The “pact” Stevie Nicks made with Christine McVie
When Fleetwood Mac released Rumours, they solidified themselves as one of the most successful bands of their generation, thanks to their accessible pop-rock songs that attracted mass appeal. However, it is well known that the band began life as a blues outfit, founded by Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer in 1967, creating music that harnessed a rather different sound.
On the blues circuit, the band met Christine McVie (then known as Christine Perfect), a skilled musician from the band Chicken Shack. After marrying John McVie in 1968, McVie contributed piano to several tracks on Fleetwood Mac’s sophomore album, Mr Wonderful. In 1970, she was invited back to play the piano, supplying backing vocals and designing the artwork for Kiln House, the band’s third effort. Thus, following Green’s departure, Fleetwood Mac invited McVie to become a permanent member.
In the book My Life and Adventures with Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood explained that “Christine became the glue [that held the band together]. She filled out our sound beautifully”. As a core part of the band, McVie helped to write tracks besides performing, penning and singing vocals on ‘Morning Rain’ and ‘Show Me A Smile’ on 1971’s Future Games – her first contributions as an official member.
Fleetwood Mac soon relocated to California, where Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the fold. The pair helped the group to nurture a pop-rock sound, leading them to greater heights. The two female vocalists connected immediately, finding companionship in an otherwise male-dominated sphere. By the decade’s end, Fleetwood Mac were one of the world’s biggest rock bands thanks in no small part to Rumours, with McVie’s composition ‘Don’t Stop’ proving particularly popular.
McVie and Nicks always had each other, and during a 2020 episode of CBS Sunday Morning, the latter explained their close friendship, revealing that the pair had a special “pact”. When interviewer Tracy Smith said, “You two stuck together through thick and thin and really had each other’s backs,” Nicks respondedL “Yeah, we did. And Christine and I, we made a pact at the very beginning that if we were ever in a room of super famous guitar players that didn’t treat us with the respect that we thought that we deserved, that we would just stand up and say, ‘This party’s over,’ and we would walk out.”
However, she also revealed that they never needed to use their code phrase, adding: “So that was a nice surprise. We never had to make a scene”. Unfortunately, McVie passed away in 2022 from a stroke after her cancer began to spread. Nicks shared a touching tribute to her “best friend” when the news was announced. She posted on Instagram: “A few hours ago, I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away. I didn’t even know she was ill”.
Nicks continued: “Until late Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to get to London — but we were told to wait. […] See you on the other side, my love. Don’t forget me.”
In March 2023, Nicks performed ‘Landslide’ at her first live show since McVie’s passing. As images of the pair appeared on screens behind her, she broke down in tears before saying, “There’s really not much to say. We just pretend that she’s still here, that’s how I’m trying to deal with it.”
