About The Song
“Dreams” is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as the second single from their eleventh studio album, Rumours, on March 24, 1977, in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. Written and sung by Stevie Nicks, the track was produced by the band alongside Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. Recording took place in 1976 at multiple studios, including Record Plant in Sausalito, California, Wally Heider’s Studio 3 in Hollywood, and Criteria Studios in Miami. The song was one of four Top 20 US hits from Rumours, following the album’s release on February 4, 1977.
The single achieved significant chart success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 18, 1977, for one week, and staying on the chart for 19 weeks. In the UK, it peaked at No. 24 on the Official Singles Chart in April 1977, charting for eight weeks. It also hit No. 1 in Canada (RPM Top Singles), No. 4 in Australia (Kent Music Report), No. 8 in New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ), and No. 19 in the Netherlands (Single Top 100). A 2004 cover by The Corrs reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the UK Indie Chart. The song has been certified 2× Platinum in the UK (1,200,000 units), Gold in Australia (35,000 units), and Gold in the US (500,000 digital units). A viral TikTok video by Nathan Apodaca in September 2020, featuring the song while skateboarding, boosted its streaming numbers, pushing it to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and No. 12 on the US Streaming Songs chart in October 2020.
Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams” in early 1976 at Record Plant’s Studio B, known as Sly Stone’s studio, during a break from band rehearsals. With only a Fender Rhodes piano and a drum beat provided by Mick Fleetwood, Nicks completed the song in about 10 minutes, inspired by her recent breakup with Lindsey Buckingham. She recorded a demo that day on a cassette player, which the band later developed in Sausalito. Ken Caillat noted in a 2012 interview with Sound on Sound that Nicks’ demo was crucial, as the band built the arrangement around her piano and vocal performance. The final mix featured Buckingham’s arpeggiated guitar, John McVie’s bass, Fleetwood’s drums, and Christine McVie’s organ, with Buckingham adding a distinctive guitar riff inspired by Nicks’ melody.
Production details include the use of a Telefunken 251 microphone for Nicks’ vocals, recorded in one take to preserve her raw delivery. Caillat layered Fleetwood’s drum tracks to enhance the song’s soft, rolling rhythm, using a Ludwig kit with a snare overdub. The track’s tempo was set at 120 BPM, slower than other Rumours singles, to match its relaxed vibe. A notable issue during mixing was the tape machine’s alignment, which caused slight pitch variations; these were corrected using a varispeed oscillator. Nicks initially hesitated to include the song on the album, fearing it revealed too much about her personal life, but producer Richard Dashut convinced her of its universal appeal.
Additional trivia includes the song’s B-side, “Songbird,” written by Christine McVie. The music video, shot in 1977, featured the band performing on a simple stage setup. In 1997, a live version from The Dance album charted at No. 29 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song has been covered by artists like Bastille and used in films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). Nicks has stated in a 2005 Rolling Stone interview that she wrote the song to express independence after her split, with the line “Thunder only happens when it’s raining” reflecting a moment of personal clarity.
Video
Lyric
Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom
Well, who am I to keep you down?
It’s only right that you should play the way you feel it
But listen carefully to the sound
Of your loneliness
Like a heartbeat drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had
And what you lost
And what you had
And what you lostThunder only happens when it’s raining
Players only love you when they’re playing
Say, women, they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know
You’ll knowNow here I go again, I see the crystal visions
I keep my visions to myself
It’s only me who wants to wrap around your dreams and
Have you any dreams you’d like to sell?
Dreams of loneliness
Like a heartbeat drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had
And what you lost
And what you had
Oh, what you lostThunder only happens when it’s raining
Players only love you when they’re playing
Women, they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you’ll knowOh, thunder only happens when it’s raining
Players only love you when they’re playing
Say, women, they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know
You’ll know
You will know
Oh, you’ll know