If you’ve ever attended a Fleetwood Mac concert, you know that the band always leads off with “The Chain,” a song that represents the strength and resilience of their bond despite more than four decades of personal and professional obstacles.
For Christine McVie, who recently rejoined the band after 16 years away, “The Chain” is more than a song. It’s a cherished and symbolic silver chain bracelet given to her by fellow band member Stevie Nicks.
“Stevie gave me this chain,” she recently told The New Yorker. “It used to have a diamond feather on it. It’s a metaphor, you know. That the chain of the band will never be broken. Not by me, anyways. Not again by me.”
Even though Fleetwood Mac enjoyed enormous success, McVie left the band in 1998 after being overwhelmed by a fear of flying. The other band members, including Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham, continued to tour, but the band did not seem complete without Christine McVie.
At 71 years old, McVie came to the realization that she missed the audience. She wanted to tour again and asked each of her former mates, individually, if she could rejoin the band. Each was thrilled to have her back, although Buckingham maintained one caveat: She couldn’t waltz in and waltz back out again. She had to be in it “for the whole nine yards.”
McVie agreed, worked with a psychiatrist to get her past her phobia, and rejoined the band just in time for their 33-city North American tour, which opened in September of 2014.
Every Fleetwood Mac concert starts off with the steady, thumping, rhythmic instrumental lead-in to “The Chain,” the only song on the 1977 Rumours album to be credited to all five band members. The song was literally spliced together from combinations of several previously rejected materials.
The song originally represented the internal fractures — both romantically and professionally — of the band members, but eventually came to symbolize their triumph in staying together.
The Rumours album sold more than 45 million copies and is one of the best selling albums of all time. In total, the band has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
Please check out the video Fleetwood Mac performing “The Chain.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.
"The Chain"
Written by Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham. Performed by Fleetwood Mac.
Listen to the wind blow
Watch the sun rise
Run in the shadows
Damn your love, damn your lies
And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you sayin'
You would never break the chain
(Never break the chain)
And if you don't love me now
(You don't love me now)
You will never love me again
I can still hear you sayin'
(Still hear you sayin')
You would never break the chain
(Never break the chain)
Listen to the wind blow
Down comes the night
Run in the shadows
Damn your love, damn your lies
Break the silence
Damn the dark, damn the light
And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you sayin'
You would never break the chain
(Never break the chain)
And if you don't love me now
(You don't love me now)
You will never love me again
I can still hear you sayin'
(Still hear you sayin')
You would never break the chain
(Never break the chain)
And if you don't love me now
(You don't love me now)
You will never love me again
I can still hear you sayin'
(Still hear you sayin')
You would never break the chain
(Never break the chain)
(Yea, keep us together)
Run in the shadows
(Yea, keep us together)
Run into the shadows
(Yea, keep us together)
Run into the shadows
(Yea, keep us together)
Run in the shadows
(Yea, keep us together)
Photos: Facebook/Fleetwood Mac; Fleetwood Mac publicity shot
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