Feb. 4 marked the 48th anniversary of one of the most successful rock albums of all time, Fleetwood Mac’s 11th studio album, “Rumours.” It was awarded Album of the Year at the 20th Annual GRAMMY Awards and has sold over 40 million copies worldwide since its release in 1977. Even years after the release of “Rumours” and countless band breakups and reunions, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Almost half a century later, “Rumours” continues to perform well and as of Feb. 8, 2025, the album sits at No. 32 on the Billboard Top 200, having spent 618 weeks on the chart. No less influential and popular as it was in the 1970s, the LP is a timeless reflection of breakups and loss that anyone, across all decades, can relate to.
“Rumours” details the turbulent relationships between the members of the band, exploring their addictions to drugs and each other. During the writing process of the album, Christine and John McVie, two of the five members, were going through a divorce due to John McVie’s alcohol abuse, leading to Christine McVie’s affair with the band’s sound engineer. During this time, the two “hated the sight of each other,” according to “Songbird,” a biography on the late Christine McVie.
While the drama unfolded between Christine and John, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham decided to end their relationship as well. Even Mick Fleetwood, the fifth and final member of Fleetwood Mac, divorced his wife, Jenny Boyd, during the creation of “Rumours.” Every single member of the band was going through something deeply personal and difficult while putting together one of the most iconic albums of all time. They directed these feelings of loss into their writing and walked away having created songs that people from all generations relate to.
While their specific situations could never be recreated, their music is understood by millions. The second track on the album, “Dreams,” has almost two billion listens on Spotify and was written and performed by Stevie Nicks. The song is aimed at Buckingham and discusses the aftermath of their time together.
“In the stillness of rememberin’ / What you had and what you lost / And what you had and what you want,” Nicks sings in the pre-chorus. She repeats the line to emphasize the feeling of loss that the other person will now feel when they are sitting all alone. “Dreams” has a simple arrangement, yet it conveys the pain of an ending relationship while also finding peace and moving on.
Lindsey Buckingham responded to their breakup with the song “Go Your Own Way,” the first single of the album, which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Top 100. Contrasting Nicks’ haunting and poignant response to the breakup, Buckingham wrote an upbeat song that portrayed his anger towards her.
He wrote, “Packing up / Shacking up is all you want to do,” using his song to insult Nicks and claim the reason for their separation. The seemingly happy music parallels and juxtaposes the anger that comes with a mainly happy relationship ending.
Christine McVie wrote the fourth track on the album, “Don’t Stop,” where she looks at life from a positive viewpoint when going through a hard time. She writes, “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow / Don’t stop, it’ll soon be here / It’ll be better than before.” During the creation of “Rumours,” each member of the band was going through a difficult breakup, and this song puts everything into perspective by reminding them to stay optimistic and keep pushing through.
48 years later, songs like “Dreams” and “Silver Springs” are still going viral on social media and performing well on the charts. Fleetwood Mac’s music still matters, and many generations are enjoying and relating to the music created by the dysfunctional group of five. Their breaking up and feelings of loss span across generations as a person at any age can understand the grief, anger and acceptance of breaking up. “Rumours” is able to capture the wide expanse of feelings that contradict one another and don’t always make sense when reeling from the loss of someone incredibly close to you.
“Go Your Own Way” represents someone making a rash decision because they are upset, and it’s understandable what pushed Buckingham to make the comment that he did. “Dreams” shows the pain of a relationship ending while also doing one’s best to move on. “Don’t Stop” shows the official moving on and getting over the relationship, remembering that there is much more to look forward to.
During a breakup, people go through many different feelings which could never be explained in one singular song. This album is full of songs that explore all aspects of the ending of a relationship, all written by people who were going through one themselves. Each song culminates into a timeless piece of art. Dealing with heartbreak is something that anyone can relate to. “Rumours” remains a prominent part of music’s current trends because of its relatability as the ultimate breakup album.
Mary DeCarlo can be reached at [email protected].
