Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’: 5 Best Lyrical Burns About Relationships
Fleetwood Mac’s landmark album Rumours is an absolute monster. It’s one of nine studio albums ever to sell over 20 million copies in the U.S. Forty-four years after being unleashed onto…
Fleetwood Mac’s landmark album Rumours is an absolute monster.
It’s one of nine studio albums ever to sell over 20 million copies in the U.S. Forty-four years after being unleashed onto the masses, it still holds up for its incredible songwriting and its main theme: Cheating, cheating and wait…more cheating.
The making of Rumours, of course, is famous for everyone in the band breaking up with each other and its other “indulgences.” (AKA: So much cocaine it would make Tony Montana blush.)
Between the divorce filing of John McVie and Christine McVie, the breakup of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (and Nicks’ eventual “shacking up” with Mick Fleetwood), the band weren’t exactly hurting for material.
As for the cocaine, its heavy use by the band has been well-documented and was so prolific, Fleetwood reportedly wanted to thank his dealer in the album’s liner notes.
In short, Rumours is the ultimate cheating/break-up record. In honor of its anniversary, here are the five best lyrical burns about relationships from the album.
5. “And if you don’t love me now, you will never love me again.” – “The Chain”
Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: (L-R) Honorees Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, and John McVie of music group Fleetwood Mac attend MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images )
4. “One thing I think you should know: I ain’t gonna miss you when you go.” – “Second Hand News”
Steven Ferdman/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Honoree Lindsey Buckingham of music group Fleetwood Mac performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)
3. “But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness, like a heartbeat drives you mad in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost” – “Dreams”
Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Honoree Christine McVie performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
2. “Rulers make bad lovers. You better put your kingdom up for sale.” – “Gold Dust Woman”
Steven Ferdman/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Honoree Stevie Nicks of music group Fleetwood Mac performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)
1. “Packing up. Shacking up’s all you wanna do.” – “Go Your Own Way”
Noam Galai/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 09: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac perform on NBC's "Today" at the NBC's TODAY Show on October 9, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
