However effortless creativity is for her, the fruits of her labors were phenomenal. The “Songbird” died on Nov. 30, 2022, at age 79, but her music will long outlive her mortal coil. Here are the best Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac songs.
10 Best Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac Songs
“Oh Daddy”
Mick Fleetwood was the only father in the band when McVie penned “Oh Daddy.” While some say the drummer inspired the tune, others say McVie’s muse was actually a lighting director on the band’s tour crew.
“Hold Me”
McVie penned “Hold Me,” Fleetwood Mac’s first hit of the 1980s, with co-writer Robbie Patton; the song is said to be about her tumultuous relationship with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. It eventually hit No. 4 and became one of the band’s biggest all-time smashes in the U.S. Across the pond, however, the tune didn’t quite take—your loss, U.K.!
“Songbird”
McVie’s beautiful and personal piano ballad, “Songbird,” is a rare solo outing for the singer-songwriter. Its placement on Rumors means it often gets overlooked for more raucous fare like “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain”—but it also means its softness stands out all the more. “I woke up in the middle of the night and the song just came into my head,” McVie told The Guardian of the tune. “I got out of bed, played it on the little piano I have in my room, and sang it with no tape recorder. I sang it from beginning to end: everything. I can’t tell you quite how I felt; it was as if I’d been visited — it was a very spiritual thing.” Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images
“Say You Love Me”
“Say You Love Me” is pure pop perfection. The tune hit No. 11, tying with Stevie Nicks’ heavily lauded “Rhiannon.” It’s one of Fleetwood Mac’s most instantly recognizable songs thanks to its earworm melody.
“Love In Store”
McVie’s vocals take the lead in “Love In Store,” but it also shows how well she plays with others, as Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham harmonize beautifully with her. Buckingham was also a primary producer on the track with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut.
“Over My Head”
“Over My Head” was Fleetwood Mac’s first hit in six years at the time of its release in 1975. McVie wrote the tune about Buckingham, explaining to the BBC, “He was that kind of a guy, he could be cold as ice, and then he could be great. So I took that feeling I was feeling, and I turned it into a song.”
“Think About Me”
While McVie was widely praised for her pop sensibilities, “Think About Me” proved she could write a killer rock song as well. Keeping up with her catchy melodies were gritty guitars and some seriously sassy, lovestruck lyrics. Michael Putland/Getty Images
“Little Lies”
Co-written with her then-beau Eddy Quintela, McVie’s “Little Lies” helped Fleetwood Mac have a semi-resurgence in the late ’80s. It’s the band’s most recent top 10 song in the United States, hitting No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987.
“You Make Loving Fun”
McVie wrote “You Make Loving Fun” about the band’s lighting director, Curry Grant, with whom she was having an affair—but told husband John McVie she wrote it about her dog. While that certainly must have been, er, ruff, it was worth it: The song hit No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Don’t Stop”
An inescapable, inspiring ditty, “Don’t Stop” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997 and has endured ever since. McVie wrote the song about her split from John McVie, explaining, “‘Don’t Stop’ was just a feeling. It just seemed to be a pleasant revelation to have that ‘yesterday’s gone.’ It might have, I guess, been directed more toward John, but I’m just definitely not a pessimist.” Next, check out the best covers of the Fleetwood Mac classic “Landslide.”
