On February 4th, 1977, a band known as Fleetwood Mac released their worldwide famous album titled Rumours. Little did they know that this album would become one of the most impactful albums of all time. It quickly took over the music industry, and became one of the highest sold albums in history. It even won Album of the Year award at the Grammys in 1978. On Dec 31, 2023, Rolling Stones made an article mentioning that Rumours is ranked #7 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

This album was created during the time where two of the band members, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, were facing a chaotic breakup. Some of the other band members, Christine McVie and John McVie, went into the studio to record this album after a recent divorce. Behind the makings of this album was a lot of drama due to the heartbreaking history of the band members. The hatred, betrayal, and love throughout this band is expressed greatly throughout all of the songs this album contains.

Today I am going to listen to and give my honest opinions about this album. I will rank each song based on their lyrics and production, and then give them an overall score. How does the band’s messy history effect play out on these songs, and does this album it deserve its high spot on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time?

♫ Track 1: Second Hand News

This track is definitely the perfect option to start off the album with because of its catchy melody. It has very upbeat and lively production. The lyrics to this one show that lead guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham, would like to make it clear that he is doing good on his own without Stevie Nicks in the picture.

• Production: 9/10
• Lyrics: 8/10
• Overall Score: 8.5/10

♫ Track 2: Dreams

I had already known this song before fully listening to this album. It’s a song that always grabs my attention every time I hear it. It sounds as if this song is about someone who was a player in a relationship and gave up on a great person. Now that they messed up and gave up on that person, all that they are left with is loneliness. After they better themselves, they will realize what they truly missed out on. The production really ties the song all together. It makes the song catchy and emphasizes the lyrics. This song was their most popular hit off of the album, and charted #1 in the United States. Stevie Nicks was the writer of this song. It was said that she created this song in roughly ten minutes, and its lyrics are directed towards Buckingham.

• Production: 10/10
• Lyrics: 10/10
• Overall Score: 10/10

♫ Track 3: Never Going Back Again

“Never Going Back Again” is a shorter song with not many lyrics, yet it speaks so loud and clear. This song is about a man who was in a relationship with a woman who was broken. It was almost like looking into a mirror for him. It made him realize how he was broken, and how doesn’t want to be like that again.

• Lyrics: 9/10
• Production: 8/10
• Overall Score: 8.5/10

♫ Track 4: Don’t Stop

This song is about optimism. It is about looking forward to another day, and turning away from the things that you regret. It talks about how it takes time to get over things and better yourself, but one day after you heal, things will be even better than they once were. This one was written by Christine McVie after the divorce.

• Lyrics: 10/10
• Production: 9/10
• Overall Score: 9.5/10

♫ Track 5: Go Your Own Way

This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It is so catchy to listen and sing along to. In my opinion, this is one of those songs that never gets old. I love both the lyrics and production so much. There is also so much history that unravels behind the song between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

• Lyrics: 10/10
• Production: 10/10
• Overall Score: 10/10

♫ Track 6: Songbird

This track has a beautiful flow of lyrics. It was reportedly written by Christine McVie in about thirty minutes. It has a subtle rhythm and beautiful vocals.

• Lyrics: 10/10
• Production: 9/10
• Overall Score: 9.5/10

♫ Track 7: The Chain

“The Chain” is my favorite song off of the entire album, and honestly one of my favorite songs to ever be created. The production is perfect, and I love the way that it builds up at the end. The way that the instrumentals are on beat with the singers voices adds so much emphasis to the song. If someone was looking for a reason to listen to this album, I would play them this song.

• Lyrics: 10/10
• Production: 10/10
• Overall Score: 10/10

♫ Track 8: You Make Loving Fun

This song has simple, yet effective lyrics, and such a catchy tune. It is a very lighthearted track. I love the electric guitar that plays in the background; it is my favorite part about the song. I also love the vocals of the singer.

• Lyrics: 8.5/10
• Production: 10/10
• Overall Score: 9.25/10

♫ Track 9: I Don’t Want to Know

After reading the lyrics, I can conclude that this song is about someone who is not giving enough back in a relationship. It talks about how the other person in the relationship says “I love you,” but they aren’t loving in the right way. They make the other person sound crazy and feel bad about themselves, and all the other person wants in return is for the one that they love to feel fine and become better. It has a catchy beat, and I would definitely listen to it again.

• Lyrics: 6/10
• Production: 9/10
• Overall Score: 7.5/10

♫ Track 10: Oh Daddy

The lyrics to this song give me a sad impression. It sounds as if the person whom this song is about wants to leave the relationship that they are currently in, but they just physically cannot get themselves to do so no matter how hard they try.

• Lyrics: 8/10
• Production: 9/10
• Overall Score: 8.5/10

♫ Track 11: Gold Dust Woman

This track is the last song that wraps the whole album up. I think that this song is the perfect song to end the album with. The vocals in this song are so compelling, and the instrumentals makes the song more dramatic in the best way possible. I have heard this song before, but I have never fully listened to it until now. I would definitely recommend this one.

• Lyrics: 10/10
• Production: 10/10
• Overall Score: 10/10

After Thoughts:

I loved listening to this album, and there was not one song that I didn’t enjoy. After calculating all of my overall scores, my average ranking for this album is about 9.2/10. I think that it is most definitely worthy of its spot at #7 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The band’s backstory made this album very intriguing to listen to, and I would definitely recommend this album to anybody who has thought about listening to it.