The Fleetwood Mac song that scares Mick Fleetwood: “I get the heebie-jeebies”
Performing live has been a constant in Mick Fleetwood‘s life and is almost second nature to the drummer. Since the 1960s, he’s been an active performer, yet there’s one song that Fleetwood has played to audiences more than most and one that still frightens him to this day.
Although Fleetwood is an assured drummer who could likely perform most of a Fleetwood Mac set in his sleep, ‘Oh Well’ is a notable exception. The track derives from the Peter Green-era of the band and has remained a constant in their set despite Green leaving Fleetwood Mac in 1970. It’s a song designed to be performed live and has remained a stalwart of their setlists throughout the group’s lineup changes.
‘Oh Well’ was first released on the US version of their third album, Then Plays On, and despite not being a hit single, it later garnered a reputation as a fan favourite. In total, Fleetwood Mac have performed the song live on over 770 occasions, which makes it their ninth most-played track.
However, Fleetwood remains fearful every time they play ‘Oh Well’. While some may assume he would have decided to drop ‘Oh Well’ from the setlist, he instead uses his trepidation to spur him on and finds it inspiring. During an interview with Music Radar about his favourite Fleetwood Mac songs, the drummer explained why it never fails to make him feel alive when on stage.
“It’s two minutes of madness that I love. It’s a stop-and-start song, and to this day, I get the heebie-jeebies thinking that I’m going to mess it up – which is good because that’s the child in me,” he told the publication.
Fleetwood added: “The structures that I was able to put together make it something that is very unique. It’s become a real staple of the diet, way more so than I ever realised with our contemporaries and the best of the best – they’re absolutely fascinated with this song.”
Although ‘Oh Well’ is one of Fleetwood’s favourites, the late Green held a less favourable opinion of the song. During an interview with Mojo in 1996, he explained why he preferred ‘Oh Well (Part Two)’, which has never been performed live by Fleetwood Mac.
He told the magazine: “The best bit was Part 2 on the other side of the record. You miss the best bit, the Spanish guitar break. The first side was what we played on stage. I didn’t think it would be a hit, and I used to hate playing that one because we played the part that wasn’t as good. I wanted a bit of moody guitar playing. They wanted the bit that was easy to do, that everyone knew.”
The duo’s opinions on ‘Oh Well’ highlight the musical differences between the pair, which would also preempt the direction that Fleetwood would guide the band in following Green’s departure.
Listen to ‘Oh Well’ below.
