Their collaborative songwriting worked wonders for Fleetwood Mac. Some of the band’s greatest hits, including the gloomy “Songbird” and the sparkling “Everywhere,” benefited from Christine McVie’s blues-inspired keyboard work and poignant lyrics. With songs like “Dreams” and “Rhiannon,” Stevie Nicks added her witchy wonder to their records, and Lindsey Buckingham, her ex-lover, wrote memorable hits like “Go Your Own Way” and “Monday Morning.” They were also writing about each other in their writings.
Unlike many other bands, Fleetwood Mac made sure that every member had the opportunity to showcase their songwriting abilities, as opposed to having just one lead songwriter. With ease, the singers on their albums would swap between Buckingham, Nicks, Buckingham, and McVie, each of them penning sharp and lovely songs to and about one another.
Even though the core songwriting trio always had talent, they hardly ever chose to collaborate on songs. One member would write the majority of the band’s greatest hits by themselves. Bassist John McVie and bandleader Mick Fleetwood also seldom contributed to the writing process. However, the one occasion when they defied both of these guidelines, the result was not just one of the greatest tracks in their own catalogue but also among the best in soft rock history.
Rumours’ production coincided with a particularly turbulent period of Fleetwood Mac’s backstage life, marked by breakups and binge cocaine use. On the album, each band member used those personal struggles to inform their own tracks. All five band members contributed to just one track. It would be the only song in their entire discography, in fact, to feature the entire lineup from 1977. The famous song “The Chain” was that one.
The song combined several pre-existing elements, such as a riff from John McVie, an ending created by Fleetwood and him. And portions of a song called “Butter Cookie (Keep Me There)” that Christine McVie had written. Nicks would provide some previously written lyrics, and Buckingham would arrange the song. Every band member made some kind of contribution to the song.
The end product was a vast exhibition of Fleetwood Mac’s talent from 1977. Despite the ongoing discord behind the scenes, the song’s first half is masterfully controlled, featuring only gorgeous twangs, muted percussion, and flawless harmonies between Buckingham and Nicks. Buckingham and Nicks sing, “I can still hear you saying“. They described their own broken relationship as something that would never end.
However, the song changes completely after reaching its halfway point. As the song prepares for an explosive conclusion, McVie’s bassline emerges, full and menacing. Buckingham and Nicks plead together, “Chain, keep us together.” It’s understandable why the band wanted to preserve the conclusion. It makes perfect sense that the band was eager to preserve the ending that Fleetwood and McVie had written because it completes the song.
“The Chain” became popular and is still played on soundtracks and radio stations more than 40 years later. However, the band would never write together as well. The hit song from Rumours is still the only one in their discography that features all five of those members. It demonstrates the exceptional songwriting ability of the group as a whole.
