How Lindsey Buckingham Added ‘Architecture’ to Fleetwood Mac Songs ‘Gyspy’ and ‘Dreams’
Lindsey Buckingham wrote originals for Fleetwood Mac, also contributing “architecture” to songs by other band members. Here’s what he said about “Dreams” and “Gypsy,” both written by Stevie Nicks, and how he gave these songs structure.
Lindsey Buckingham wrote ‘Go Your Own Way’ for Fleetwood Mac
In addition to his role as a guitarist, Buckingham wrote several originals for Fleetwood Mac. That includes Rumours’ “Go Your Own Way,” produced by Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, and other artists.
Most Fleetwood Mac members contributed to music for the group, with all five members co-writing “The Chain.” Buckingham even produced music for Nicks and Christine McVie, later elaborating on his contributions.
Lindsey Buckingham allegedly contributed to other Fleetwood Mac songs written by Christine McVie or Stevie Nicks
When discussing pop songs, Buckingham often refers to the “architecture” of the release. That’s part of the song’s structure, which he sometimes added to originals by other Fleetwood Mac members.
“That’s always been in many ways what I contributed to Fleetwood Mac,” Buckingham said during an interview with Louder Sound. “Take songs of Stevie’s [Nicks], where she had the absolute center of the song, which was the lyric and the melody but nothing around it.”
“Songs like Dreams or Gypsy needed so much architecture around them to set off their potential,” he added. “The same with Christine [McVie]. I don’t necessarily think of myself as a writer as much as a stylist. It’s all about the style and the architecture and the bigger picture of it.”
“Dreams” and “Gypsy,” both written by Nicks, became two of the most popular songs released by the group. Both were added to the Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits collection, earning millions of Spotify plays since their debut.
Lindsey Buckingham contributed to Stevie Nicks’ ‘Storms’ for Fleetwood Mac
Even before they wrote Fleetwood Mac originals, Nicks and Buckingham created music as a duo. They released their self-titled album, even if it wasn’t met with much success. After their breakup, though, much of their personal lives were illuminated through songs.
In her memoir Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham’s former girlfriend, Carol Ann Harris, detailed the Buckingham-Nicks collaborative process. Nicks’ “Storms,” edited and produced by Buckingham, resulted in a “snarling, vicious battle.”
“He tore it apart,” Harris wrote, according to Music Spotlight Magazine. “By the time he was finished dissecting everything in detail about what was wrong with the song, he smiled serenely and said, ‘I like it, Stevie. It just needs some work.’”
Even if their breakup was highlighted in Rumours, Buckingham and Nicks now have an amicable relationship, with both reuniting for recent Fleetwood Mac concerts. Most Fleetwood Mac members branched out as solo artists, with Nicks releasing “Edge of Seventeen” and other originals.
