Some of the greatest pop music from the late 20th century was the product of a very public breakup between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. I don’t know if they were better off for it, but we certainly were. You can’t help wondering- what was it like for these two to perform “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way” in front of an audience every night? At what point did it go from a public psychodrama to just making the doughnuts? We’ll probably never know the answer to that one.
But the Buckingham/Nicks strife was only part of the back story behind “Rumours;” the McVie marriage was crumbling, as well. If you listen carefully, the music that resulted from that breakup was quite different; Christine McVie is actually consoling and reassuring her ex, not throwing mud at him. That’s the real meaning of “Don’t Stop;” it isn’t just a Clinton campaign song.
There was a great outpouring of feeling when Christine died. Now I’m pretty sure I know why.