Rumours, which was released in 1977, remains one of the best albums produced by the British-American Rock band, Fleetwood Mac despite having recorded 18 studio albums, nine live albums, 23 compilation albums, one extended play, and 62 singles. This album was released when members of the band were in their darkest period and the band itself was on the brink of collapse.
However, one person saved the day— the late Christine McVie who played a vital role and serve as a glue that kept everyone together throughout the album recording process. The late songwriter and singer revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that even though the band was in a mess, she believe they must finish the album. “Everyone was pretty weirded out,” Christine revealed to the news outlet. “But somehow Mick [Fleetwood] was there, the figurehead. ‘We must carry on, let’s be mature about this, sort it out.’”
Mick Fleetwood reveals that Christine McVie was the essential piece that kept the band together
Even though Christine was also in the middle of the whole drama playing out among the band, she ensured that she kept a cool head which ultimately helped the group get through its trying moments. Mick Fleetwood has always acknowledged Christine as a key figure in the band’s history.
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In a 2018 interview with Guitar World, the drummer said, “Christine is a very grounded person and has always been able to maintain a sense of humor about things. I think that’s why she’s been able to keep us all together over the years.” Also in 2020, Mick Fleetwood described the late singer as “the least prima donna type of person you could ever hope to meet.”
Christine McVie wrote the best song on the ‘Rumours’ album
Rumours was a massive commercial success, with over 10 million copies sold within a month of its release and a total of over 40 million copies sold to date. However, for many fans, the standout track on the album is Christine’s “Songbird.” This poignant piano ballad is both melancholic and uplifting, with the late singer expressing her love for an unnamed person in a way that feels unparalleled. It is widely regarded as the best track on the album.
In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, the late Christine spoke about her experience while writing the song. “[‘Songbird’] was a strange little baby, that one. I woke up in the middle of the night and the song just came into my head,” she told the outlet. “I got out of bed, played it on the little piano I have in my room, and sang it with no tape recorder.”
During the interview, the late singer likened the process of writing “Songbird” to being visited by a spirit. “I sang it from beginning to end: everything… I can’t tell you quite how I felt; it was as if I’d been visited –- it was a very spiritual thing. I was frightened to play it again in case I’d forgotten it,” Christine explained. “I called a producer first thing the next day and said, ‘I’ve got to put this song down right now.’ I played it nervously, but I remembered it. Everyone just sat there and stared at me. I think they were all smoking opium or something in the control room. I’ve never had that happen to me since. Just the one visitation. It’s weird.”