Most Successful Fleetwood Mac songs on the Billboard Hot 100

[Macfan4life]

Here is another thing this list does not take into account. The top 10 lists compare all songs released around the same time in that year.
All Data from Billboard's Hot 100
While this list ranks SDMHA as #1, it finished 1981 as the #59 biggest hit of 1981. It does not even crack the top 40.
Dreams was Billboards #39 song of 1977.
Hold Me was Billboard's #31 song in 1982

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmm

The songs are competing against the other hits that year. Its impossible to say or rank how they would compete against each other which this list tries to do. You have to compare the songs against their competition on the charts.....not songs decades apart. For example, would you want to have the biggest hit of 1985 or the biggest hit of your band and its members competing against each other. I think most would want the biggest hit period, end of story. Hold Me is not the highest charting single for Fleetwood Mac. However its the band's biggest hit competing against all other songs in 1982 and finishes that year a bigger hit than any other Mac song finished their year. Make sense?

[David]

“You Light Up My Life” spent ten weeks at No. 1 in 1977, but in the decades since that, do you know anybody who talks about that song or even thinks about it? Would anybody in his right mind ever say that it’s a more popular song than “Stairway to Heaven” or “Dream On” or “Superstition” or “Layla” in the cultural history of the Seventies?

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by David

“You Light Up My Life” spent ten weeks at No. 1 in 1977, but in the decades since that, do you know anybody who talks about that song or even thinks about it? Would anybody in his right mind ever say that it’s a more popular song than “Stairway to Heaven” or “Dream On” or “Superstition” or “Layla” in the cultural history of the Seventies?

Or Tiny Dancer or LeVon

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by David

“You Light Up My Life” spent ten weeks at No. 1 in 1977, but in the decades since that, do you know anybody who talks about that song or even thinks about it?

Me. Even though I was just eleven, and it wasn't a huge hit in Peru.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Me. Even though I was just eleven, and it wasn't a huge hit in Peru.

I was a kid, but it seemed like it was on the radio FOREVER.....

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

I was a kid, but it seemed like it was on the radio FOREVER.....

and ever and ever and ever....

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

and ever and ever and ever....

Like seriously. It wouldn't go away.


I hope she was able to retire from that song.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

I was a kid, but it seemed like it was on the radio FOREVER.....

and Debbie Boone was on EVERY tv show and magazine.... I just remember also that she had to concoct some convoluted story about how this love song she was singing wasn't a love song but was about GOD and not a guy because, you know, she wasn't married or anything and her religion disapproved of any suggestion about love outside of marriage

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

and Debbie Boone was on EVERY tv show and magazine.... I just remember also that she had to concoct some convoluted story about how this love song she was singing wasn't a love song but was about GOD and not a guy because, you know, she wasn't married or anything and her religion disapproved of any suggestion about love outside of marriage

oh brother...

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Me. Even though I was just eleven, and it wasn't a huge hit in Peru.

I must clarify that, though I like You light up my life a lot and play it frequently in my device, I don't remember if it was played a lot in 1977. Probably not. And I didn't watch the movie that year. And it's not enough played nowadays in old songs radios.

So how I discovered that song and how did I like it? I was impressed by Debby Boone performance at the Oscar nights, with children telling the lyrics with sign language. She sang it so beautiful. Next day I ran to buy the 45 rpm single.

[Macfan4life]

Yes that song was everywhere. I remember as a kid DJ's playing machine gun fire over the song trying to kill it. Its even in an episode of Threes Company "Coffee Tea or Jack" where a young Loni Anderson is in Jack's bathroom singing the song.

It reminds me of another mid 70s song: Feelings (whooa whooa whooa feelings). While it only peaked at #6 in the states, it finished 1975 as the #23 most biggest hit that year. It was also sort of mocked on the Carol Burnett show when Eunice Higgins sung Feelings on the Gong Show.

Both of those songs wore out their welcome and were never heard again.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Yes that song was everywhere. I remember as a kid DJ's playing machine gun fire over the song trying to kill it. Its even in an episode of Threes Company "Coffee Tea or Jack" where a young Loni Anderson is in Jack's bathroom singing the song.

It reminds me of another mid 70s song: Feelings (whooa whooa whooa feelings). While it only peaked at #6 in the states, it finished 1975 as the #23 most biggest hit that year. It was also sort of mocked on the Carol Burnett show when Eunice Higgins sung Feelings on the Gong Show.

Both of those songs wore out their welcome and were never heard again.

Mrs Higgins!!!

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Mrs Higgins!!!

Mrs. Wiggins.

You're welcome.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Mrs Higgins!!!

No not the Mrs Wiggins secretary character. Eunice Harper Higgins. Thelma Harper's daughter named Eunice. She always wanted to be a a star. She sang Feelings on The Gong Show. From the mama sketches.
Mrs Wiggins was a different character all together. Eunice's husband was Ed Higgins. Probably the best sketch comedy that existed.

Here is her audition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvRtHuMm1BQ

[WalkAThinLine.]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Here is another thing this list does not take into account. The top 10 lists compare all songs released around the same time in that year.
All Data from Billboard's Hot 100
While this list ranks SDMHA as #1, it finished 1981 as the #59 biggest hit of 1981. It does not even crack the top 40.
Dreams was Billboards #39 song of 1977.
Hold Me was Billboard's #31 song in 1982

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmm

The songs are competing against the other hits that year. Its impossible to say or rank how they would compete against each other which this list tries to do. You have to compare the songs against their competition on the charts.....not songs decades apart. For example, would you want to have the biggest hit of 1985 or the biggest hit of your band and its members competing against each other. I think most would want the biggest hit period, end of story. Hold Me is not the highest charting single for Fleetwood Mac. However its the band's biggest hit competing against all other songs in 1982 and finishes that year a bigger hit than any other Mac song finished their year. Make sense?

This is a very good point. One thing that I forgot to include in the original post is that this list is not meant to be interpreted as a definitive list to determine the most successful song. This is simply one metric that is being used that does not take into account the changing musical landscapes from year to year. From the 1990s onward, songs have had far longer lifespans on the Billboard Hot 100. Some of this can be attributed to the introduction of Nelson Soundscan, which Billboard started using in 1991 to determine sales data (prior to this, only select record shops submitted data to Billboard, which was extrapolated to create a rough estimate of the national sales data. I agree that the placements of certain songs are questionable, particularly with "Talk to Me" and "Little Lies". I checked my Billboard Top 40 book, and both songs spent 13 weeks in the top 40. After consulting with Billboard's website, I also found that both songs also debuted at #66.