Landslide

neil — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 18:39:07 +0000

🌙 About the Song

Landslide is one of those songs that sounds like it’s always existed. Stevie Nicks wrote it in 1973 while sitting on the floor in Aspen, staring at the Rocky Mountains and wondering if she should give up music altogether. She was broke, unsure, and emotionally exhausted from her complicated relationship with Lindsey Buckingham. Out of that storm came a song that quietly captured every fear, doubt, and flicker of hope she felt — and it changed everything.

When Fleetwood Mac released it in 1975, it wasn’t even a single at first, but fans latched onto it instantly. It’s since become one of their most beloved songs, covered by everyone from The Smashing Pumpkins to The Chicks, and played at roughly one million weddings and tearful open mics.

It’s not just a song about getting older — it’s about growing wiser, softer, and braver. Stevie Nicks said it best: “I wrote ‘Landslide’ for my father, but it was really about me.”

🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips

Chords:C – G/B – Am7 – G – F – C/E – D7/F# – Gsus4 – G.
- But you can simplify beautifully with C – G – Am – F and it’ll still sound gorgeous.
Picking pattern: Finger-pick for maximum emotion — thumb on C string, index on E, middle on A — slow roll, one note per beat.
Tempo: About 72 bpm. Take your time. The pauses are part of the message.
Tone: Soft and warm. Play close to the neck to bring out that mellow “Stevie hum.”
Dynamics: Start whisper-quiet, rise gently in the middle, then let the final lines fade into silence.
Optional strum: If finger-picking’s not your thing, use a featherlight Down–Down–Up–Up–Down-Up — barely touch the strings.
Pro tip: End on Fmaj7 (2413) → Cmaj7 (0002) → C, and let it ring. That little shimmer is pure magic.

🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually

Stevie wrote it before Fleetwood Mac’s fame — she thought it might be her last song before quitting music.
Her dad was a corporate exec, and when she told him she might quit, he said, “Don’t stop now — the landslide will bring you down.” The lyric stuck.
It wasn’t a hit until Fleetwood Mac (1975) was reissued in the late ’90s after The Dance reunion — then it exploded all over again.
Landslide has been used in everything from Glee to American Horror Story, solidifying its reputation as the ultimate emotional gut-punch.

🌈 Final Word

Play Landslide like you’re talking to your younger self. Keep the tempo slow, your strums soft, and your voice vulnerable.
Don’t perform it — feel it. Every chord is a heartbeat, every pause a breath.
If someone doesn’t tear up a little by the last “I’m getting older too,” they might be made of stone.

Dreams

neil — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:34:35 +0000

🌙 About the Song

In the middle of absolute emotional chaos, Fleetwood Mac somehow made lightning in a bottle. Dreams was written by Stevie Nicks in 1976 while the band was holed up in Sausalito recording Rumours — a studio session that could’ve doubled as a group therapy nightmare.
Relationships were imploding left, right, and centre: Stevie and Lindsey were done, the McVies were divorcing, and Mick Fleetwood’s marriage was crumbling too. Out of that mess came this silky, devastating song about acceptance — heartbreak without hysteria.

Nicks wrote it alone on a Fender Rhodes piano in a spare room, recorded a demo, and walked it over to the band like, “I’ve got something.” Within hours, they’d turned it into one of the most hypnotic grooves ever recorded. It’s minimalist perfection: just a drum loop, a bassline smoother than silk, and Stevie’s voice gliding like smoke.

The song isn’t about rage or regret — it’s about walking away with grace (and maybe a bit of glitter).

🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips

Chords: F – G – Am — that’s it. Three-chord magic. Play them gently and let them shimmer.
Strumming pattern: Down–Down–Up–Up–Down–Up, but with a soft, almost lazy swing. The trick is restraint; less is more.
Tempo: Around 120 bpm, but it should float, not march.
Tone: Play near the neck for warmth, and mute slightly with your palm for that hypnotic, pulsing feel.
Dynamics: Keep the verses delicate; open up slightly on the “Thunder only happens when it’s raining” chorus, then sink back down.
Fancy bit: Add a high-harmonic (12th fret, A string) at the very end to mimic the airy fade-out of the record.
Bonus: If you’ve got a friend, have them quietly hum or pick the bassline beneath you — it’ll sound freakishly close to the original.

🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually

Stevie Nicks wrote the song in ten minutes — on a borrowed keyboard — in a room that once belonged to Sly Stone.
Rumours sold over 40 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums ever.
In 2020, a guy on a skateboard drinking cranberry juice lip-synced to Dreams on TikTok — and the song shot back up the charts 43 years after release.
Stevie’s shawl from the music video is still on tour with her. It’s seen more heartbreak than most of us will in a lifetime.

🌈 Final Word

Play Dreams like a spell, not a song. Keep the rhythm steady, the dynamics subtle, and the vibe unbothered.
It’s heartbreak, yes — but heartbreak that’s moved on, lit a candle, and started a new era.

Fleetwood Mac – uke.lol

Landslide

🌙 About the Song

🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips

🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually

🌈 Final Word

Dreams

🌙 About the Song

🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips

🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually

🌈 Final Word