‘Dreams’: How Remi Wolf fell in love with Fleetwood Mac
Remi Wolf is a difficult artist to pin down. Across her discography, there are elements of pop, soul, funk, lo-fi, and hip-hop, all mixed together in a recipe that feels utterly unique and utterly her. She seems to be wandering down her own path as an artist, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t still bow to the legends like the rest. Even as she casts the rule book aside, she still has her musical education in tow, with Fleetwood Mac being a part of that.
To understand just how dynamic of an artist Wolf is, you merely have to look at the artists she’s supported or worked with. A remix of her debut EP, We Love Dogs!, featured appearances from Hot Chip and Beck, both representing two corners of the alternative space. Then, in 2021, she opened for Lorde, one of the biggest alt-pop acts around. Right after that, she performed with Red Hot Chili Peppers, a decidedly different type of music legend. Recently, she’s been on the road with the pop star of the moment, Olivia Rodrigo.
With only that small snapshot of part of her career, it’s clear that Wolf won’t be boxed into any one genre or style. Instead, she wants to do it all and do it her way. But while she forges her own path, she still carries the classics with her. In particular, she holds Fleetwood Mac close to her heart as a core musical memory and a reminder of why she started.
“I grew up on Fleetwood Mac,” she told The Line Of Best Fit. “Me and my best friends in high school would listen to Rumours on repeat and ‘Dreams’ is the banger.”
When she was a kid, ‘Dreams’ was just a great work. But as she moved into her own musical career, it emerged as an essential lesson in song craft. Wolf learnt that the power of the piece lies in its simplicity, and it serves as a reminder that that is often the way.
“I love a chord progression, and ‘Dreams’ is a 4/5 chord progression, just two chords over and over and over again,” she explained. “That’s the most impactful chord progression for me, and I think that’s because of ‘Dreams’ that I’ve gotten really into that.”
That lesson is heard in Wolf’s own work. Even as her instrumentals expand into big, adventurous compositions, the core of the piece is routed to something simple and catchy. The foundations are always solid on her debut album Juno or new songs like ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Toro’, allowing all the details to be stacked on top with a sturdy structure to hold them down.
But beyond the musical theory, Wolf’s love for Fleetwood Mac also have another, more obvious reason. “Stevie Nicks is a fucking icon,” she said. Like generations of musicians before her and undoubtedly more to come, Nicks stands out as one of the most captivating and renowned artists around. There’s a reason why she’s remained such an enduring and loved figure, and part of that lies in her ability to articulate emotions into a catchy anthem. “This is a brilliant break up song, it’s one of those breakup songs that also makes you feel good,” Wolf explained.
It’s a track that means a lot to her, but an artist that means even more. “It’s everything – it has the sad, the happy, the nostalgia – it’s a perfect song in that way.”
