Credit: Far Out / LastFM
Mon 3 August 2026 16:49, UK
With most rock bands, the burden of songwriting weighs heavily on one person’s shoulders, which can get heavy and cause an imbalance of power. Thankfully, there was no shortage of songwriting talent in Fleetwood Mac.
During the Rumours era, they had the luxury of three songwriters who were capable of creating timeless classics. Stevie Nicks cast sonic spells on tracks like ‘Dreams’ and ‘Silver Springs’, filling her lyrics and melodies with entrancing intent. Lindsey Buckingham was just as apt with a guitar, turning his romantic frustrations into a mix of catchy tunes and experimental works. And while the two former lovers penned biting songs about one another, Christine McVie showed off her own songwriting prowess with keys and charming melodies.
Together, they had more songwriting talent in their midst than just about any group on the planet, which meant that McVie’s efforts were not given the appreciation they deserved and were overshadowed by the titillating Buckingham/Nicks dynamic.
The full-time keyboardist and occasional vocalist had an unimitable knack for melody, a talent she would use to create some of Fleetwood Mac’s most fun-filled songs, as well as some of their most emotionally devastating. Most notably, McVie showed off her ability to pen a shimmering pop track on ‘Everywhere’, but she was just as capable of reducing listeners to tears on tracks like ‘Songbird’.
McVie’s skill in this department knew no bounds, which makes it quite difficult to pick out a favourite from her repertoire when the options also include the impossibly catchy ‘Don’t Stop’, the gentle grooves of ‘You Make Loving Fun’, and the hypnotic ‘Little Lies’. For Mick Fleetwood, it was ‘Oh Daddy’ that made the biggest impact from McVie’s pen.
In a documentary about the making of Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 magnum opus, Rumours, Fleetwood named ‘Oh Daddy’ as “one of [his] favourite songs” that McVie had recorded, calling it “fantastic”. The gloomy piece featured as the penultimate track on Rumours, and it was also released as the final single from the record.
In contrast with sing-along hits like ‘Everywhere’ and ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Oh Daddy’ shows off McVie’s ability to write something slightly more dismal and downtempo. She pulls in organs and synths to create a moody atmosphere, punctuating it with sparse percussion while her vocals float high above.
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“Why are you right when I’m so wrong?” she asks, “I’m so weak, but you’re so strong.”
It’s no surprise that ‘Oh Daddy’ takes the title for Fleetwood’s favourite song penned by McVie, considering that he inspired its subject matter. “I believe it is about me, ‘Oh Daddy’…” he explained, “And I was the only father in the band at that point.”
The lyrics may allude to Fleetwood’s literal fatherhood, but they also likely reference his position as the fatherly leader of the band, guiding them through the turbulence of the late 1970s.
Fleetwood wasn’t the one supplying the lyrics, but he was responsible for ensuring the fort was kept down, and without him, Fleetwood Mac would have crumbled amid the chaos and disarray. His peacekeeping skills were just as vital as his drumming, which both acted as the heartbeat of the group.
Nevertheless, the beauty of ‘Oh Daddy’ also stems from its ambiguity. While McVie may have penned the lyrics with Fleetwood in mind, her words can be interpreted in a number of other ways. It tells the tale of an insecure relationship, whether this be romantic or familial, which is aided by McVie’s feelings of foolishness and lack of self-worth in the song.
By pairing murky twangs with lyrics steeped in real emotion, McVie created one of the most devastating yet beautiful songs not just on Rumours but in Fleetwood Mac’s entire catalogue. It proves that her talent extended beyond catchy keys and into truly emotionally harrowing pieces, which is why Fleetwood adores it so greatly.
