Growing up with really cool parents with good taste was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me. Both my mom and dad have such a wide variety of music tastes that I grew up listening to so many “classic” artists, ranging from The Eagles to Billy Idol. But one band has constantly been played on the radio in our kitchen, for as long as I can remember: Fleetwood Mac. I have distinct memories of being a young child, dancing around the living room with my two older sisters and my mom to Fleetwood Mac. A band that has played a constant role in my life, and played an essential part when I developed my own music taste, so it only makes sense that I pay homage to them!
The best thing about Fleetwood Mac is that each song creates a different feel for the listener, but I can spot a song by them from anywhere. Even though they interchange a few different vocalists, both male, and female, their sound is so strong and majestic that it brings an immediate smile to my face. While I enjoy every Fleetwood Mac song I have heard (shout out to "Landslide" which did not make my list), here are my ten personal favorites!
10. Sara
This song is so hauntingly beautiful, that sometimes it makes me cry about situations that have never happened to me. With a soft sound and energetic beat, sometimes when I listen to this song I forget that this a song about hopeless romance and obsessive love. Still so moving that I keep it on my rainy day playlist.
9. The Chain
Only the most empowering song ever. Whenever I find myself stressed out about former loves/romances, I listen to this song to remind myself I am a fierce woman and people’s lies mean nothing to me. Also, this song is fun to sing in the car with a partner (aka your older sister who will sing the tenor parts).
8. Dreams
I do not know what was in the water in the 1970s, but I am pretty sure it led to a lot of doomed relationships. “Players only love you when they're playing,” is one of the most iconic lyrics of all time and one I still see being tweeted today. Also, some melodies I try to hit when I am by myself and I embarrassingly fail but try each time anyway.
7. Secondhand News
My momma’s favorite song, so of course this upbeat tune has rubbed off on me in the last twenty years! When I hear this song, I want to wear a lace skirt and frolic in fields and not let a single thing ever get me down again! This is also a song I listen to when I am homesick at school, because nostalgia (I miss my mom and childhood often).
6. Storms
“Never ever been a blue, calm sea. I have always been a storm.” Sometimes I catch flack about how dramatic and emotionally driven I am, then I remind myself that Stevie Nicks is also a storm and I feel so much better about myself. It is okay to be a chaotic mess! Thank you for the reminder, Fleetwood Mac.
5. Everywhere
My best friend and I share a common love for Fleetwood Mac, and also one for this song. While it is not my all-time favorite, I respect that it is her favorite so we listen to this uplifting jam anytime we drive anywhere. And I mean everywhere. Going to Walmart? Play Everywhere! Going to the river? Play Everywhere! I guess it is true, I would be with her everywhere because she is the coolest ever!
4. Gypsy
Stevie Nicks coming in again with eloquent lyrics, an open-ended story, and chilling high notes. “And to the gypsy that remains, she faces freedom with a little fear.” Who cannot relate to the concept of craving freedom but also being a little scared to run with it? This is a big scary world, but having reassurance that you are not the only scared person is nice.
3. You Make Loving Fun
Personally, in my eyes, this is the most underappreciated of all of Fleetwood Mac’s major hits. This is probably one of the most uplifting songs written by the band, and I love when Christine McVie takes lead vocals for a song. Also, it is nice to know that one day somebody will make loving fun for everyone.
2. Silver Springs
My go-to song when I want to dramatically stare out a window on a rainy day and pretend I am in a music video. Sometimes, I will even try to sing this and pretend I am in the band and shed a few tears. “Time casts a spell on you, but you won’t forget me. I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me,” is a lyric that many people can relate to in one way or another. Maybe you have an ex who won’t stop haunting you? Maybe you gave your all to someone and they just could not appreciate it? Maybe you are into witchcraft? Regardless of the situation, this song is a proper jam!
1. Rhiannon
A song about an “old, Welsh witch,” with lyrics like, “she rules her life like a bird in flight,” how can someone not be enchanted by this classic? I have vowed to myself since I was twelve years old that if I ever have a daughter, her name will be Rhiannon, so maybe I am a little biased toward this song. But this song makes me want to wear a shawl and walk around mysteriously and make people fall in love with me.
