Recommendations of the Editorial team
Fleetwood Mac are once again experiencing how timeless songwriting is being “rediscovered” in the present. More than five years ago, a seemingly casual TikTok video caused a surprising chart impulse: American Nathan Apodaca filmed himself skateboarding, cranberry juice in hand, to the accompaniment of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”. The clip went viral – and catapulted the song, released in the pre-punk year 1975, back into the US Billboard charts more than four decades later.
Now this phenomenon is repeated in a modified form. After “Landslide” was used in the series finale of “Stranger Things,” the song made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time.
This is remarkable because “Landslide” has been one of Fleetwood Mac’s best-known pieces for decades. However, the track had never made it into the official US singles charts as a studio recording.
Stevie Nicks’ autobiographical snapshot
“Landslide”, written by Stevie Nicks (who can now look forward to big royalties), first appeared on the self-titled Fleetwood Mac album in 1975, which also introduced the successful line-up of Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. The song is considered an autobiographical snapshot: Nicks reflects on her professional insecurity and private upheavals.
A topic that apparently also appeals to today’s generations. A live version from 1997 was able to achieve its first chart successes back then. But it wasn’t until 51 years later that the original recording achieved relevant numbers, albeit in the streaming sector that didn’t yet exist at the time. At the same time, the song is also experiencing a new high phase on the dance video empire TikTok.
Numerous users add “Landslide” to personal, often nostalgic videos. The fact that the piece has been reinterpreted again and again – by The Chicks and the Smashing Pumpkins, among others – has demonstrated its status as a modern folk-rock classic.
From “Dreams” to “Silver Springs”
The current rediscovery fits seamlessly into a number of similar revivals. In addition to “Dreams,” which has been given a makeover several times through social media trends, an archive video of Stevie Nicks has been circulating for some time in which she sings “Silver Springs” while fixating on Lindsey Buckingham. A moment that had a special emotional impact due to the band’s spicy history and was shared millions of times on TikTok.
It is also noteworthy that the hype is not limited to digital platforms. The 1977 album “Rumours” – created in a phase of personal tension and creative peak performance – remains one of the best-selling rock albums of the moment and remains in international charts decades after its release. Fleetwood Mac thus benefit from a cross-cultural effect: series, social media and streaming services act as new mediators of musical history.
For a band whose central works were created in the 1970s, this is less a nostalgic look back and more proof of lasting relevance.