A Fleetwood Mac Producer ‘Never Really Liked’ This Hit Christine McVie Song From the ‘Rumours’ Album
Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie wrote some of the best songs on the Rumours album, but a producer for the group said he “never really liked” one of her biggest hits. Here’s which song the producer didn’t like and how a former US president made it popular.
Christine McVie wrote the Fleetwood Mac song ‘Don’t Stop’ for the ‘Rumours’ album
Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie wrote the song “Don’t Stop” about leaving the past behind. Although Rumours was the band’s most popular album, it was recorded during a period of great personal turmoil for each of the band members.
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were going through a bitter breakup. John and Christine McVie were on the verge of divorce, which inspired the lyrics of “Don’t Stop.” In the chorus, Lindsey Buckingham sang the hopeful words, “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow / Don’t stop, it’ll soon be here / It’ll be better than before / Yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone.”
The 1977 album was initially titled Yesterday’s Gone after a line in “Don’t Stop.” But John suggested Rumours because it seemed like everyone was talking about the drama Fleetwood Mac was going through (per SongFacts).
A ‘Rumours’ producer said he ‘never really liked’ the Fleetwood Mac song ‘Don’t Stop’
Producer Ken Caillat worked with Fleetwood Mac on the Rumours album and said he “never really liked” Christine McVie’s “Don’t Stop.”
“I never really liked this song,” Caillat told MusicRadar. “It was the first shuffle I ever worked on. I didn’t like the drum sound, either – maybe it’s because it started out kind of slow. This was Christine’s song, and she loved it, so that’s all that matters.”
He said that adding Lindsey Buckingham’s vocals to the track made a significant difference. “What did improve it dramatically was when she said to Lindsey, ‘It doesn’t sound that great when I’m singing it myself. Why don’t we make it a duet?’ That opened things up.”
The producer continued, “The end is funny. The band kept changing their background vocals. Anytime I thought I knew what they’d sing, they’d do something different. That’s a hallmark of classic Fleetwood Mac, their backgrounds. They’re incredible singers.”
Former US president Bill Clinton used the Christine McVie song in his campaign
Bill Clinton used the Fleetwood Mac song “Don’t Stop” as his theme when he successfully ran for US president in 1992. When Christine McVie died on Nov. 30, 2022, Clinton shared a tribute to the songwriter on social media.
“I’m saddened by the passing of Christine McVie,” he tweeted on the day of her death. “‘Don’t Stop’ was my ’92 campaign theme song – it perfectly captured the mood of a nation eager for better days. I’m grateful to Christine & Fleetwood Mac for entrusting us with such a meaningful song. I will miss her.”
