On This Day in 1977, Fleetwood Mac Scored Their Only Hot 100 No. 1 with a Song that Would Re-Enter the Charts 40 Years Later

On this day (June 18) in 1977, Fleetwood Mac reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first and only time with “Dreams.” The second single from the band’s classic album Rumours spent one week atop the all-genre chart. It would return to the charts twice after the turn of the century, proving the track’s longevity.

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Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams,” and Fleetwood Mac released it in March 1977 as the second single from Rumours. As the story goes, Nicks wrote the song in about 20 minutes on a Fender keyboard. The original recording of the song was a simple piano arrangement and Nicks’ voice. Interestingly, Lindsey Buckingham created the final arrangement.

[RELATED: On This Day In 1977, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ Beats Out ‘Hotel California’ as the No. 1 Album in the U.S.]

Christine McVie recalled that the song “developed in a bizarre way. When Stevie first played it for me on the piano, it was just three chords and one note on the left hand. I thought, ‘This is really boring,’ but the Lindsey genius came into play and he fashioned three sections out of identical chords, making each section sound completely different.”

At the time, all of the members of Fleetwood Mac were going through breakups. Nicks and Buckingham’s eight-year relationship was coming to an end. At the same time, McVie and her husband and bandmate John McVie were separating. Additionally, Mick Fleetwood’s marriage was coming to an end. Buckingham wrote “Go Your Own Way” about Nicks, and “Dreams” contains subtle digs at Buckingham.

“Dreams” Brings Fleetwood Mac Back to the Billboard Charts in the 21^st Century

“Dreams” remains one of Fleetwood Mac’s most popular songs. It eventually fell off the Hot 100 after losing the top spot. However, it would return to the chart twice decades later.

A meme first brought “Dreams” back to the Billboard charts in 2018, according to CBS News. A Twitter user combined a video of the Alcorn State Golden Girls dancing with the Fleetwood Mac classic to create a meme that went viral, and has seemingly vanished from the internet. The clip below is close, though. The viral clip caused “Dreams” to appear at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.

Two years later, in 2020, TikTok user Nathan Apodaca (@420DoggFace208) shared a video of him skateboarding, sipping cranberry juice, and lip-synching “Dreams.” The clip’s peaceful, carefree vibe was exactly what the world needed at that time. As a result, it and Apodaca went viral. The song re-entered the Hot 100 and peaked at No. 12.

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