The Chain Explained

The Chain
Artist:Fleetwood Mac
Album:Rumours
Released:4 February 1977
Recorded:1976
Genre:Rock
Length:4:28
Label:Warner Bros.
Producer:

"The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album Rumours.[1] [2] [3] It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members (Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood).

"The Chain" was created from combinations of several previously rejected materials, including solo work by Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie. The song was assembled, often manually by splicing tapes with a razor blade, at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California, with engineers Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut.[4]

Following the critical and commercial success of Rumours, "The Chain" has become a staple of the band's live shows, typically the opening song. It was featured as the opening track on The Dance, a 1997 live concert CD/DVD release, as well as several of the band's greatest hits compilations. The song has attained particular fame in the United Kingdom, where the instrumental section has been used as the theme tune for the BBC and Channel 4's television coverage of Formula One.[5] [6]

Background

According to interviews on the writing of Rumours, the final section of "The Chain" (beginning with a bass progression) was created by John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.[4] Other elements were worked in from an early project of Christine's called "Keep Me There", which removed the blues-style motif, but retained the chord progression.[4] Lindsey Buckingham reworked the song by recycling the intro of an earlier song from a duet with Nicks, "Lola (My Love)", originally released on their self-titled 1973 album.[7] During the verses, Buckingham instructed Fleetwood to play a straight quarter note pattern on the kick drum. The Dobro, a type of resonator guitar, supplied the verse riff.[8] Stevie Nicks had written the lyrics separately and thought they would be a good match; she and Christine McVie did some reworking to create the first section of the tune.[4] Nicks' lyrics referenced the breakup of her relationship with Buckingham, a theme of many of Nicks' and Buckingham's lyrics on Rumours.[9] In an interview with Paul Zollo, Buckingham questioned whether Fleetwood contributed significantly to the song, but said that all five members nonetheless received writing credits.[10]

Due to the spliced nature of the record (the drums and guitar were the only instruments recorded in each other's company)[11] and its sporadic composition and assembly from different rejected songs, "The Chain" is one of only a few Fleetwood Mac songs whose authorship is credited to all members of the band at the time.[4] The finished song has a basic rock structure, although it has two distinct portions: the main verse and chorus, and the outro. Influences of hard rock, folk, and country are also present.[4]

Release and reception

Rumours garnered widespread critical acclaim upon its release. Subsequent analysis of "The Chain" has also led many to cite it as one of the most evocative expressions of the internal fracture among various band members at the time. Buckingham and Nicks were ending their years-long relationship at the same time that John and Christine McVie's marriage broke down, as did that of Fleetwood and his wife, Jenny Boyd.[4] The Guardian and Paste ranked the song number ten and number one, respectively, on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[12] [13]

In 1997, Fleetwood Mac released a live concert CD/DVD package called The Dance, which featured the reunion of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac members. The rendition of "The Chain" reached number 30 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Additionally, the studio version began appearing on the charts in 2009, where it debuted at number 94 in the UK. Two years later, the song peaked at number 81.[14] In October 2023, the song was certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of over 2,400,000 units.

Personnel

Charts

Original version

Weekly charts

Chart (2017–2020)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[15] 85
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 78
Scotland (OCC)[17] 55
Billboard Global 200[18] 142

Year-end charts

Chart (2017)Position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[19] 79
Chart (2020)Position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[20] 85

Other media

The BBC's Formula One coverage used the ending bass line as a theme tune from 1978 until 1996 and again from 2009 to 2015, thus making the song highly recognisable in the United Kingdom.[21] On 29 March 2009, the song re-entered the UK Chart at number 94 through downloads, following confirmation from the BBC that it would be reintroduced, the BBC having regained broadcasting rights from ITV. On 20 March 2011, "The Chain" peaked higher at number 81 in the UK chart following a campaign on Facebook to try to get the song to number 1 for the start of the 2011 Formula One season.

In the 2017 Marvel Studios film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, director James Gunn has said that "The Chain" was "most deeply embedded into the fibers of the film".[22] "The Chain" was also used as the closing song to the first-season episode "We Gull Way Back" of the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death, and featured prominently in the 2017 film I, Tonya.

Tantric cover

The Chain
Type:single
Artist:Tantric
Album:After We Go
Released:Winter 2004
Length:4:21
Label:Maverick
Prev Title:Hey Now
Prev Year:2003
Next Title:After We Go
Next Year:2004

The song was recorded by the American rock band Tantric, released as the second single from their 2004 second album, After We Go. However, even though the song was released as a single, it lacked much promotion, and debuted at number 36 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.

Tantric's cover of the song was used as the theme song for the 2004 HBO Documentary series Family Bonds.[23]

Three Days Grace cover

The Chain
Artist:Three Days Grace
Ep:Lost in You
Released:15 March 2011
Recorded:2011
Length:3:50
Label:Jive Records
Producer:

The song was recorded by the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace, released from their EP, Lost in You. It was released on 15 March 2011.[24] The song peaked at number 45 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart.[25]

Charts

Evanescence cover

The Chain
Cover:Evanescence - The Chain.png
Type:single
Artist:Evanescence
Released:22 November 2019
Recorded:2019
Length:4:12
Label:BMG
Producer:Bobby Tahouri
Prev Title:Hi-Lo
Prev Year:2018
Next Title:Wasted on You
Next Year:2020

American rock band Evanescence released a cover version of the song. The song was released as a standalone digital download on 22 November 2019 by BMG.[26] (This cover version had been used to promote the Xbox game Gears 5 – part of the Gears of War franchise –, which was released in early September 2019.)[27] [28]

Background

Amy Lee, the lead vocalist of Evanescence said, "This cover was so fun to make. We love Fleetwood Mac and wanted to paint a dark and epic picture with our take on 'The Chain'. The lyrics make me feel the power of standing together against great forces trying to pull us apart, perhaps even from the inside. I really wanted to drive that home in our version, and even made everyone in the band sing by the end of it! We're beyond excited to share this with our fans and I'm really looking forward to playing it live."[29]

Music video

An official music video to accompany the release of "The Chain" was first released onto YouTube on 9 January 2020.[30]

Charts

Chart (2019–20)Peak
position
Czech Republic (Modern Rock)[31] 16
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[32] 53

Release history

CHINCHILLA cover

The Chain
Type:single
Artist:CHINCHILLA
Released:16 June 2024
Recorded:2024
Length:3:45
Label:CHINCHILLA Music (Island Records)
Producer:
  • CHINCHILLA
  • Jordan Cosmos

British multi-genre artist CHINCHILLA released[33] a cover version of the song for the soundtrack of Amazon Prime's original series My Lady Jane. The song was released as a digital download on 14 June 2024 by CHINCHILLA Music (Island Records).

Track listing

References

Notes and References

  1. 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 31 May 2012. Rolling Stone. 19 September 2018. en-US.
  2. News: 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time - No.2 - Rumours. The Sound. 19 September 2018. en-NZ.
  3. News: How Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' Became One of the Best Albums Ever. 3 February 2017. Observer. 19 September 2018. en-US.
  4. Book: Carroll, Cath . Never Break the Chain: Fleetwood Mac and the Making of Rumours . Vinyl Frontier . 2004 . 134–136 . 1556525451.
  5. News: BBC Formula One coverage to bring back Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' . . 24 February 2009 . 19 March 2011.
  6. Web site: Klein . Jamie . Channel 4 to keep 'The Chain' as F1 theme song . . 12 February 2016 . 12 February 2016.
  7. Web site: Penn's Picks: Fleetwood Mac – The Chain . Hit Songs Deconstructed . 22 April 2018.
  8. Web site: Bosso. Joe. December 13, 2022. Fleetwood Mac Rumours track-by-track with co-producer Ken Caillat . 2024-01-26 . MusicRadar . en.
  9. Web site: Top 10 Lindsey Buckingham Fleetwood Mac Songs. 9 December 2022. Zeiler, Millie. 16 January 2023. Classic Rock History.
  10. Web site: Zollo . Paul . 1997 . Songwriters On Songwriting, Expanded Edition (1997), (Book Excerpt) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151230161910/http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=145&c=9 . 30 December 2015 . 10 March 2015 . The Blue Letter Archives.
  11. Web site: Johnson . Heather . First hand news: Fleetwood Mac co-conspirator Richard Dashut reflects on recording and mixing Rumours . EQ . General Reference Center GOLD . 5 December 2018.
  12. Web site: Fleetwood Mac's 30 greatest songs – ranked!. Alexis. Petridis. The Guardian. 19 May 2022. 10 August 2023.
  13. Web site: The 30 Greatest Fleetwood Mac Songs. Matt. Mitchell. Paste. 7 August 2023. 10 August 2023.
  14. Web site: Fleetwood Mac full Official Chart History Official Charts Company. 25 October 2020. www.officialcharts.com.
  15. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 19 October 2020. The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1598. 4. 19 October 2020.
  16. Web site: Top 100 Singles: Week Ending 16 Oct 2020. 16 October 2020. IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association.
  17. Web site: Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100: Official Charts Company. 25 October 2020. www.officialcharts.com. en.
  18. Billboard Global 200: October 24, 2020. Billboard. 20 October 2020.
  19. Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2017. Billboard. 24 March 2021.
  20. Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020. Billboard. 5 December 2020.
  21. Web site: BBC unveils 2009 F1 coverage – and return of The Chain . crash.net . 24 February 2009 . 24 February 2009 .
  22. Inside the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Soundtrack. Hiatt. Brian. Rolling Stone. 19 April 2017. 19 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170419192817/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/inside-the-guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-2-soundtrack-w477515. 19 April 2017. live.
  23. Zahlaway, Jon Tantric takes another swing on U.S. club circuit LiveDaily.com (26 August 2004). Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  24. Web site: Lost in You - EP by Three Days Grace. Apple Music. 24 January 2022.
  25. Three Days Grace Chart History (Rock Digital Song Sales). Billboard. 24 January 2022.
  26. Web site: The Chain (From "Gears 5") - Single by Evanescence. Apple Music. 2 July 2020. 28 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028091809/https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-chain-from-gears-5-single/1486662803. dead.
  27. Web site: Hampp . Andrew . 2019-12-17 . Songs for Screens: Amy Lee Talks ‘Gears 5’ and Evanescence’s First Album in Nine Years . 2024-08-05 . Variety . en-US.
  28. Web site: Kaufman . Gil . 2019-11-25 . Listen to Evanescence Transform Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ Into a Turbulent Goth Epic for ‘Gears of War 5’ . 2024-08-05 . Billboard . en-US.
  29. Web site: January 2020. Scott Munro09. Evanescence share video for their epic cover of Fleetwood Mac's The Chain. 13 April 2021. Metal Hammer Magazine. 9 January 2020 . en.
  30. Web site: Evanescence - The Chain (from Gears 5) [Official Music Video]]. YouTube. 2 July 2020.
  31. Web site: CZ - RADIO - TOP 20 MODERN ROCK - EVANESCENCE - The Chain. IFPI Czech Republic. 2 July 2020. cs.
  32. Web site: Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. 29 November 2019. 3 December 2021.
  33. Web site: Taylor . Sam . 2024-06-14 . CHINCHILLA has covered of Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' for Amazon Prime Video's upcoming series My Lady Jane . 2024-06-14 . Dork . en-US.