Lindsey Buckingham Makes Stevie Nicks Nod With “Silver Springs”

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Time cast a spell on Lindsey Buckingham, but he’ll never forget Fleetwood Mac. 

Okay, so I saw something really interesting online the other day! The former frontman of one of the most iconic bands ever hopped on TikTok, and it was surprisingly poignant. He used his song ‘Silver Springs’ – which, as many of you know, is all about his breakup with Stevie Nicks – as the music for a trending video. It was a really raw and vulnerable moment, and it’s amazing to see artists connecting with fans in such a modern way.

This trend involves people sharing moments that significantly impacted their lives. For example, Lindsey shared an old black and white photo of himself playing guitar with the caption, “You’ll probably be asked to play guitar in a band during your twenties.”

“It’s very important,” the words on the next slide read, “that you say yes.”

The photo accompanying the announcement shows the original members of Fleetwood Mac – Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and John McVie – shortly after they first came together as a band.

Beyond the heartwarming feeling of the post, people were especially captivated by the music Lindsey chose—a blend of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” that smoothly flows into Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs.”

The song has become a significant part of Fleetwood Mac’s history. Though initially left off the Rumours album, it was released as the flip side of “Go Your Own Way.” Both songs detail the painful split between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, which happened in 1976, almost two years after they became members of the band.

Though fans have always loved “Silver Springs,” a performance in 1997 truly made it iconic. During the show, Stevie Nicks sang the song directly to Lindsey Buckingham, creating a powerful and unforgettable moment for everyone.

Stevie and Lindsey Buckingham had a famously up-and-down relationship, but Stevie recently shared that they seem to have finally resolved their differences. To mark this new chapter, they’ve re-released their first album together, Buckingham Nicks, which originally came out in 1973 when they performed as a duo.

 

Stevie described her relationship with Lindsey as a rollercoaster – full of highs and lows and often challenging. However, she also emphasized that it was, at times, wonderful. She shared this on the October 29th episode of the Song Exploder podcast, where she appeared with Lindsey.

People on TikTok are reacting to Lindsey Buckingham using Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs” in a recent post. One user jokingly asked Lindsey to explain the song choice, while another shared a meme about needing therapy after hearing it.

The guitarist, for his part, captioned his Nov. 25 post, “Very important.”

Stevie and Lindsey have often openly discussed the difficulties that arose from their intense relationship, and how their feelings for each other continued for many years after it ended.

Stevie and Lindsey Buckingham had a famously turbulent relationship, but Stevie recently shared that they’ve seemingly resolved their differences. To mark this, they’ve just released a remastered version of their first album together, Buckingham Nicks, which originally came out in 1973.

Stevie described her relationship with Lindsey as a rollercoaster – full of highs and lows and often challenging. However, she also said it was incredibly wonderful.

The 77-year-old added, “And what we were doing was so fantastic, that it was worth putting up with the trials and tribulations of a relationship that’s difficult.”

For a deeper dive into the landslide of Stevie and Lindsey’s charged history, read on. 

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham first met as high school classmates, long before becoming a famous musical and romantic duo. Buckingham recalled that Nicks transferred to his school as a senior, and they briefly connected musically at a few events. Nicks went on to attend San José State University, and Buckingham followed after graduating. They both joined the band Fritz, where a connection began to form, though they weren’t yet romantically involved. Nicks later said that while other band members weren’t interested in dating her due to her ambition, they also didn’t want anyone else to have her. After Fritz disbanded in the early 1970s, Nicks and Buckingham formed the duo Buckingham Nicks, and as they worked on their music together, a romance blossomed. Nicks explained that they started spending all their time together, and the relationship simply developed naturally.

You haven’t heard the full story until you know how Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks became part of Fleetwood Mac. According to the 2009 BBC documentary Fleetwood Mac: Don’t Stop, drummer Mick Fleetwood visited Sound City studios in Los Angeles in 1974 to assess the recording quality. He was played a song by the duo Buckingham Nicks, and Fleetwood was immediately impressed with Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar skills. Fleetwood was looking to replace Bob Welch and asked Buckingham to join the band, which already included John and Christine McVie.

Fleetwood confessed in the documentary that he initially focused on Buckingham’s talent. Stevie Nicks has jokingly never forgiven him for this, feeling he only wanted Lindsey. Fleetwood acknowledged this was true at the time, but they quickly realized that Lindsey and Stevie were inseparable.

Buckingham confirmed that he needed Nicks’ approval before accepting any offer. He told Fleetwood, “I’ll have to talk to my girlfriend about that, but if I join, you’re going to have to take her too.”

It was definitely the right decision to continue making music together. Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart and included popular songs like “Landslide,” “Rhiannon,” “Over My Head,” and “Say You Love Me.”

The band then started working on their 1977 album, Rumours, which would later win Album of the Year.

However, as their popularity grew, the relationships within the band were falling apart. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, John and Christine McVie, and Mick Fleetwood and his wife Jenny Boyd were all experiencing difficulties.

In the documentary Don’t Stop, Nicks explained, “When we joined Fleetwood Mac, everything was really rocky between Lindsey and me. I think we all silently agreed to try and fix our relationships, because we couldn’t afford to break up. If we did, Fleetwood Mac would be over.”

Despite their efforts, the relationships did end. The McVies divorced in 1976, and Nicks and Buckingham split (Fleetwood and Boyd would also later separate).

Listeners can get a sense of the turmoil the band members were experiencing by paying close attention to songs like Christine McVie’s “Don’t Stop,” Stevie Nicks’ “Dreams,” and Lindsey Buckingham’s “Go Your Own Way.”

Nicks added, “My songs were all about Lindsey, and Lindsey’s songs were all about me. We just had to put it aside and perform.”

Despite internal struggles and breakups, Fleetwood Mac continued to release albums, including Tusk in 1979 and Mirage in 1982. Simultaneously, Stevie Nicks began a successful solo career, releasing Bella Donna in 1981, followed by The Wild Heart in 1983 and Rock a Little in 1985.

However, Nicks also faced personal challenges, entering treatment for cocaine addiction in 1985. She later revealed in the documentary Don’t Stop that her addiction impacted her participation in recording Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 album, Tango in the Night.

1987 also marked Lindsey Buckingham’s departure from the band just before a planned tour. Nicks described a heated confrontation with Buckingham, ultimately leading to his exit.

Nicks continued to balance her solo work with the band, contributing to the 1990 album Behind the Mask, which featured new members Billy Burnette and Rick Vito following Buckingham’s departure. However, she left Fleetwood Mac in 1991 after a disagreement over her song “Silver Springs.” Nicks wanted to include the song on her solo album, but the band insisted it belonged on theirs, and she threatened to leave if she didn’t get the tapes back.

In 1997, the members of Fleetwood Mac – Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John and Christine McVie, and Mick Fleetwood – came together for a concert televised on MTV, which was later released as a live album called The Dance. Although Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had a difficult history, they seemed ready to move past some of their issues.

Stevie Nicks explained in a 1997 interview with the Arizona Republic that she and Lindsey Buckingham rarely have deep conversations. They mostly avoid personal discussions when they’re not performing. Both are cautious about not upsetting each other. However, when they’re on stage, the energy of the performance allows them to connect and express themselves, often leading to a release of emotions and ideas.

Fleetwood Mac released the album Say You Will in 2003. Over the following years, both Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks continued to perform with the band and as solo artists, participating in the group’s 2009 and 2013 concert tours.

However, in 2018, just before another tour was scheduled to begin, Buckingham was removed from the band.

Mick Fleetwood explained to Rolling Stone that it wasn’t a simple firing. He described reaching a point where things weren’t working, making it difficult for the band to function. The decision was made by a majority vote to move forward without him.

Buckingham later spoke about his departure during a concert, stating that he hadn’t chosen to leave. He suggested that disagreements within the band had led to the situation and a loss of perspective.

Despite going their separate ways, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks reunited to revisit their early work. Fifty-two years after their first album, Buckingham Nicks, they announced a remastered version would be released on September 19th. A message on YouTube revealed the remastered album would be available on CD and digitally for the first time. To give fans a preview, they also re-released their single, “Don’t Let Me Down Again.”

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2025-11-26 18:22