By Kiki Arochas, Staff Writer
The rock band Fleetwood Mac has had a revolving door of band members since its inception. Although initially churning out blues hits since its formation in 1967, the band did not attain its signature sound until the arrival of legendary rock stars Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in 1974 (Lindsey is the guy and Stevie is the girl – confusing, I know). The two would headline the band’s rise to superstardom from there, particularly with the best selling album Rumours selling over 40 million copies. The band was diverse in their talent pool; their hits were sung by various vocalists. Buckingham headlined hits such as “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain,” and “Don’t Stop”; and Nicks was lead vocals in the chart toppers “Dreams,” “Gypsy,” and “Rhiannon.” Even background vocalist Christine McVie starred in the tracks “Everywhere,” and “Little Lies.” The instrumentals of their songs could be simultaneously relaxing and groovy; the harmonies were spectacular with the talented tandem of Nicks and Buckingham (and the aforementioned McVie), and the drums were always prominent thanks to the work of one of the greatest drummers to ever live, the band’s namesake Mick Fleetwood. All of this is to say the band checked off almost every major aspect of music, save for one fatal weakness: lyrics.
Fleetwood Mac’s lyrics, for lack of a better term, suck. They have been known for Whitman-esque gems such as “I’m looking out for love… big big looooove” (the song is called “Big Love,” go figure) along with the frustrating tendency to force syllables by rhyming small words with larger ones (see “Everywhere” for example). The theme in nearly all the hits is the feud between Buckingham and Nicks over their failed relationship. To people who criticize Taylor Swift for always writing about her exes, I challenge you to listen to Fleetwood Mac’s back and forth hits insulting one another. The whole thing was exacerbated by the fact that despite the Buckingham and Nick’s breakup, they would continue to work with one another side by side for over forty years. However, among the debris of petty callouts and insults, one song emerged from the rubble that actually had… good lyrics. Sung and written by Stevie Nicks, “Landslide” is a beautiful reflection on Buckingham and Nicks’ relationship. It speaks to learning to let go and embrace a new chapter in one’s life.
I took my love, I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
“Took it down” refers to the ending of Nicks’ relationship with Buckingham. Her climbing a mountain can be taken literally (and in interviews she explains she literally wrote the lyrics after climbing the Rocky Mountains – random I know) but I also understood it to be metaphorical in sticking with the nature theme Nicks explores. She “climbed a mountain” to get a “view” of her life thus far, reflecting on where all of her decisions had taken her.
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
‘Til the landslide brought me down
Nicks sees herself, where she was and where she is now, reflecting on all of her decisions that led to her being at the “mountaintop” of the music world. But then the landslide, the breakup with Buckingham, brought her down. As she explains: “I was looking out at the Rocky Mountains pondering the avalanche of everything that had come crashing down on us… at that moment, my life truly felt like a landslide in many ways.”
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
In sticking with the “reflecting” theme, Nicks addresses the “mirror in the sky,” asking herself what she will do from here. Can “the child within my heart,” her hopes and dreams as a child, her more naively optimistic outlook on life, carry her forward?
Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
The same way the shift in tides and seasons are inevitable, so too are they in life. Can she navigate these changes toward a future she can be proud of? Can Nicks get the satisfaction in the future that she has yet to get in the present?
Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
Everything Stevie has done until now involved Buckingham in some way. She first met him as a senior in high school, and he was a massive influence in her choosing to pursue a music career. Nicks got her spot in Fleetwood Mac in the first place because Buckingham said he’d accept the invitation only if Nicks was invited too. Without him, can she continue a music career? Or should she return to school?
But time makes you bolder
But as time passes, we learn what we can and can’t do. Nicks knows now she is a music icon with or without Buckingham. She can continue her legendary music career without him there.
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too
Even the “child in my heart” she referred to earlier grows up eventually. Maturity makes us realize that some dreams need to be let go of, some outlooks need to be changed. Nicks has been through a lot of life already. It’s time to make those decisions for herself, without Buckingham.
Oh-oh, take my love, take it down
Oh-oh, climb a mountain and you turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down
Nicks now restates the chorus, but directs it at Buckingham. She is inviting him to also have this reflection she has had for himself. You’re in the landslide, too. It’s time to move to the next season of our lives.
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down
Oh-ohh, the landslide bring it down…