Liner Notes: May - Fleetwood Mac's Rumours/You Make Loving Fun/Songbird

Let's start with a song:

It's often said that Mick Fleetwood is the person at the center of Fleetwood Mac. He's the one who's always held the band together and keeps the legacy of Fleetwood Mac alive. And there's a lot of truth to that; Fleetwood and John McVie, and eventually Christine McVie, were part of the earliest versions of the band, forming in the late 1960s. It was this trio that Stevie Nicks and Linsdey Buckingham joined in 1975 after meeting the band at a Mexican restaurant. ("Fun" fact: one of the original guitarists, Jeremy Spencer, left the band to join the Children of God cult. Buckingham basically replaced him.)

Anyway, while I agree Mick Fleetwood is the force behind the band, I've always thought Fleetwood Mac wouldn't be Fleetwood Mac with Christine McVie. There's something about her voice, her songwriting ability, and her overall presence as a musician that absolutely is the chain of this band. She brought such a unique female voice to the band, and when Stevie Nicks joined, they balanced each other beautifully. The two women could have been one of those horror stories of competition in a band, but they were actually great friends and helped each other through the journey of being in Fleetwood Mac. 

One of my favorite songs on Rumours is "Songbird." If like me, you started listening to this album in your teens, "Songbird" was probably not high on the list of songs you liked from the album. I remember being very into "Go Your Way," "The Chain," and "You Make Loving Fun" when I was originally listening to the album. Those were the songs - upbeat, fun, and what I imagined being a young person in the 1970s felt like. As I got older and started dating more seriously and feeling the crushing power of love, I started to appreciate songs like "Songbird" and "Silver Springs." McVie says of the "Songbird," "It's sort of like a little prayer for everybody." If you listen to the song closely, you can absolutely feel it. It was recorded outside of the studio, and it has the vibe of the last song of the night. In fact, it would go on to be the last song of a set for live shows following the release of the album. I was thinking about this when I saw Florence + the Machine last month; Florence closes with "And Love." The songs have the same vibe. 

Christine McVie was also responsible for probably the funnest song on the album, "You Make Loving Fun." It's funky and in the world of Fleetwood Mac songs you can dance to. In fact, McVie is responsible for almost all the Fleetwood Mac songs you can dance to ("Say You Love Me, "Little Lies," "Everywhere" to name a few). The song serves as a break on the album; it comes after "The Chain" and "Songbird" and serves, at least to me, as a little reprieve before we get into the final songs of the album. McVie was also responsible for my favorite 1980s Fleetwood Mac song, "Everywhere." I love this song. I could listen to it every day and never get tired of it. The beginning of the song is definitely the sound twinkle lights would make if they had a sound effect. 

Her voice is so beautiful and I think the difference in her voice and the moments of music she created in the band provided the balance the band needed. Without Christine, the band wouldn't have had that playfulness or the energy it needed to move out of a song like "The Chain." She's powerful, but never mean. I think that's really important in a band like Fleetwood Mac.

McVie died in 2022 after suffering a stroke while also being treated for cancer. Fleetwood Mac hasn't played a show since her death. Several members of the band have said that there's no band without her. And that's one of the reasons I always think of her as the main link in the Fleetwood Mac chain. There's no way to replace her voice and her vibe in this band. 

In Christine's honor, I started the variations on the chain stitch this week. There is no plan for this. It's just going to be 17 days (I think) of me letting the thread tell me what to do. Here's this week's progress on the Rumours Liner Notes:

May 10

May 11

May 12 - I had a work event this week so I decided to use May 12 and 13 to do the lettering since I'm always exhausted after in-person events. 

May 13

May 14

May 15 - this is my first time doing the butterfly stitch. It's fun but I definitely need to make the straight stitches longer. 

May 16

Liner Notes - through May 16

WIPs, and a Mother's Day Double Feature

I think I'm going to make my goal of finishing the mushroom needlepoint piece by the end of the month. I made a lot of progress this week, despite being at the office for three days and being exhausted this week. It will be done by the end of May. It will be done.

May 11

May 14

I celebrated Mother's Day weekend with my mom by going to the movies. I very rarely go to the movies, but we went to see two movies last weekend. My dad and brother came along for The Sheep Detectives, and mom and I went to The Devil Wears Prada 2 on our own. Both movies are great. If you need a movie break, either one would be a good option. The Sheep Detectives is adorable and funny and a little sad. I wasn't expecting it like it as much as I did. TDWP2 is exactly what it needs to be and is an excellent follow-up to the original movie. There are lots of little references to the original that I enjoyed, and two jokes where I was the only person in the theatre who laughed. I get it; most people don't have to hear the term EBITA on a daily basis like I do nor have they been the victim of McKinsey consultants in their careers. Who knew TDWP2 would be so anti-capitalist (in its own way)? 

Bea had a fun week of being a chaos agent. She really enjoys this role, so I've decided just to embrace it. Does this mean she can be on the counters whenever she wants or the tiny book shelf? Absolutely not, but I'm going to try hard not to be as annoyed by it. She's a tuxedo cat. She can't help but be chaotic. 

Enjoy your weekend!