The music world has lost its share of royalty in recent years, and the death of Christine McVie, who passed away in November 2022 at the age of 79, was a tough blow for Fleetwood Mac lovers and casual fans alike. McVie was quite remarkable in how she was always able to rise above the turmoil going on in Fleetwood Mac and deliver stellar material whenever called upon, as she did with “Everywhere” in 1987.
Videos by American Songwriter
Although it wasn’t the biggest Mac or McVie hit, it’s a sparkling pop gem that still sounds as fresh today as when it was released. But what inspired “Everywhere?” What is making those cool noises at the beginning of the song that are like the aural equivalent of pixie dust being sprinkled? And how did this pure and true song come out of such chaotic recording sessions? Let’s answer all those questions and more as we look back at this song’s creation and examine what makes it so special.
A Tortured Tango
Saying that Fleetwood Mac has endured a lot of tumult and upheaval in its career is a bit like making the bold statement the sky is blue. And it seemed like the crazier things got, the more they rose to the occasion. (Case in point: their mega-hit album Rumours, which came out at a time when band members were intertwined in a series of romantic relationships—at least when they weren’t busy breaking up with each other.)
When the time came to make the 1987 album Tango in the Night, which would be their first album in five years, there weren’t any lingering romantic entanglements within the band. The problem is that there were barely any intra-band friendships either. To make matters worse, the solo careers of individual members were calling, making it difficult to get anyone to put their focus on the matter at hand.
[RELATED: 5 Fleetwood Mac Hits Ranked from ‘Rumours’ Through ‘Tango in the Night’]
Mick Fleetwood was able to convince Lindsey Buckingham to shelve a solo album that he had already begun to come back and lead the troops. Stevie Nicks, however, was not so easily swayed. In the approximately 18 months it took to make Tango in the Night, she was in the studio for an estimated two weeks, so busy was she touring and promoting her own solo material.
Yet Tango in the Night turned into a great success, and Christine McVie deserves a lot of the credit. Of the four hit singles released from the album, two (“Little Lies” and “Everywhere”) were penned and sung by her. Considering that the album marked an end of sorts for Fleetwood Mac, as it was the last time that particular five-member lineup (Buckingham, Nicks, Fleetwood, Christine McVie and John McVie) would release a full-length album, it put even more import on those songs. Thanks to Christine’s contributions, they at least were able to go out on a high note in terms of their recorded output.
What Is “Everywhere” About?
Buckingham’s clever production touches helped “Everywhere” cast its spell. That twinkling sound at the beginning and in the middle of the track came from a pair of his guitars laden with effects. The pogoing vocals in the song’s runout are also emblematic of his idiosyncratic approach.
But the rest of “Everywhere” is pure Christine McVie, whose knack for simple, affecting songs always provided the perfect contrast to the more volatile material of Buckingham and Nicks. In the case of this track, the inspiration likely came from personal experience, as McVie had married Eddy Quintela in October 1986, right around the time this song was coming to life.
When you inspect it from a songwriting perspective, there’s nothing too fancy going on with “Everywhere.” There are some basic rhymes (shout/out and heart/start), as well as a one-line refrain that’s repeated twice in the chorus with the same melody. And yet McVie manages to sneak in notes of excitement, fear, anxiety, and vulnerability, all aided by the natural warmth and longing in her vocals.
Notice the subtle contradictions in the first verse that mirror the dizziness of someone in the blush of new love, as she tries to call out to him, but can neither find the words nor spit them out anyway. And yet she’s desperate that he can comprehend, or at least acknowledge, her effort: Can you hear me calling out your name?
In the second verse, she admits that even her closest confidantes don’t quite understand her: My friends say I’m acting peculiarly. Now that she’s out on that limb, she wants to make sure that she’s not alone out there: Come along, baby, we better make a start / We better make it soon before you break my heart.
Oh, I / I wanna be with you everywhere, she sings, her voice rising high above the backing vocals churning beneath her. No matter what else goes on in the song, that moment alone is enough to sell “Everywhere,” as it epitomizes Christine McVie’s ability to be the steadying musical force within a tempestuous band.
Photo: Thomas Cooper
