Go Your Own Way
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
| "Go Your Own Way" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Single by Fleetwood Mac | ||||
| from the album Rumours | ||||
| B-side | "Silver Springs" | |||
| Released | December 1976 | |||
| Format | 7-inch single | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:34 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lindsey Buckingham | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rumours track listing | ||||
11 tracks
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
| ||||
"Go Your Own Way" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album Rumours (1977). It released as the album's first single in December 1976 on both sides of the Atlantic. Written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham, it became the band's first top ten hit in the United States.[2] The album spawned three additional top ten hits, including the band's sole number one hit, "Dreams".[3]
Rumours would go on to sell over 40 million units worldwide,[4] 20 million of which were from the US alone.[5] Recorded in three separate studios, the track was developed over a period of four months.
Contents
1 Composition
2 Lyrics
3 Release and initial response
4 Critical reception
5 Commercial performance
6 Track listing
7 Personnel
8 Charts
8.1 Weekly charts
8.2 Year-end charts
9 Other appearances
10 Other versions
11 References
12 External links
Composition
"Go Like many other Rumours tracks, "Go Your Own Way" was partially recorded in Sausalito's Record Plant, a wooden structure with few windows, located at 2200 Bridgeway.
In between legs of their 1976 Fleetwood Mac Tour, the band retreated to a house in Florida to prepare new material.[6] By this point, Christine McVie and John McVie had divorced, while Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's romantic relationship had come to an end. Mick Fleetwood, the band's drummer, recalls how the house's eerie atmosphere exasperated the group's low morale:
It was hardly a vacation. Aside from the obvious unstated tension, I remember the house having a distinctly bad vibe to it, as if it were haunted, which did nothing to help matters…and that's where Lindsey played some of his stuff for the album. It was rough but it was great, though the setting didn't do it justice..."[7]
The band didn't hear any of these early recordings until they returned to Sausalito.
Inspired by the drum feel of "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones, Buckingham sought to incorporate a variation of that groove in 'Go Your Own Way'. Fleetwood Mac's producer, Ken Caillat, took notice of Buckingham's enthusiasm as he demonstrated the drum part he envisioned to Fleetwood. "I remember watching him guide Mick (Fleetwood) as to what he wanted – he'd be so animated, like a little kid, playing these air tom fills with his curly hair flying. Mick wasn't so sure he could do what Lindsey wanted, but he did a great job, and the song took off."[1]
The band had a difficult time assembling a suitable guitar solo, so Caillat, who was away in Lake Tahoe for Christmas vacation, was called to return to Criteria Studios to finish off the track. Caillat built the solo by piecing together six different lead guitar takes. He accomplished this by pulling up individual guitar solos through faders, and would mute them before bringing up the next fader. [8]
Lyrics
Like most tracks on Rumours, "Go Your Own Way"'s lyrical content documents personal relationships between other band members. Buckingham had written this as a response to his breakup with fellow Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks, who he knew since he was sixteen years old.[9] "I was completely devastated when she took off," Buckingham noted "And yet I had to make hits for her. I had to do a lot of things for her that I really didn't want to do. And yet I did them. So on one level I was a complete professional in rising above that, but there was a lot of pent-up frustration and anger towards Stevie in me for many years."[10]
Upon listening back to the song, Nicks demanded that Buckingham remove the lyrics "Packing up, shacking up is all you wanna do". "I very much resented him telling the world that 'packing up, shacking up' with different men was all I wanted to do," she told Rolling Stone. "He knew it wasn't true. It was just an angry thing that he said. Every time those words would come onstage, I wanted to go over and kill him. He knew it, so he really pushed my buttons through that. It was like, 'I'll make you suffer for leaving me.' And I did."[8] Buckingham ultimately decided to keep those lyrics in the final song.
Release and initial response
Although the release date for Rumours was set for February 1977, Fleetwood Mac wanted a single out by Christmas; "Go Your Own Way", which had just been mastered, was chosen to fulfill that role. This marketing move proved to be a boon to album sales: Pre-orders had reached 800,000 copies, which at the time was the largest advance sale in Warner Brothers' history.[11]
B. Mitchel Reed, an LA DJ in the 70s, was underwhelmed when he first played the single on his program. After the song had finished, he confided his ambivalence about the track to millions of listeners: "I don't know about that one". Later that day, Buckingham contacted Reed, demanding to know what the problem was. Reed informed Buckingham that he had a difficult time finding beat one of the song. Buckingham attributed the problem to the acoustic guitar track he added late into production. While he maintained that the acoustic guitar glued the whole piece together, its unusual entrance created confusion over the location of beat one.
As soon as I came up with the acoustic part, the whole song came to life for me because it acted as a foil for the vocals and a rhythmic counterpoint…so when it comes in, you don't have a reference point for where the "one" is, or where the beat is at all. It's only after the first chorus comes in that you can realize where you are – and that's what that deejay was confused about.[12]
Fleetwood on the other hand blamed his drumming:
"Go Your Own Way"s rhythm was a tom-tom structure that Lindsey demoed by hitting Kleenex boxes or something...I never quite got to grips with what he wanted, so the end result was my mutated interpretation. It became a major part of the song, a completely back-to-front approach that came, I'm ashamed to say, from capitalizing on my own ineptness.[12]
Despite this, Fleetwood has declared "Go Your Own Way" as one of his favorite songs to play. "I get to kick the hell out of my drums, and it's got that wonderfully primal part. It's a great 'let loose' stage song, in which I can revert to my old animal ways and not be quite so polite. Lindsey is a full-on rock 'n' roller on this song, and that I love."[13]Jeff Porcaro, the drummer for Boz Scaggs, as well as a founding member of Toto, complimented Fleetwood's drumming on "Go Your Own Way". On nights when Boz Scaggs opened for Fleetwood Mac, Porcaro would watch Fleetwood from the side of the stage. Intrigued by his unorthodox playing, Porcaro approached Fleetwood after a live gig:
I've watched, I've tried to understand it. Nothing you do up there makes sense, but it sounds beautiful. What's your method? What are you doing in that last fill of "Go Your Own Way"? I can't figure it out! I've been watching every night. What do you do in the last measure on that last beat? Is the snare ahead or behind? Is the hi-hat off by two quarters or is a little more than that?[14]
When Fleetwood confessed that his unique approach to drumming was simply a convenient accident, Porcaro was initially dubious about Fleetwood's claim. "It was only after we continued to talk that Jeff realized I wasn't kidding around. We eventually had a tremendous laugh about it, and when I later told him that I was dyslexic, it finally made sense."[15]
Critical reception
"Go Your Own Way" has achieved critical acclaim in retrospective reviews. Daryl Easlea of BBC called Buckingham's compositions the best tracks on Rumours, "Go Your Own Way" included.[16] Matthew Greenwald (of AllMusic) noted the song's folky sound, reminiscent of pre-Beatles bands like The Everly Brothers. He also heavily praises the lively chord changes and bombastic choruses. "All of these factors, plus a great performance from the band (especially Buckingham's exquisite guitar solo) helped make the song one of the band's biggest and most timeless hits, ever."[17]
It is ranked No. 120 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[18] and is on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.[19]Rolling Stone also ranked it #1 on its list of Fleetwood Mac's 50 Greatest Songs.[6]
Commercial performance
Like their last two singles from the album Fleetwood Mac, "Go Your Own Way" became a hit in the US. The track made its first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated January 8, 1977, where it entered at No. 71. Two weeks later, the single had already ascended into the top 40. On March 12, it reached its peak of No. 10, a position it held for two weeks.[20] In the UK, the single was not as successful, only reaching No. 38. However, the song became popular in the UK over a longer period as Rumours received more radio airplay and it re-entered the singles chart as a digital download on several occasions beginning in 2009.[21] In 2013, it was certified Silver in the UK for digital sales over 200,000 copies. In 2016, it was certified Gold for digital sales of over 400,000 copies, and in 2017 it was certified Platinum for sales of over 600,000 copies.[22] The song also hit the top 40 in many other countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, where it hit No. 1.
Track listing
US vinyl (Warner Brothers Records - WBS 8304)[23]
- "Go Your Own Way" – 3:34
- "Silver Springs" – 4:33
UK vinyl (Warner Brothers Records - K 16872)[24]
- "Go Your Own Way" – 3:34
- "Silver Springs" – 4:33
Personnel
Lindsey Buckingham – electric guitars, acoustic guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
Mick Fleetwood – drums, maracas, cymbals
Christine McVie – Hammond organ, backing vocals
John McVie – bass guitar
Stevie Nicks – backing vocals
Charts
|
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[25] | 10 |
| US Adult Contemporary | 45 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[26] | 10 |
UK Singles Chart[27] | 38 |
New Zealand Singles Chart[28] | 23 |
Dutch Top 40[29] | 1 |
| Australia KMR[30] | 20 |
Canadian Singles Chart[31] | 11 |
Germany Top 100 Singles[32] | 11 |
| Belgium Ultratop 50 Singles [33] | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[34] | 4 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1977) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada[35] | 109 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[36] | 94 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[37] | 86 |
Other appearances
Three years after its first appearance on Rumours, a live recording was included on Live. This performance was recorded in Cleveland in 1979, and featured Buckingham's guitar tech, Ray Lindsey, on rhythm guitar.[38] "Silver Springs", previously relegated to the B-side of "Go Your Own Way", appeared alongside the latter on the 1997 live album, The Dance. Both songs would make it onto the DVD and CD of Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston, filmed from their Say You Will Tour in 2003.[39]
Throughout the years, "Go Your Own Way" has made its way onto numerous compilations, including Greatest Hits in 1988, 25 Years - The Chain in 1992, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac in 2002, Opus Collection in 2013, and 50 Years - Don't Stop in 2018.[40]
"Go Your Own Way" has also been playable in a couple of video games. In 2008, the master recording of the track was included on Rock Band 2, a music video game developed by Harmonix.[41]Guitar Hero World Tour, developed by Neversoft, also features the master recording as a playable song.[42]
Other versions
The Cranberries included a cover of "Go Your Own Way" on their 2002 re-release of To the Faithful Departed.[43] Canadian post-hardcore band, Silverstein, included a live cover of the track on the deluxe edition of A Shipwreck in the Sand.[43]Lea Michelle of the American musical comedy-drama, Glee, sang the song on season two's Rumours episode.[43] This cover would go on to peak at number 51 in the UK.[44] A year later, American singer-songwriter Lissie, would also chart with her own cover of the song.[12][44] Canadian post-grunge band Art of Dying recorded an acoustic rendition for their 2012 compilation album, Let the Fire Burn.[12]
It has has also been covered by NOFX,[45]The Lumineers,[46]Vomit Launch,[47]Seaweed,[48]Boy George,[43]Biffy Clyro,[49]Jellyfish,[50]Jennifer Brown,[51]Wilson Phillips,[52]Carrie Underwood,[43]Kate Ceberano,[53]Keane,[54]Head and the Heart,[55]Colbie Caillat,[49]Kingswood[56] and Rawr Vanity.
Canadian artist Karl Wolf sampled the refrain from the song in his single "Go Your Own Way" with additional music and lyrics. The single appears on his album Stereotype.[57]
References
^ ab Bosso, Joe. "Fleetwood Mac's classic album Rumours track-by-track". Musicradar. Retrieved March 17, 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ Lamb, Bill. "Top 10 Fleetwood Mac Songs". Thoughts CO. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
^ Caulfield, Keith. "Rewinding the Charts: In 1977, Fleetwood Mac Hit No. 1 With 'Dreams'". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
^ Ken Caillat; Steve Stiefel (5 March 2012). Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album. John Wiley & Sons. p. xiv, 74. ISBN 9781118282366. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
^ "Top 100 Albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 13, 2018..
^ ab "Fleetwood Mac's 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
^ Fleetwood, Mick; Bozza, Anthony (October 2014). Play On (First ed.). New York, NY: Little Brown and Company. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-316-40342-9.
^ ab Buskin, Richard. "Fleetwood Mac 'Go Your Own Way'". SOS. SOS Publications Group. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
^ CNN: Mac's Buckingham, Nicks still have tension, love Retrieved 2013-07-17
^ Elliott, Paul (October 2013). "Eye of the hurricane". Classic Rock #189. p. 59.
^ Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac - The Definitive History. New York, NY: Sterling. pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-1-4027-8630-3.
^ abcd Robbins, Patrick. "Five Good Covers: Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)". Cover Me. Cover Me. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
^ Bosso, Joe. "Mick Fleetwood: my 11 greatest recordings of all time - Go Your Own Way". musicradar. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
^ Fleetwood, Mick; Bozza, Anthony (October 2014). Play On: Now Then & Fleetwood Mac. 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104: Little, Brown and Company. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-316-40342-9.
^ Fleetwood, Mick; Bozza, Anthony (October 2014). Play On: Now Then & Fleetwood Mac. 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-0-316-40342-9.
^ Easlea, Daryl. "Fleetwood Mac Rumours Review". BBC. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
^ Greenwald, Matthew. "Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way". AllMusic. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
^ "Fleetwood Mac, 'Go Your Own Way' - 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". infoplease. Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
^ Go Your Own Way at AllMusic
^ "Fleetwood Mac". officialcharts.com. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
^ BPI Awards database
^ "Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
^ "Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way (UK Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
^ "Fleetwood Mac: Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 5, 1977
^ "Fleetwood Mac > Artists > Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
^ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. "charts.org.nz - Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac in New Zealand Charts". charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
^ "dutchcharts.nl - Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac in Dutch Charts". dutchcharts.nl. November 9, 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Results-RPM-Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
^ Musicline. "Musicline.de - Chartverfolgung - Fleetwood Mac" (in German). musicline.de. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts - Fleetwood Mac". Ultratop. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
^ "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 11, December 31 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
^ "Pop Singles" Billboard December 24, 1977: 64
^ Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1977 Top 100 Pop Singles, December 31, 1977
^ Harris, Carol Ann (2007). Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-55652-660-2.
^ Jurek, Thom. "Live In Boston - Fleetwood Mac | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
^ "Fleetwood Mac 50 Years – Don't Stop CD & LP Collections Available November 16". Rhino. Rhino Entertainment. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
^ Stubbs, Kenneth. "Rock Band 2 Cheats, Codes & Guides". GamesRadar. Future US, Inc. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
^ "Guitar Hero World Tour full set list revealed". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
^ abcde Buckley, Cat. "Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' Turns 40: 11 of the Best 'Go Your Own Way' Covers". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
^ ab "Official Singles Chart Results Matching: Go Your Own Way". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
^ "NOFX cover of Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way". WhoSampled. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
^ Filbin, Patrick. "The Lumineers Cover Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way'". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
^ "Vomit Launch - Go Your Own Way Live". last.fm. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
^ "Go Your Own Way By Seaweed on Sub Pop Records". Sub Pop. Sub Pop Records. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
^ ab "Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac Statistics". setlist.fm. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
^ "Video Jellyfish - Go Your Own Way - Live in Frankfurt, Germany". 2K music. 2K14. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
^ "Jennifer Brown "Go Your Own Way" Lyrics". Lyrics Box. LyricsBox. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
^ Gabel, Sue. "Wilson Phillips performing for one night only at the Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom". axs. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
^ "Video Kate Ceberano "Go Your Own Way"". 2Kmusic. 2K14. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
^ "Keane - Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac) - Live on BBC Radio 2 (2010-05-10)". Youtube. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
^ "The Head & The Heart cover Fleetwood Mac". Retrieved March 27, 2013.
^ "» ISUZU Artist: Kingswood Track: Go Your Own Way". Retrieved 2017-02-22.
^ YouTube KarlWolfVEVO channel - "Go Your Own Way"
External links
- CLASSIC TRACKS: Fleetwood Mac 'Go Your Own Way'
- VIDEO: Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac
- Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way on Last.fm
Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Fleetwood Mac | |
|---|---|
| *_John_McVie *_Christine_McVie *_Stevie_Nicks *_Mike_Campbell *_Neil_Finn *_Bob_Brunning *_Peter_Green *_Jeremy_Spencer *_Danny_Kirwan *_Bob_Welch *_Dave_Walker *_Bob_Weston *_Lindsey_Buckingham *_Billy_Burnette *_Rick_Vito *_Bekka_Bramlett *_Dave_Mason">
| |
| Studio albums |
|
| EPs |
|
| Compilations |
|
| Live albums |
|
| Singles |
|
| Other songs |
|
| Concert tours |
|
| Related articles |
|
| |
Book
CategoryWilson Phillips | |
|---|---|
| *_Carnie_Wilson *_Wendy_Wilson">
| |
| Studio albums |
|
| Compilation albums |
|
| Singles |
|
| Related topics |
|
| |
