Top 10 Essential Fleetwood Mac Songs Across Every Era

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Many writers who compile their Top 10 Fleetwood Mac songs tend to focus almost entirely on the period centered around Rumours. The Fleetwood Mac songs from Rumours and the band’s 1975 self-titled album were so commercially successful that they have often overshadowed the enormous body of work Fleetwood Mac recorded both before and after the late 1970s.

Of course, we all understand that Rumours and Fleetwood Mac were the records that made the band a household name. However, Fleetwood Mac continued recording through numerous lineup changes, presenting fans with a tantalizing mixture of well-written original songs and exceptionally high levels of musicianship.

The one constant throughout the band’s long career was the rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass. This list aims to provide a broad overview of Fleetwood Mac’s many incarnations, beginning with the Peter Green era and continuing through the Bob Welch years, the classic Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks lineup, and the band’s later recordings. These are essential Fleetwood Mac songs that help define the massive body of work the group created throughout its illustrious and remarkably successful career.

The Top 10 Essential Fleetwood Mac Songs

# 10 – Oh Well

We open our Top 10 Fleetwood Mac songs list with the killer tune “Oh Well.” The song begins with an explosive acoustic blues riff that is soon doubled by electric guitar, producing the type of sound that seemed capable of blowing speaker tweeters from coast to coast. Peter Green and Danny Kirwan were simply on fire on this smoking track.

“Oh Well” stands as one of the best Fleetwood Mac songs from the band’s early period. It was released as a single in 1969 and was added to revised United States editions of Then Play On. The song remains one of Peter Green’s defining compositions and performances.

# 9 – The Chain

Talk about a team effort. “The Chain” opened the second side of the legendary Rumours album and became the only song on the record credited to all five members of that Fleetwood Mac lineup.

This is the song that defined what the band was going through on such a personal level. You can feel the anger, the pain, and, of course, the love. It is not only in the lyrics; it is present in the vocal performances and instrumentation. I have never heard a song performed so passionately by a group of musicians who were so emotionally fractured that the turmoil resulted in such a brilliant album.

# 8 – Big Love

The Lindsey Buckingham song “Big Love” appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 album Tango in the Night. Lindsey Buckingham initially developed the song for a solo album before it became part of the new Fleetwood Mac project.

“Big Love” was the first single released from Tango in the Night. Buckingham created the dramatic vocal effects on the original recording himself. The song was later issued as an extended dance remix.

“Big Love” defined a band modernizing its sound through a recording with exceptionally detailed production. As the compact disc format gained momentum during the late 1980s, the sonic clarity and layered textures of Tango in the Night sounded especially striking. Lindsey Buckingham’s “Big Love” remains a definitive representation of Fleetwood Mac in the big 1980s.

# 7 – Say You Love Me

It is safe to say that this one was not overlooked. Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 self-titled album began the period of hits that would catapult the group into becoming one of the most popular bands in the world. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 in 1976.

The band released three major singles from the album. Stevie Nicks’s “Rhiannon” was the second, while Christine McVie’s “Over My Head” and “Say You Love Me” were issued as the first and third singles.

Christine McVie’s composition “Say You Love Me” opened the second side of the record. With its grand chordal piano introduction, the song is easily one of the band’s most enjoyable recordings. Great lyrics, a captivating melody, memorable chord changes, and a superb vocal performance by Christine McVie all come together beautifully.

# 6 – Hypnotized

Bob Welch joined Fleetwood Mac in 1971 while Danny Kirwan was still playing guitar with the band. Peter Green had left following the era of Then Play On. Welch helped steer the band further away from its blues beginnings through his radio-friendly voice and melodic pop sensibility.

Most of the original songs on Mystery to Me were written by Bob Welch and Christine McVie. Released in 1973, it was Fleetwood Mac’s eighth studio album.

“Hypnotized” was not a major hit single, but it received considerable airplay during the rise of album-oriented FM radio. Welch’s songwriting style differed from that of Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, whose work drew more directly from the blues. Welch often sang close to the microphone, creating a personal and intimate sound that contrasted with the harder blues vocals of early Fleetwood Mac songs.

# 5 – Sentimental Lady

“Sentimental Lady” was written by the late Bob Welch and first appeared on the Fleetwood Mac album Bare Trees. Released in 1972, the album featured Welch and Danny Kirwan on guitars, Christine McVie on keyboards and vocals, John McVie on bass, and Mick Fleetwood on drums.

Although Fleetwood Mac’s original recording of “Sentimental Lady” was not a hit in 1972, Welch rerecorded the song for his first solo album, French Kiss, in 1977. The solo version reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.

This is the second Bob Welch composition represented on our Top 10 Essential Fleetwood Mac Songs list. “Sentimental Lady” featured a softer vocal and a sweeter, more pop-oriented melody than “Hypnotized.” Its smooth folk-rock groove was especially distinctive when the original version appeared in 1972.

The 1977 remake used a fuller arrangement, but the original Fleetwood Mac recording is our choice. It is another classic song that defined a period of great artistic merit and accomplishment for the band.

# 4 – Sara

In 1979, Fleetwood Mac released the two-record set Tusk. During a period when new wave and punk music were influencing many current bands, Fleetwood Mac did not simply repeat the formula that had brought such enormous success two years earlier. Parts of Tusk reflected the influence of the punk movement, but it would be difficult to make that argument while listening to Stevie Nicks’s mesmerizing ballad “Sara.”

As the writer of “Dreams” and “Rhiannon,” two of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, Nicks faced the challenge of following those iconic songs. However, Stevie Nicks’s composition “Sara” represented a complete progression in her songwriting. Within the song, she displayed an incredible talent for fusing lyrical ideas, melody, chord changes, and arrangement.

“Sara” resonated with listeners on a cinematic level, a quality that only a small number of popular songs have achieved. Sadly, the slow emotional buildup leading to its dramatic ending was edited for the single release. While the shorter version still revealed the song’s beauty, the unedited album version displayed an arrangement that stands among Stevie Nicks’s finest work.

# 3 – Dreams

The mesmerizing “Dreams” is one of Stevie Nicks’s most memorable compositions and performances. At the heart of the song is a remarkable vocal set against a simple two-chord structure. It remains a true testament to the idea that great songs do not require complex chord progressions. As the old saying goes, less is more, and Stevie Nicks proved that ten times over.

“Dreams” was released on the classic 1977 album Rumours. It was the second single issued from the album after “Go Your Own Way.” “Dreams” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 dated June 18, 1977, becoming Fleetwood Mac’s only United States number-one single.

# 2 – Go Your Own Way

When writing about “Go Your Own Way,” one must first mention the monster album that delivered the song to the public. Released in 1977, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours became the most commercially successful album of the band’s career and is regularly included among the essential albums of the 1970s.

Hands down, and simply put, it is the band’s greatest recording. Most Top 10 Fleetwood Mac songs lists feature half of Rumours in their selections. If this list had been written only to identify the biggest songs of Fleetwood Mac’s career, it would also have included “You Make Loving Fun,” “Gold Dust Woman,” and “Second Hand News.” However, the goal of our Top 10 Essential Fleetwood Mac Songs list is to paint an overall picture of the band’s career without focusing on a single album.

Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” contains every element a great rock-and-roll song should deliver. The melody and chord changes sounded completely original. It was one of those recordings that turned heads immediately upon first listen. Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar work complemented the powerful groove laid down by Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. The vocal harmonies represented Fleetwood Mac at its finest. The studio recording had a tremendous live feel while maintaining the polish and production values that made it a staple of FM radio.

As great as the studio recording was, live performances elevated “Go Your Own Way” into a concert favorite. I saw Fleetwood Mac perform the song at Madison Square Garden in New York City during the Rumours tour in 1977. The band’s performance that night in New York City was utterly jaw-dropping.

The band was on fire all night, but “Go Your Own Way” was an extreme highlight of the show. Only one other song had a greater impact on the crowd in a way that had nothing to do with rhythm or volume. It was a performance by an artist who had become larger than life in an almost mystical fashion, a feat I have never seen another rock-and-roll performer achieve.

# 1 – Tie – Rhiannon / Landslide

While Stevie Nicks’s songs “Rhiannon” and “Landslide” were not Fleetwood Mac’s highest-charting recordings, they are, without argument, at least on these pages, the group’s most essential songs. Multiple factors support the importance of both compositions.

“Rhiannon” appeared on the 1975 self-titled Fleetwood Mac album and was released as a single in 1976. It did not reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, but it came extremely close, peaking at number eleven. Historical chart information, however, can be deceiving.

The importance of “Rhiannon” was not based solely on sales. It grew from the song’s legacy and the legend that developed around the songwriter and singer behind the composition. The same is true of “Landslide,” which has continued gaining popularity and emotional significance over the decades.

Before the release of “Rhiannon” and “Landslide,” it is safe to say that relatively few mainstream listeners knew Stevie Nicks. The first album she released with Lindsey Buckingham, appropriately titled Buckingham Nicks, failed to generate substantial commercial interest and quickly went out of print. Fleetwood Mac was already well known, although the group had not yet reached the enormous cultural level it would achieve after Buckingham and Nicks joined.

Warner Bros. Records did not release “Rhiannon” as the first single from the 1975 album. Christine McVie’s “Over My Head” received that distinction.

During the late 1970s, there were relatively few outlets where fans could see bands perform outside concert halls and occasional television appearances. It was in the concert hall that Stevie Nicks became Fleetwood Mac’s commanding frontwoman. No matter how many great performances Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham generated, Stevie’s performances shook the buildings.

I first saw Fleetwood Mac perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City in June 1977. It was a time when Rumours dominated the airwaves and the band stood at the height of its popularity.

Fleetwood Mac was incredibly tight onstage. The connection between John McVie’s bass playing and Mick Fleetwood’s drumming displayed the years of experience they had shared as a rhythm section. Christine McVie’s warm voice and articulate yet soulful piano playing perfectly complemented Lindsey Buckingham’s dynamic guitar work and singing.

If you saw Lindsey Buckingham perform live, you would undoubtedly argue that he never received enough credit for his guitar skills and vocal ability. There was probably one simple reason: he was standing beside Stevie Nicks on the concert stage.

On that early New York City summer evening in 1977 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Stevie Nicks stepped to the front of the stage and began singing “Rhiannon.” The lights were brought down low. The enchanted forest-styled backdrop set the scene for Stevie Nicks to appear almost as though she were floating across the stage in the dark, long outfit she wore.

As she sang the words to “Rhiannon,” the audience became captivated in an almost spell-like trance, drawn into the emotion pouring from her performance. As the song moved toward its conclusion, Stevie herself seemed so overwhelmed by emotion that she became absorbed in an out-of-body experience.

The description of Nicks’s performance may sound exaggerated and overly dramatic, but I was there and witnessed it firsthand. Videos of Stevie Nicks performing “Rhiannon” during that period capture a small portion of what defined those concerts, but they cannot fully portray what it was like to experience those performances live and up close.

If you saw those shows and witnessed Stevie Nicks perform “Rhiannon,” along with the way the band wrapped around her during those magical moments, you would completely understand why “Rhiannon” and “Landslide” share the number-one position as our favorite Fleetwood Mac songs of all time.