The Songbird: Remembering Christine McVie

Mike Singer, Music Manager

Here I am, a day late and a dollar short, but it’s better to be late than never, right?

On Nov. 30, the music world was shocked as Christine McVie, member of the legendary band Fleetwood Mac passed away at the age of 79.

One cannot put into words how influential McVie was to the band and to the music world as a whole.

McVie wrote some of the most legendary and most popular songs like “Everywhere,” “Little Lies,” “The Chain,” and “Don’t Stop.” These songs quickly became the soundtrack to many people’s lives and are still used in commercials, movies, and ads all over the place.

Without McVie, the “Rumors” record would have never reached the No. one spot back in 1976. McVie and Fleetwood Mac also had seven other records reach the top 10 with the last one being 2003’s “Say You Will” which reached No. six.

Don’t believe me when I say that McVie’s music touched everyone? The music community for all different genres came out to pay respects.

“Christine was a gem. Soulful, classy and a beautiful songwriter. ’Over my head’ was always my sultry, angelic favorite. Bon Voyage sweet soul!” said Ann Wilson of Heart.

“How Very, Very Sad. Those songs. That voice. She truly was the Songbird,” said Paul Stanley of Kiss.

“A Beautiful Soul…” said David Coverdale of Whitesnake

#ChristineMcVie has left us. What memories, what joy, and what a legacy…” said Bette Midler.

McVie and her music touched all people whether they were rock, metal, pop, or any other form of music, she had their respect.

With the passing of McVie, what happens to Fleetwood Mac?

I say the band stops, I know that’s a hard pill to swallow, and it sucks. I’ll be the first one to admit that it sucks but it’s the honest truth. You see it with other bands when one member of the band dies and they just get replaced and it’s a never-ending cycle of supporting members until there is one original member or no original members left. It ruins the reputation and the memory of the band, so call it quits now.

Trust me, there is a reason for my madness on why Fleetwood Mac should call it quits. McVie was in the band for almost 30 years. You don’t just replace a 30-year member of a band and expect there to not be controversy.

I saw Fleetwood Mac in March of 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, and Christine McVie were all in the band at the time with a little help from Mike Campbell and Neil Finn who were brought in to replace Lindsay Buckingham.

In my eyes, that’s the version of Fleetwood Mac that I want to remember, I want to remember Christine McVie behind the keyboards playing and singing, not some random session musician or another keyboard player that made it big in some other band. The fans want to remember Christine, not some replacement.

Christine leaves behind an ever-lasting memory and a ton of music that has forever changed the landscape of not just rock music but music in general and fans will be forever grateful for her contributions.

Once the keyboards quiet down, and the lights from Fleetwood Mac’s stage begin to dim, McVie would probably like us to remember these lines.

“And I wish you all the love in the world…and the songbirds keep singing…and I love you, I love you, I love you like never before.”