Dreams Fleetwood Mac: Written in 10 Minutes, Alive in 2020
The Dreams Fleetwood Mac released in March 1977 took Stevie Nicks about ten minutes to write.
The band shrugged at first, then built it into the only number one of their career.
Forty-three years later, a man on a skateboard sent it back up the Billboard Hot 100.
This page covers the writing, the studio tricks, the 1977 charts, the 2020 revival and the covers.
For the band's other hits, see Fleetwood Mac songs.
Fleetwood Mac in a 1977 Rumours advertisement, the year Dreams reached number one.
Image credit: Warner Bros. Records, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Billboard, June 25, 1977).
Dreams Fleetwood Mac: How Stevie Nicks Wrote It in 10 Minutes
Nicks wrote Dreams in early 1976 at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California.
She says it took about ten minutes.
A Rhodes, a Drum Pattern and a Cassette Recorder
The tools were simple.
- A Fender Rhodes electric piano.
- A drum pattern to play against.
- A cassette recorder to catch the idea.
- A room at the studio said to belong to Sly Stone.
The words were about the end of her eight-year relationship with Lindsey Buckingham.
Billboard later described the song as a lyrical examination of that breakup.
A Band That Did Not Rush to Like It
The rest of the group was unsure about it at first.
Nicks insisted, so they recorded a demo the next day.
Christine McVie first called the song boring.
She changed her mind after Buckingham built three sections out of identical chords.
That is the sound you hear today: one mood, held steady, with small shifts underneath.
Dreams Fleetwood Mac in the Studio: The Drum Loop and Ten Vocal Tracks
The band recorded Dreams in 1976 at the Record Plant in Sausalito and at Wally Heider's Studio 3 in Hollywood.
The producers were Fleetwood Mac, Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut.
The basic track came together in Sausalito, with Nicks on Rhodes and vocals.
The band kept that drum track and those live vocals, and added guitars and bass later in Los Angeles.
| Player | Part |
|---|---|
| Stevie Nicks | Lead vocal, Fender Rhodes on the basic track |
| Mick Fleetwood | Drums, tom-tom accents from the 48-second mark, later overdubbed congas |
| John McVie | Bass guitar |
| Lindsey Buckingham | Electric guitars, harmony vocals |
| Christine McVie | Fender Rhodes, organ, vibraphone with delay, harmony vocals |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 17, 2026.
An Eight-Bar Loop of Mick Fleetwood
Ken Caillat made an eight-bar loop of Fleetwood's drumming.
The aim was a deep, hypnotic effect.
Listen for how little the groove moves from start to finish.
Buckingham's electric guitars were sent through four signals and panned in stereo.
Richard Dashut suggested the vibraphone, and Christine McVie played it with a delay on it.
Eight Microphones, One Winner
Nicks tested eight microphones before she chose a Sennheiser 441.
The final lead was built from a guide vocal with punch-ins, after ten lead vocal tracks.
Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie worked out triad harmonies at a piano and then doubled them.
Stevie Nicks in a 1977 promotional photograph.
Image credit: Photo by David Wainwright, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Hear the 1977 Dreams Fleetwood Mac Single
Press play and listen for the vibraphone shimmer under the second verse.
You can also find Dreams on the Listen Now jukebox.
Dreams Fleetwood Mac on the Charts: One Week at Number One in 1977
Warner Bros. released the single on March 24, 1977, as the second single from Rumours.
The B-side was Songbird, and the single ran 4:14.
This site's weekly Hot 100 data puts it at number one for the week of June 18, 1977, for one week.
It was the first and only Hot 100 number one for the band.
It finished 1977 at No. 39 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100.
Wikipedia says it sold more than one million copies in the US.
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | No. 1 (1 week, June 18, 1977) |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | No. 1 |
| US Record World Singles | No. 1 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | No. 1 |
| Netherlands Dutch Top 40 | No. 8 |
| US Adult Contemporary | No. 11 |
| New Zealand | No. 16 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | No. 19 |
| UK Singles | No. 24 |
| West Germany (GfK) | No. 33 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, chart performance section, checked October 17, 2026. The Hot 100 week and Year-End rank come from this site's own Billboard data.
It was the second single from the album, after Go Your Own Way, the song Buckingham wrote about the same split.
What the Critics Said
- Billboard called it a midtempo ballad and praised Nicks' breathier delivery.
- Cash Box found it subdued in comparison to Go Your Own Way.
- Record World predicted it would extend the group's hot streak.
- John Rockwell of the New York Times called it a classy record.
- The Guardian ranked it No. 1 on its list of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.
- Rolling Stone ranked it No. 9 on its 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
To hear what else topped the chart that summer, the Random 70s Song Generator pulls one at random.
Dreams Fleetwood Mac in 2020: A Skateboard, a Truck and a Second Chart Run
In 2020, Nathan Apodaca of Idaho had his truck break down on the way to work.
He filmed himself skateboarding the rest of the way, drinking Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice and lip-syncing to Dreams.
The video passed 50 million views.
The Band Answered Back
- Ocean Spray gave Apodaca a new pickup truck.
- Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks all posted responses on TikTok.
- Nicks skateboarded while she performed the song.
The Numbers Behind the Revival
Dreams re-entered the Hot 100 at No. 21 on October 17, 2020, and rose to No. 12 the next week.
That was the band's highest Hot 100 placement since Everywhere reached No. 17 on February 20, 1988.
| Chart | Result |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | Re-entered at No. 21, then No. 12 |
| US Rock Digital Song Sales | No. 1 |
| US Hot Rock and Alternative Songs | No. 2 |
| Billboard Global 200 | No. 10 |
| Canada Hot 100 | No. 9 |
| Australia (ARIA) | No. 4 |
| New Zealand | No. 6 (71 straight weeks in the top 40) |
| UK Singles | No. 35 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, 2020 revival section, checked October 17, 2026.
The UK has since certified the song 7x Platinum, per Wikipedia.
To find other songs that suit a mood like this one, try the Mood Song Matcher.
Dreams Covers: The Corrs, Deep Dish and Jolyon Petch
Three recordings stand out among the covers.
| Artist | Year | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| The Corrs | 1998 | Dance take for the Rumours tribute album, remixed by Todd Terry. No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, 10 weeks on it. |
| Deep Dish featuring Stevie Nicks | 2006 | Electronica version with new vocals by Nicks. Peaked at No. 14 in the UK. |
| Jolyon Petch | 2021 | Dance version. No. 16 on the ARIA singles chart and No. 1 on the ARIA club chart. |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 17, 2026.
The Corrs and the Royal Albert Hall
The Corrs released their version in the UK on May 4, 1998.
They later played it with Mick Fleetwood at the Royal Albert Hall in 1998.
Nicks Takes It to the Dance Floor
Deep Dish brought Nicks back to sing the song again for their 2006 single.
It is one of the few cases where the original singer re-recorded a hit for a club remake.
For a wider look at where the decade began and ended, start at Music of the 70s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Dreams by Fleetwood Mac?
Stevie Nicks wrote Dreams for the 1977 album Rumours.
Wikipedia says she wrote it in about 10 minutes at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California, in early 1976.
She used a Fender Rhodes piano, a drum pattern and a cassette recorder.
Was Dreams a number one hit?
Dreams reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of June 18, 1977.
It stayed on top for one week, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data.
It was Fleetwood Mac's only Hot 100 number one, and it also topped the Cash Box and Record World charts.
What is the song Dreams about?
Dreams is a breakup song that Stevie Nicks wrote as her eight-year relationship with Lindsey Buckingham was ending.
Billboard described it as a lyrical examination of that split.
The band members were all going through emotional upheaval while they made Rumours.
Why did Dreams go viral in 2020?
Dreams went viral in 2020 after Nathan Apodaca of Idaho filmed himself skateboarding to work, drinking Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice and lip-syncing to it.
The video passed 50 million views.
Dreams re-entered the Hot 100 at number 21 on October 17, 2020, then rose to number 12.
Who has covered Dreams?
The Corrs recorded Dreams in 1998, and their version reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.
Deep Dish released a dance version in 2006 with new vocals by Stevie Nicks herself.
DJ Jolyon Petch had a 2021 version that peaked at number 16 in Australia.
Sources
- Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song), Wikipedia, for the writing, the recording, chart peaks, certifications, reviews, the 2020 revival and the covers.
- Rumours (album), Wikipedia, for the album the song appears on.
- Fleetwood Mac, Wikipedia, for background on the artist.
- The number one week and the Year-End rank come from this site's own Billboard weekly Hot 100 and Year-End Hot 100 data.
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