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This week’s Song of the Week is Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.” “Go Your Own Way” was released on single in January 1977, backed with “Silver Springs.” The following month it appeared on the band’s classic album “Rumours,” which went on to become one of the best selling albums of all time.

The album “Rumours” was recorded under difficult conditions, due to the collapse of relationships within the band, including that of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The pair had joined the band at the end of 1974 after previously performing in a duo together. These personal problems not only made the recording process far more arduous than normal, but also directly influenced the output. “Go Your Own Way” is a break-up song and that is evident from the opening line “Loving you isn’t the right thing to do.” Although written from the male’s perspective, with the verses sung by Buckingham, both parties get to have their say on the chorus, where they tell each other “You can go your own way.” There is something quite contradictory about the message of this particular lyric and the exquisite togetherness of the harmony. Similarly, the uplifting instrumentation and singalong quality of the song is a little at odds with the darker message. This is not unlike the technique used in Gloria Gaynor’s classic break-up track “I Will Survive,” where the confident and defiant “Go on now go, walk out the door” message is delivered with a catchy melody that has had women singing along approvingly for decades.

Nicks has since revealed that she was upset by some of the lyrics of “Go Your Own Way,” most notably the insinuation that she was sleeping around in the line “Packing up, shacking up is all you wanna do.” In an interview that appeared in the October 30, 1997 issue of Rolling Stone, Nicks explained her objection to the lyric:

Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way”

Authorship

“Go Your Own Way” was one of three songs on “Rumours” written solely by Lindsey Buckingham. The other two were the opening track “Second Hand News” and “Never Going Back Again.”

Recording date/location

The recording sessions for “Rumours” began in February 1976 at Record Plant Studios, Sausalito, and continued for several months, using a number of other venues, including Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles.

Musicians

Fleetwood Mac were:

• Lindsey Buckingham – vocals, guitar
• Stevie Nicks – vocals
• Christine McVie – vocals, keyboards
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion.

Chart performance

“Go Your Own Way” reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1977. It peaked at a less impressive 38 in the UK.

The album “Rumours” was a worldwide number one, hitting the top spot in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. With sales of 40 million, it is one of the biggest sellers of all time.

Covers

Wilson Phillips – “Go Your Own Way”

The all female American vocal group Wilson Phillips included a cover of “Go Your Own Way” on their album “California” in 2004. This covers album was the group’s first studio album in 12 years, but was only a moderate success. It’s a well worked cover, with a slowed down, more mellow arrangement than the original and good close harmonies.

The Cranberries – “Go Your Own Way”

The Cranberries’ cover of “Go Your Own Way” appeared on the 1998 album “Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours,” which featured contemporary bands each covering a song on the original “Rumours” album. Irish lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s distinctive vocals are well suited to the song and it is well performed by the band, who are influenced a lot by the original arrangement.

The 50th Song of the Week will be published on April 18.

“Go Your Own Way” is available on the single and double disc remastered versions of “Rumours” released in 2004. If in the UK, the double-CD is the more attractive offer as it is almost the same price as the single.

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