| "Peacekeeper" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byFleetwood Mac | ||||
| from the albumSay You Will | ||||
| Written | 2000 | |||
| Released | 10 March 2003 (2003-03-10)[1] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter | Lindsey Buckingham | |||
| Producers |
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| Fleetwood Mac singles chronology | ||||
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"Peacekeeper" is a song byFleetwood Mac, written by guitarist and vocalistLindsey Buckingham, from their 17th studio album,Say You Will (2003). It was the first and most commercially successful single released from the album. Buckingham shared vocals with bandmateStevie Nicks. As of 2025, "Peacekeeper" was the band's most recent song to debut on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number 80.[2][3]
Buckingham wrote "Peacekeeper" around two and a half years before the release ofSay You Will.[4] An early mix of "Peacekeeper" was included on limited edition CD distributed at theACLU Bill of Rights Dinner on 14 December 2000.[5]
During the recording process, Buckingham ran some of his vocals through anamplifier withdistortion and appliedEQ to accentuate the mid-rangefrequencies and eliminate the low end.[6] Buckingham andMark Needham mixed the song on a128-trackPro Tools HD system, which was the only song onSay You Will along with "What's the World Coming To?" that required this device. Needham took sections from Buckingham's "Peacekeeper" demo and combined it with a new version that the band recorded.[7]
When asked about the lyrics for "Peacekeeper" by Bill DeMain ofPerforming Songwriter, Buckingham explained that he approached the song by analyzing different perspectives of peace, saying that he was "looking at the kind of thinking that is matter-of-fact and desnsitized towards certain actions that go on in the world and the kind of blankness and conformity that goes along with that." He further questioned the notion of peace existing as a "static condition" and said that the song rebukes those who fail to value the ideal of peace.[4]
In an interview with theMiami Herald, Buckingham characterised "Peacekeeper" as a peace song that explored the interplay between institutions and individuals, including those who are unaffected and unmoved by global crises. "It's about how we are becoming increasingly desensitized to things around the world that are brutal and not standing up for human value."[8] He toldUSA Today that the song "may carry reference points that apply to events of the last couple years."[9] He toldThe Philadelphia Inquirer that the song "could be applied to a nation and also a relationship" and said that it was one of the songs onSay You Will that related to the idea of Greek gods "looking down on the human race, wondering when to pull the plug."[10]
In February 2003, a snippet of the song was previewed onNBC'sThird Watch.[11] That same month, the song beat out entries byJohn Mellencamp, theBeastie Boys, andGeorge Michael forDrudge Report's radio poll of the Top New Anti-War Songs.[8] "Peacekeeper" was serviced to USAC,Hot AC andTriple A radio stations in early March.[12] During the month of March, "Peacekeeper" was the most added song on AC and Hot AC formats for two weeks in a row.[13] The following month,Music & Media reported that "Peacekeeper" would be a radio-only track in Europe.[14]
Some radio stations in Los Angeles played "Peacekeeper" prior to and after news updates on theIraq War. Buckingham noted that the song was written several years before the Iraq War, but acknowledged the song's salience and recognised that "anything that aspires to be artistic has to have an element of ambiguity to it. There can't be only one interpretation."[15]
ThroughAOL's First Listen service, which provided subscribers exclusive access to music 48 hours before its official release, the company reported that "Peacekeeper" had been streamed 886,000 times in one day and 1.1 million times in two days.[16] "Peacekeeper" entered the USBillboard Hot 100 at number 93 on 29 March.[3] It registered 1,500 paid downloads on its first week, which vaulted the song to number 11 on the Singles Sales Chart. That same week, it also garnered 10.8 million listener impressions.[17] According to Howard Cohen of theMiami Herald, "Peacekeeper" became the first song to enter theBillboard Hot 100 from sales solely derived from internet downloads.[18] The following week, it registered 150 paid downloads, which was insufficient for a second week on the Singles Sales Chart.[19] Six weeks later, the song reached its peak position of number 80 on theBillboard Hot 100. By the time "Peacekeeper" exited the chart, it had tallied 11 consecutive weeks in the top 100.[3] In New Zealand, the single proved to be more successful, reaching number 31 on theRIANZ Singles Chart.[20]
People magazine described "Peacekeeper" as a "country-tinged antiwar track" that was "eerily prescient".[21] TheLos Angeles Times compared the "wheezily rollicking single" to "Dreams" and "Go Your Own Way".[22]Rolling Stone wrote that a song like "Peacekeeper" demonstrated that the band's "singular vibe – a sunny, countrified lope against which urgent breakup lyrics blaze - has always been [Buckingham's] doing".[23]
Chuck Taylor ofBillboard labelled the song as "vintage-quality Mac, familiar in its style and structure, and yet fresh and spirited enough to maintain appeal after countless spins." He also predicted that the song would perform well on all radio formats, particularlyadult contemporary radio stations.[24] Writing forRadio & Records, Mike Trias said that the song is "filled with harmonies that give the midtempo song an almost happy tone, despite its lyrics."[13]
"Peacekeeper" appeared on both setlists for Fleetwood Mac's 2003–2004Say You Will Tour.[25] During these performances, Buckingham would preface the song with the statement "When love is gone, there is always justice. And when justice is gone, there is force."[26] The song was also included on the DVD version ofLive in Boston, which was recorded over the course of two nights in September 2003.[27] A different live recording of "Peacekeeper" was included on the limited deluxe edition ofSay You Will, which included a total of four bonus tracks. "Peacekeeper" would later make it onto all editions of50 Years – Don't Stop in 2018.[28] "Peacekeeper" was one of the songs performed onSound Stage Presents – Lindsey Buckingham with Special Guest Stevie Nicks, which aired in 2005 on PBS.[29]
Reprise CD single PR03903 (Warner)[20]
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