Hiding a fling from a partner isn’t exactly an exceptional, rarified thing. Most of us know someone who’s done it or had it done to them, even if they wouldn’t be quick to admit it. But when you’re in one of the biggest rock bands in the world and actively writing songs about your romantic relationships with your romantic partners, hiding the true meaning behind your lyrics can become a little…dogged?
Sorry, we had to.
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Christine McVie Claimed This Song Was About Her Dog, Duster
Of the many relationships that pervaded the Fleetwood Mac lineup, John and Christine McVie were the only legal spouses in the band. But their relationship was a doomed one. John was an alcoholic, and Christine had never really wanted to be his bandmate in the first place. She wanted to be a mom and a wife. She wanted a husband who wasn’t so tied down to the bottle. And it was in this space between what they wanted and what they had that numerous affairs began.
For Christine, her affairs were often with people in Fleetwood Mac’s working circle but outside of the musical lineup. First, there was Martin Birch, the band’s sound engineer. Then, there was Curry Grant, their lighting director. For John, he most often had affairs with groupies, largely meaningless flings that were undoubtedly bigger deals to the female fans than the bassist himself. And, in true songwriters’ fashion, these tête-à-têtes often revealed themselves in song.
“You Make Loving Fun”, for example, was a song Christine wrote about Grant. “To avoid flare-ups,” as described in Making Rumours: The Inside Story Of The Classic Fleetwood Mac Album, Christine told the band she wrote the song about her dog, Duster.
“You Make Loving Fun” Was a Reminder Why It Wasn’t Always Fun, Actually
In a way, Christine McVie’s explanation that “You Make Loving Fun” was about her dog made sense. One could certainly draw connections between loyal pooches and the first verse: “Sweet, wonderful you / You make me happy with the things you do / Oh, can it be so? / This feeling follows me wherever I go.” Right down to the imagery of following someone wherever they go, the dog story fits. But as is often the case with lies in relationships, John McVie eventually found out.
John responded how he did to most stressors in life: by drinking. Christine did her own share of drugs—and, in hindsight, plenty of self-aggrandizing. “There was something seedy about [the affairs] that dented my self-respect,” she later lamented. “Maybe that was how the others made me feel. If they did, that would have been subliminal. Nobody actually said anything, which, in some ways, made it worse. I didn’t like myself during that whole period. I sank very low.”
Despite these low feelings of poor self-worth, Christine managed to craft a timeless Fleetwood Mac classic out of the entire situation. Therein lay the magic of this tumultuous, influential band: spinning hits out of heartache over and over again.
Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns