Christine McVie’s Best Fleetwood Mac Songs

The music world is mourning another of its greats this evening, as Fleetwood Mac songbird Christine McVie has died at the age of 79. Throughout her time in the band, McVie added deep, ethereal vocals to tracks like Rumours’ brooding “Oh Daddy” and hits like “Little Lies,” “Hold Me,” and “You Make Loving Fun.” Despite stepping away from the band in 1998, McVie returned in 2014 and joined Fleetwood Mac on tour, giving fans the privilege of hearing her in person. A self-described “hook queen,” she leaves behind a robust discography — of the 16 tracks on Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits album, McVie is credited as a writer or co-writer on half of them, outdoing even Stevie Nicks. And many of her contributions are sweet, catchy yet sincere love songs.

“Hold Me”
McVie’s description of herself as a “hook queen” rings true in “Hold Me.” She and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham play off each other beautifully in the fun, upbeat track written by McVie about her relationship with the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson.

“Say You Love Me”
The Hook Queen strikes again. With its bouncy piano and catchy chorus, “Say You Love Me” is irresistably fun. Lyrically, McVie’s doing what she does best — exploring the most fun and exciting parts of love.

“Everywhere”
Perhaps the best of McVie’s songs, “Everywhere” is catchy yet understated, carried by a breathy vocal — and dreamy backing vocals paired with it — and simple instrumentals. It’s a very relaxed song, but its one of the best on Tango in the Night. It’s also a beautiful love song, with McVie’s sincereity coming through in verses that describe the feeling of falling in love and a simple but perfect chorus: “I wanna be with you everywhere.”

“Songbird”
In the midst of the tumultuous breakup songs that make up Rumours lies the ballad “Songbird,” sandwiched between the intensity of huge hits “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain.” It’s a simple, beautiful song featuring McVie’s vocal, a piano, and just a hint of guitar, highlighting some of the best of her songwriting — and written in just a half-hour in the middle of the night. With no one around to record it, McVie opted to stay awake all night to ensure she wouldn’t forget it, and her efforts paid off, resulting in a timeless love song she considered her favorite. “And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score/And I love you, I love you, I love you/Like never before,” she sings. The song quite appropriately often served as the closing number when Fleetwood Mac played live, and founding member Mick Fleetwood has even said he wants it played at his own funeral “to send me off fluttering.” Indeed, it feels like the perfect musical sendoff in the wake of McVie’s death.