Fleetwood Mac's Most Devastating Breakup Song Is Also Their Greatest

Fleetwood Mac turned fractured relationships into some of rock's most affecting songs. The band contained two couples who broke up during the making of Rumours — Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham split early in the recording process, and John and Christine McVie were headed toward divorce — and the sessions were far from easy.

"The Chain" began life as an instrumental that nearly didn't make the album. The chorus was written with the breakup very fresh in Stevie Nicks' mind, but the line "I can still hear you saying you would never break the chain" isn't necessarily only about Nicks and Buckingham.

Against the odds, the song stands as an example of productive collaboration amid strained personal ties. The group had rented a cabin to live together, but "Chris and I managed one night there, and then said, 'No way,'" Stevie Nicks shared, and that separation helped the track come together in pieces.

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