The most brutal lyrics Fleetwood Mac wrote about each other: “I’m better off without you”
Fleetwood Mac continue to be one of the most complicated bands on the planet, given that there seems to be no end to the ups and downs that follow the band around, thanks to relationship troubles, addiction and general creative mishaps.
Recently, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham posted cryptic messages on their social media and posters around various cities that seemingly hinted at reconciliation. That was only half right, as fans were expecting too much considering a reunion, but they did confirm they would be re-issuing their record, Buckingham Nicks. While fans were excited by the news, they were equally sad that there was no reunion, but it didn’t take long for people to remember the complicated relationship that the two of them had.
The band were wracked with issues, both pertaining to the music they were making but also persistent problems between themselves as a band. A lot of these problems were fuelled by relationships breaking down and ongoing break-ups, the narratives of which can be found throughout Fleetwood Mac’s music. As such, if you want to better understand how each member was feeling, you needn’t do anything more than listen.
Some of these lyrics are heartfelt, while others are full-on brutal, either because of their literal meaning or the context in which they were said. There are plenty of songs the band wrote about each other, but these are some of the most devastating lyrics that they put together through turbulent times.
Fleetwood Mac’s most brutal lyrics:
‘Go Your Own Way’
“Tell me why, everything turned around, packing up, shacking up is all you want to do”.
The message that Lindsey Buckingham was trying to convey to Stevie Nicks at the heart of the track ‘Go Your Own Way’ is pretty simple: “I’m better off without you”.
The song is an incredibly bitter number, one that doesn’t see Buckingham hold back as he fully unleashes all of his frustration surrounding his break-up with Nicks.
One of the most obvious lines, which makes the song clear he is talking about Nicks, is also the most brutal, as he writes “Packing up, shacking up is all you want to do,” essentially implying that Nicks was sleeping around. Nicks hated the line so much that she asked Buckingham to take it out, attesting that she was never “shacking up” with anyone. Buckingham refused to remove the line.
“It was certainly a message within a song,” said Nicks when discussing the track, specifically the line she wanted removed, “And not a very nice one at that.”
‘Silver Springs’
“Time casts a spell on you but you won’t forget me, I know I could have loved you but you would not let me”.
Nicks wrote her own song about the break-up between her and Buckingham, but it was banished to the B-side of ‘Go Your Own Way’. Despite ‘Silver Springs’ now being viewed as a Fleetwood Mac classic, it was written during the band’s Rumours period, and there were too many good songs on that album that some of them didn’t make the cut.
The sentiment that Nicks displays in this brutal track is as simple as Buckingham’s in the track’s counterpart: “I hope you never stop thinking about.” While the line itself might not look too brutal, the idea behind it is, as Nicks is essentially saying that she hopes Buckingham is sad for the rest of his life and unable to stop thinking about her.
This line came from an internal place, as Nicks admitted, “It was realising that Lindsey was going to haunt me for the rest of my life, and he has.”
‘You Make Loving Fun’
“I never did believe in miracles, but I’ve a feeling it’s time to try, I never did believe in the ways of magic, but I’m beginning to wonder why”.
I know what you’re thinking, that this line is a pleasant one, taken from a song about how nice being in love is and how magical the feeling is. Yeah, you’re right, but it’s the context of this song which makes the line particularly brutal.
Nicks and Buckingham weren’t the only complicated couple, as Christie McVie and John McVie both went through break-ups during their period in the band. That led to complications and songs being written about one another, but this one seems the harshest.
McVie wrote ‘You Make Loving Fun’ about Curry Grant, the lighting designer for Fleetwood Mac, whom she had started dating during her break-up with John. While the lyric itself may not seem harsh, making your ex play a song about your new lover seems a bit much.
