Breaking the Chain: Behind Fleetwood Mac’s Iconic Song

Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” is one of the most iconic classic rock songs of all time. Learn more about how it came to be.

The meaning behind Fleetwood Mac’s hit “The Chain” is up for debate. What isn’t up for debate is just how iconic the song has become over the years. The song was released as part of the band’s 1977 album, Rumors, “The Chain” is one of the few songs credited to all five band members: Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood. The band members pulled from discarded or previously released work, including the brilliant introduction and bassline. The finished work is possibly one of the greatest songs to come out of the 1970s.

Fleetwood Mac was going through serious turmoil when they wrote “The Chain.” Super couple Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had broken up, which inspired Nick’s lyrics. And, as if that wasn’t enough, Christine and John McVie’s marriage was ending, as was Mick Fleetwood’s. Even though Nicks wrote the lyrics about Buckingham, the words reflect how they all seemed to feel toward one another.

Watch the video below to learn more about “The Chain” and where Fleetwood Mac was professionally and personally at the time. Learn how the song was crafted and why it remains so iconic to this day:

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