You Make Loving Fun

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"You Make Loving Fun"
You Make Loving Fun FM.jpg
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Rumours
B-side
ReleasedSeptember 1977
Recorded1976
Genre
Length3:36
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Christine McVie
Producer(s)
Fleetwood Mac USsingles chronology
"Don't Stop"
(1977)		"You Make Loving Fun"
(1977)		"Tusk"
(1979)

"You Make Loving Fun" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written and sung by Christine McVie. It was released as the fourth and final single from the band's 1977 album Rumours . "You Make Loving Fun" peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the album's fourth top-ten hit.

Contents

Background

"You Make Loving Fun" was inspired by Christine McVie's affair with the band's lighting director, Curry Grant. [2] "To avoid flare-ups", she told her then-husband and fellow band member, John McVie, that the song was about her dog. [3] The song uses descending seconds in its chord progression. [4] In an interview with the New York Post , McVie remarked that she wanted it to be the third US single from the album, but "Don't Stop" was chosen instead. [2]

Early tracking of the song was done, according to Christine McVie, in the absence of Lindsey Buckingham, which gave her the freedom to "build the song on [her] own". [3] For the February 8 session, Fleetwood was on drums, Stevie Nicks played the tambourine, and Christine McVie played a Rhodes electric piano that was sent through a Stratoblaster, which boosted the instrument's output by 15 decibels. John McVie's bass was re-recorded, and Christine McVie overdubbed a Hohner Clavinet, which was fed through a wah-wah pedal. [3] McVie struggled to play the clavinet in tandem with the wah-wah pedal, so Fleetwood got on the floor and operated the pedal with his hands while McVie played the keys of the clavinet. [5] Buckingham arrived at the studio in the late afternoon and chose to play a Gibson Les Paul for the rhythm guitar parts, which was plugged into a rotating Leslie speaker. A Hammond organ was also overdubbed during the recording session, which lasted until six in the evening. [3]

Buckingham wanted accented tom-tom beats in the chorus, but Fleetwood was unwilling to try this idea. Instead, Buckingham played the instrument himself. Producer Ken Caillat remarked that "Lindsey was the accent king. He could accent with guitars, he could accent with toms [and] he could accent with Naugahyde chairs." [6]

During the tracking of the backing vocals, Caillat recalled that Nicks and Buckingham were engaged in "vicious name calling": "The tape would start rolling and they’d sing, 'Yooooooou make loving fun,' just beautiful, two little angels. The tape would stop and they’d be calling each other names again. They didn’t miss a beat." [5]

"You Make Loving Fun" was a concert staple for Fleetwood Mac and was played during every tour that included Christine McVie from 1976 until 1997, a year before McVie's departure from the band and retirement from touring. However, the song was revived for Fleetwood Mac's 2014–2015 tour when McVie rejoined the band, as well as their 2018-2019 tour with new members Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. [7]

Reception

Cash Box said McVie's "magical words are complemented by angelic backing vocals, strident guitar melodies, and the pulsating backbeat reinforced by her own electric keyboard." [8] Record World called it a "light rocker with a compelling love lyric." [9] Writing for Rolling Stone , John Swenson compared the song structure to some of the musical output from The Byrds, specifically referencing the "sparse instrumental background and the chorus comes on like an angelic choir." He also praised the vocals, saying that McVie sounded "vital" and noting the harmonies working in tandem with the counterpoint guitar during the chorus. [10] The Guardian and Paste ranked the song number 13 and number 14 respectively on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs. [11] [12]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [22] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

Cyndi Lauper covered "You Make Loving Fun" in 1984. A non-album single, it was only released in Japan. [23]

As part of the Mick Fleetwood-produced 20th anniversary tribute album Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, "You Make Loving Fun" was covered by American singer-songwriter Jewel. [24]

The outro for the Bob's Burgers episode "The Helen Hunt" parodied the song as "You Make Plumbing Fun". [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine McVie</span> British musician (1943–2022)

Christine Anne McVie was an English musician and singer-songwriter. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of Fleetwood Mac.

<i>Rumours</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Rumours is the eleventh studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 4 February 1977, by Warner Bros. Records. Largely recorded in California in 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. The recording sessions took place as the band members dealt with breakups and struggled with heavy drug usage, both of which shaped the album's direction and lyrics.

<i>Mirage</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1982 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Mirage is the thirteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 2 July 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. This studio effort's soft rock sound stood in stark contrast to its more experimental predecessor, 1979's Tusk. Mirage yielded several singles: "Hold Me", "Gypsy", "Love in Store", "Oh Diane", and "Can't Go Back".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1977 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Don't Stop" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written by Christine McVie. The song was sung by Lindsey Buckingham and McVie, and was released as a single from the band's album Rumours (1977).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1977 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Dreams" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written and sung by Stevie Nicks for the band's eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). In the United States, "Dreams" was released as the second single from Rumours in March 1977, while in the United Kingdom, the song was released as the third single in June 1977. A stage performance of "Dreams" was used as the promotional music video.

"Gold Dust Woman" is a song from British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac's 11th studio album, Rumours (1977). The song was written and sung by Stevie Nicks and released as a B-side to the "Don't Stop" single and the "You Make Loving Fun" single. The song's title, "Gold Dust Woman", comes from Gold Dust Lane, a street in Wickenburg, Arizona where Nicks spent time as a child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Your Own Way</span> 1976 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Go Your Own Way" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 in the United States. Written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham, it became the band's first top-ten hit in the United States. "Go Your Own Way" has been well received by music critics and was ranked number 120 by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010, and re-ranked number 401 in 2021. They also ranked the song second on their list of the 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.

"Second Hand News" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham. The song was first performed by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac as the opening track of their 1977 album Rumours.

"Songbird" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song first appeared on the band's 1977 album Rumours and was released as the B-side of the single "Dreams". It is one of four songs written solely by Christine McVie on the album.

"The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album Rumours. It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sisters of the Moon</span> 1980 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Sisters of the Moon" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was written and sung by band-member Stevie Nicks and was released in the US as the fourth single from the 1979 album Tusk. The song peaked at No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100, although it was not released in the UK. The single version of "Sisters of the Moon" is included on the compilation The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac and both the 2004 and 2015 remasters of 'Tusk'.

"I'm So Afraid" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham for the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac for their tenth album, Fleetwood Mac. The song was intended for a second Buckingham Nicks album, but the album never came to fruition.

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"Love in Store" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. The song is the opening track on the 1982 album Mirage, the fourth album by the band with Lindsey Buckingham acting as main producer with Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat. "Love in Store" was written by Christine McVie and Jim Recor and it became the album's third single in the US. Released in November 1982, it went on to peak at No. 22 for three weeks as the follow-up to Top 20 hits "Hold Me" and "Gypsy". It also peaked at number 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song features lead vocals by Christine McVie with prominent vocal harmonies by Stevie Nicks and background vocals by Lindsey Buckingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Think About Me</span> 1980 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Think About Me" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in the US in March 1980. The song was composed by Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie. "Think About Me" was slightly remixed for single release.

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"Not That Funny" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1980. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was written as a response to the punk movement in the late 1970s. The song shares some lyrics with "I Know I'm Not Wrong", another Buckingham penned song that appeared on the Tusk album.

"Brown Eyes" is a song by Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP Tusk. It was one of six songs from the album composed and sung by Christine McVie. The song includes uncredited playing from founding member Peter Green.

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"Storms" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by vocalist Stevie Nicks, it was one of her five songs that appeared on the Tusk album. The song was also included on the US 2002 and UK 2009 editions of The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac as the final track on disc one. An alternate mix with more stripped back production was included on the 2015 deluxe edition of Tusk. Nicks said that the song was about her affair with bandmate Mick Fleetwood, which she believed contributed to the dissolution of his marriage with Jenny Boyd.

References

  1. ↑ Molanphy, Chris (January 14, 2023). "Thinking About Tomorrow Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Furman, Leah (2003). Rumours Exposed: The Unauthorized Biography of Fleetwood Mac. Kensington. pp. 105–106, 133–34. ISBN   9780806524726.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Caillat, Ken; Stiefel, Steve (2012). Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album . John Wiley & Sons. pp.  101, 106–110, 195. ISBN   9781118282366.
  4. ↑ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis. Yale University Press. p.  107. ISBN   978-0-300-09239-4.
  5. 1 2 Bosso, Joe (2022-12-13). ""Christine Started Playing Something She Had Written on the Piano One Day, and it Floored Me" – Fleetwood Mac Rumours Track-by-Track With Co-Producer Ken Caillat". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  6. ↑ "Ken Caillat Revisits Rumours". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ Kenneth Partridge (October 7, 2014). "Fleetwood Mac Relives Past Peaks & Lows at Madison Square Garden Concert". Billboard . Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  8. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 15 October 1977. p. 22. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  9. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 22 October 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Rosen, Jody (13 February 2013). "Rumours: Deluxe Edition". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (19 May 2022). "Fleetwood Mac's 30 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian . Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  12. ↑ Mitchell, Matt (7 August 2023). "The 30 Greatest Fleetwood Mac Songs". Paste . Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 28, No. 15 & 16" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. January 14, 1978. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Fleetwood Mac" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  15. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac – You Make Loving Fun" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac – You Make Loving Fun". Top 40 Singles.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  19. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 88.
  20. ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  21. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN   0-89820-142-X.
  22. ↑ "British single certifications – Fleetwood Mac – You Make Loving Fun". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  23. ↑ Cyndi Lauper – You Make Loving Fun, Discogs.com
  24. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  25. ↑ "Bob's Burgers S9E12". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
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