Rumours - Mays' Album Of The Month

An album forged in fire and band turmoil, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac is one of the most bittersweet albums in the whole of history. Stemming from the band's troubles and sculpted alongside heavy drug abuse, this album has been gifted with one of the richest backstories in the history of music. No album has ever been more sweet and sour than this.

1. Second Hand News

At face value, Second Hand News could be taken as something upbeat and fun, but really, it's not. The lyrics are painful and deal with the idea of being replaced in a relationship. The song isn't about second hand news it's about becoming second hand news. Despite the lyrical emotion, the song sounds just as upbeat as any with a nice and healthy guitar strum and a good beat to it Second Hand News is a great listen. Second Hand News 7/10.

2. Dreams

Thunder only happens when it's raining; who hasn't heard that at least once in their life? This song was written at a very turbulent time for the band as they were all going through personal relationship struggles, but diamonds are made under intense pressure and tension, and so this song was made. A beautiful listen with extreme cohesion and instruments that just work off each other. This song is brimming with remorse, and it's genuinely beautiful. Dreams 8.5/10.

3. Never Going Back Again

Simple lyrics, but the most beautiful and complex of guitars. This song is almost immediately recognisable and is one of the simplest features of the whole album. Some songs stand out, but I feel like Never Going Back Again serves more of a purpose to the album when listened to in full. It breaks up all the tension and friction between the band members with something simple, no less meaningful, but more bite-sized and manageable. Never Going Back Again 6/10.

4. Don't Stop

Now this is what I mean by song lore. A song that was a banger by itself but became the face of a presidential campaign, now that's new. Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, a whole 15 years after the release of Rumours, using Don't Stop to soundtrack his campaign. He was ultimately successful, and the Fleetwood Mac that produced Rumours reunited after over a decade of separation. The song itself is a catchy piece that will have you humming it for days to come, but its use politically is what many people will remember it for. Don't Stop 7/10.

5. Go Your Own Way

Go Your Own Way is my personal favourite from this album. It's a brilliant song that encapsulates a lot of the band's friction that made this album so infamous. The piece was written during the peak of the band's fallout and is particularly about the relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie herself has said that she struggles through the pain of singing this live with Lindsey, down to it being a fan favourite, otherwise it would be removed from the setlist. Go Your Own Way 10/10.

6. Songbird

Written by vocalist Christine McVie, the ballad is popular due to its calming instrumentals and lyrics all about self-sacrifice in love. It is another one of the simpler songs that serve as the binding of this album, but this doesn't make it any less beautiful. It deviates from the usual theme of fallout that this album has contained and focuses on true love. Songbird 6.5/10.

7. The Chain

One of the band's best well known songs, The Chain is all about the metaphorical chain that ties a relationship together. The song is yet again another angsty piece that is all about how a lover promised to never break the chain of the relationship and how sometimes two people just fall out of love. The lyrics are said to be digs written by bandmates to other bandmates. The Chain 8/10.

8. You Make Loving Fun

A song that finally contains a positive outlook, You Make Loving Fun is iconic for its live performance and became a concert staple of the band up until 1997 when McVie left the band. Upon his return in 2014, it took its rightful spot back on the setlist. You Make Loving Fun 6/10.

9. I Don't Want To Know

This song was not written for Fleetwood Mac; despite it being written by Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, it was made before they joined Fleetwood Mac, and they performed it at Buckingham Nicks concerts. The song has a nice sound and good instrumentals, and has less angst compared to other tracks. As mentioned, it was not going to be a part of the Rumours project, but when they couldn't include the song Silver Springs due to vinyl space, they decided to include I Don't Want To Know to make sure Stevie Nicks had enough writing representation on the album. At first, she was reluctant to include the song, but she decided to go along with it; otherwise, she would only have written 2 songs for the whole album. I Don't Want To Know 7.5/10.

10. Oh Daddy

Oh Daddy includes a sense of desperation not captured by any other song on this album. This piece is about wanting to leave a relationship but not having the strength within oneself to do so. It can have many interpretations, but the most logical way to explain the use of daddy is to say that it is referencing Mick Fleetwood, the father of Fleetwood Mac. Oh Daddy 6/10.

11. Gold Dust Woman

Written by Stevie Nicks, Gold Dust Woman is a song that references the loss of love and drug abuse parallel to one another. This song probably encapsulates the whole Rumours album the best, showing its backstory that is completely covered in love, loss, angst and drugs. Gold Dust Woman 7/10.