Earlier this month the legendary Fleetwood Mac singer and songwriter Christine McVie died. The 79-year-old’s legacy lives on in the band’s incredible song library, in which she wrote such memorable hits as Everywhere, Don’t Stop, Little Lies, You Make Loving Fun and Songbird – to name just a few. Former One Direction star Harry Styles recently remembered the singer at one of his live concerts, where he played a song from the band’s repertoire in her honour.
Styles played the track during his massive concert in Chile at the Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida, on December 1, 2022. The singer had run through a string of his hits, including Watermelon Sugar, Cinema, and even 1D’s What Makes You Beautiful.
Just before his encore, however, Styles’ stage went dark as he snuck backstage to grab his acoustic guitar. When the lights came back up, he began singing the beautiful Fleetwood Mac track Songbird.
The song was first released by Fleetwood Mac in 1977 from their 11th studio album Rumours. The record has since gone down in history as one of the most important and greatest albums of all time.
The ballad is an emotionally charged song that was written in one night and recorded in one take at an auditorium. It has become one of McVie’s best-known songs.
McVie died “peacefully in hospital” on November 30, 2022. Her family confirmed in a statement that she had recently suffered a short illness. An official cause of death has not yet been released.
Members of Fleetwood Mac went on to post tributes to the singer on their various social media accounts.
The band’s official account wrote: “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have.”
Stevie Nicks penned a handwritten note and posted a photo of it on Instagram. She confirmed: “A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away. I didn’t even know she was ill… until late Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to get to London – but we were told to wait. So, since Saturday, one song has been swirling around in my head, over and over and over. I thought I might possibly get to sing it to her, and so, I’m singing to her now. I always knew I would need these words one day.”
Nicks and Styles have a powerful connection, as well.
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Last year, Styles and Nicks performed a one-night-only concert event together.
During their time on stage they covered a collection of tracks from their history. One of the most impactful was the pair’s rendition of Landslide, which you can watch below.
Nicks later spoke candidly about working with Styles, and praised the musical angle he took after One Direction split up.
She said: “Harry could’ve lost a lot of fans, but he didn’t. I’m so proud of him because he took a risk and didn’t go the One Direction route. He loves One Direction, I love One Direction, and a gazillion other people do too, but Harry didn’t wanna go the pop route. He wanted straight-up rock and roll circa 1975.”
She also confessed that listening to Styles’ second album, Fine Line, was akin to hearing The Beatles again.
Nicks said: “This record means a lot to me. When it was all put together, I listened and said: ‘Oh, my god, the Beatles live.’ A whole lot of people live in these songs. Fleetwood Mac lives there. I live there. When I listen to Fine Line, I hear melodies that would’ve worked on A Day in the Life. It has that same kind of complexity.”
She added: “I think the Beatles would’ve thought: ‘Here we’ve influenced a young man who took some incredible things from us and made them his own years and years later.'”
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