never really gotten into pre-Rumours FM. I like the early, early Peter Green stuff somewhat, altho usually if I want to hear blues, I'll listen to Bessie Smith or Muddy Waters. Then Play On and Bare Trees are both terrible to my ears (the latter especially...I can't get into Bob Welch at all). I know I'll be pelted by rotten tomatoes by many, but I'm really just a fan of Lindsey, Stevie, & Christine.