Credit: Far Out / Warner Bros Records
Fri 16 October 2026 18:05, UK
Every member of the Rumours-era line-up of Fleetwood Mac uniquely contributed to the group and pulled their weight to make them the defining band of the 1970s.
Christine McVie may not have commanded the spotlight like Stevie Nicks, dazzled on guitar like Lindsey Buckingham or led the band like Mick Fleetwood, but her understated brilliance was every bit as essential to Fleetwood Mac’s success.
In fact, a closer look at Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits reveals just how many of their most successful songs were written by McVie. Although she wasn’t the band’s most prolific songwriter, she favoured quality over quantity, producing a remarkable collection of timeless tracks that remain among the finest in Fleetwood Mac’s catalogue.
Throughout their history, Fleetwood Mac often operated as though no member was irreplaceable. The band underwent numerous line-up changes, with musicians such as Bob Welch, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan, Bekka Bramlett, Billy Burnette and Rick Vito all coming and going. Yet amid this constant upheaval, Christine McVie remained their defining keyboard player, occupying a unique place in the band’s history.
She contributed immensely to their unique sound, crafting some of their most beloved tracks, but additionally, McVie was a peacekeeper who was integral in keeping band dynamics harmonious. But, because she didn’t hog the limelight, it goes under the radar that she was one of the most gifted songwriters of her generation.
McVie consistently wore her heart on her sleeve with her lyrics, which dealt with the trials and tribulations of her life. Whether this was dealing with her divorce from John McVie on ‘Don’t Stop’ or paying tribute to her bandmate Mick Fleetwood on ‘Oh Daddy’, McVie was always best equipped at saying how she felt through song.
Artists can often spend countless hours over months trying to complete a song in an attempt to strive for perfection. Alternatively, they can also stumble upon a piece of musical gold from nowhere, and in the case of McVie, 1977’s ‘Songbird’, the track which many recognise as her magnum opus was inexplicable.
Credit: Far Out / YouTube Still
During a conversation with The Guardian in 2022, McVie explained why her proudest moment as a songwriter was ‘Songbird’. A miraculous piece of music which spilt straight out when she least expected it, and before she realised, the track was complete.
The inspiration for ‘Songbird’ came to McVie in the middle of the night as she lay in bed. Afraid she might forget the melody and structure if she fell asleep, she stayed awake until morning, determined to preserve the song exactly as it had come to her. It was a sleepless night, but a small price to pay for what would become one of Fleetwood Mac’s most beloved tracks.
McVie explained: “I’ve got to say ‘Songbird’. I couldn’t sleep, started to get a song rolling around in my head and I wrote it in half an hour. ‘For you there’d be no more crying …’ It’s sort of like a little prayer for everybody. We went into Zellerbach Hall studios [In Berkeley, California], they got me a bunch of red roses and I sang it alone on the stage.”
On the track, McVie avoids being too sloppy and instead nails the juxtaposing feeling of the loneliness of love. It’s another moment in which we get to see behind the curtain of Fleetwood Mac. It not only provides McVie with her stand-out moment on the album, as she speaks of the sacrifice of true love, but it also united the group.
The songwriter often noted this song as the track that kept the entire band together. In an earlier discussion with the same publication in 2016, she said of the song: “That was a strange little baby, that one. I woke up in the middle of the night and the song just came into my head. 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.”
McVie continued: “I was frightened to play it again in case I’d forgotten it. I called a producer first thing the next day and said, ‘I’ve got to put this song down right now.’ I played it nervously, but I remembered it. Everyone just sat there and stared at me. I think they were all smoking opium or something in the control room. I’ve never had that happen to me since. Just the one visitation. It’s weird.”
Most artists go their entire career without having a song come to them as easily as ‘Songbird’ arrived to McVie. However, there is a lesson in this for every songwriter. She may have been in bed, but knew that ‘Songbird’ needed to be captured immediately, and caught it from the sky with both hands.
There is no simple explanation for how ‘Songbird’ came into being, and the fact that McVie herself regarded its creation as a miracle speaks volumes. Songwriting is a constant pursuit, with inspiration capable of striking at any moment, often when least expected. For McVie, that sleepless night was rewarded with one of the most beautiful songs of her career.
