If You Love Fleetwood Mac, These 3 Soft Rock Songs Will Wreck You

Fleetwood Mac remains one of the most distinctive bands ever. Their soft rock sounds helped to define their era, and they still inspire today. If other Fleetwood Mac fans are anything like me, they’ve listened to their music countless times. Sometimes we just need to switch things up. If you want to remain in the vicinity of Fleetwood Mac and are in desperate need of some new listening patterns, revisit the three iconic soft rock songs below. Just like Fleetwood Mac’s often devastating, emotionally rich songwriting, these hits are guaranteed to wreck you.

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“Helplessly Hoping” — Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) are folk giants, but there is a fine line between folk and soft rock. They borrow each other sounds so often that they’ve molded into one, blurred genre. Adding in a few production changes here and there, Fleetwood Mac could’ve recorded “Helplessing Hoping.” It has just the right sense of harmony and emotion.

Fleetwood Mac’s harmonies remain top-tier—as do the harmonies of this supergroup. If that’s the aspect of Fleetwood that you enjoy most, you’ll find a comfortable listenership with CSN.

“It’s Too Late” — Carole King

If what you’re in Fleetwood Mac’s music for is their plethora of breakup songs, then you’ll likely enjoy Carole King. She’s another artist who lives between rock and folk, but I feel comfortable putting her on this list. One of her biggest hits, “It’s Too Late,” is akin to Fleetwood Mac’s music in that it’s cutting and emotionally sharp. She rivals Stevie Nicks as the breakup song queen with this track. “And it’s too late, baby, now it’s too late / Though we really did try to make it,” she sings in the powerhouse chorus of this song.

King’s gritty vocals tell the story of a love gone wrong, which is the subject of most of Nick’s songs. It’s slightly different from Fleetwood’s sound, but it’s a close cousin of the rock giants.

“Love Will Keep Us Alive” — The Eagles

Perhaps Fleetwood Mac’s closest relative in the soft rock scene is The Eagles. Both bands have a breezy West Coast energy. They even both have witchy tendencies. There is much that links these two iconic rock groups.

If I had to pick the most Fleetwood Mac-y Eagles song, it would be “Love Will Keep Us Alive.” Though slightly more soulful than Fleetwood’s offerings, the tight harmonies and subject matter in the lyrics make this the kind of song Fleetwood Mac fans would love.

(Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)