| "You Make Loving Fun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byFleetwood Mac | ||||
| from the albumRumours | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | September 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter | Christine McVie | |||
| Producers |
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| Fleetwood Mac US singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio video | ||||
| "You Make Loving Fun (2004 Remaster)" onYouTube | ||||
"You Make Loving Fun" is a song by the British-American rock bandFleetwood Mac, written and sung byChristine McVie. It was released as the fourth and final single from the band's 1977 albumRumours. "You Make Loving Fun" peaked at number 9 on the USBillboard Hot 100 to become the album's fourth Top 10 hit.
"You Make Loving Fun" was inspired by Christine McVie's affair with the band's lighting director, Curry Grant.[2] "To avoid flare-ups", she told her then-husband and fellow band member,John McVie, that the song was about her dog.[3] The song uses descending seconds in itschord progression.[4] In an interview with theNew York Post, McVie remarked that she wanted it to be the third US single from the album, but "Don't Stop" was chosen instead.[2]
Early tracking of the song was done, according to Christine McVie, in the absence ofLindsey Buckingham, which gave her the freedom to "build the song on [her] own".[3] For the February 8 session, Fleetwood was on drums,Stevie Nicks played the tambourine, and Christine McVie played aRhodes piano that was sent through a Stratoblaster, which boosted the instrument's output by 15decibels. John McVie's bass was re-recorded, and Christine McVie overdubbed aHohner Clavinet, which was fed through awah-wah pedal.[3] McVie struggled to play the clavinet in tandem with the wah-wah pedal, so Fleetwood got on the floor and operated the pedal with his hands while McVie played the keys of the clavinet.[5] Buckingham arrived at the studio in the late afternoon and chose to play aGibson Les Paul for the rhythm guitar parts, which was plugged into a rotatingLeslie speaker. AHammond organ was also overdubbed during the recording session, which lasted until six in the evening.[3]
Buckingham wanted accentedtom-tom beats in the chorus, but Fleetwood was unwilling to try this idea. Instead, Buckingham played the instrument himself. ProducerKen Caillat remarked that "Lindsey was the accent king. He could accent with guitars, he could accent with toms [and] he could accent with Naugahyde chairs."[6]
During the tracking of the backing vocals, Caillat recalled that Nicks and Buckingham were engaged in "vicious name calling": "The tape would start rolling and they’d sing, 'Yooooooou make loving fun,' just beautiful, two little angels. The tape would stop and they’d be calling each other names again. They didn't miss a beat."[5]
"You Make Loving Fun" was a concert staple for Fleetwood Mac and was played during every tour that included Christine McVie from 1976 until 1997, a year before McVie's departure from the band and retirement from touring. However, the song was revived for Fleetwood Mac's 2014–2015 tour when McVie rejoined the band,[7] as well as their 2018-2019 tour with new membersMike Campbell andNeil Finn.[8]
Cash Box said McVie's "magical words are complemented by angelic backing vocals, strident guitar melodies, and the pulsating backbeat reinforced by her own electric keyboard."[9]Record World called it a "light rocker with a compelling love lyric."[10] Writing forRolling Stone, John Swenson compared the song structure to some of the musical output fromThe Byrds, specifically referencing the "sparse instrumental background and the chorus comes on like an angelic choir." He also praised the vocals, saying that McVie sounded "vital" and noting the harmonies working in tandem with the counterpoint guitar during the chorus.[11] Rob Brunner ofEntertainment Weekly selected "You Make Loving Fun" as a highlight on the album and said that it "benefits from relative underexposure."[12]The Guardian andPaste ranked the song number 13 and number 14 respectively on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[13][14]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
In March 2024, the American country bandLonestar covered "You Make Loving Fun" in acountry rock style, as a tribute to Christine McVie who died in 2022. Mick Fleetwood praised their version, saying "Christine will be smiling!"[25]
As part of the Mick Fleetwood-produced 20th anniversary tribute albumLegacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, the song was covered in 2024 by American singer-songwriterJewel.[26]
