SONGWRITING

In 1970 we all gave up our flats in London and moved to an old converted oast house in Hampshire. My boyfriend, and later husband, Mick Fleetwood, decided that as Fleetwood Mac’s founding member, guitarist, singer and songwriter Peter Green had left the band, the remaining members, Mick, John Mc.Vie, Danny Kirwin and Jeremy Spencer, plus their girlfriends/wives should all live together under one roof for the summer. It was Mick’s way of keeping the rest of the band in tact as well as giving them the opportunity to come up with new songs for their next album and up-coming U.S. tour.

With the absence of Peter the song writing now rested firmly on the young shoulders of guitarist, Danny Kirwin. I would often hear Danny playing his guitar and singing in the rehearsal room. His melodies were catchy and his melodic voice would reverberate around the house, endlessly singing La, la, la, la as he struggled to find words to each new song. John McVie’s wife, Chris, came to me one afternoon as I was sitting quietly in my room. “We need to write a song,” she said, obviously having heard from Mick that I enjoyed writing poetry. “Let’s do it together.” She brought in a pen and paper and between us, we came up with the lyrics and melody to ‘Jewel eyed Judy, a song that later appeared on their ‘Kiln House’ album.’

Even though I had written poetry over the years this was the first time I experienced the merging of lyrics with melody. Although we came up with the words together, I’m sure it was Chris who created most of the tune. Even so, it was my first collaboration in songwriting and I loved it.

Chris joined Fleetwood Mac just before that U.S. tour, which gave a much-needed boost to the band. On their return the band plus wives and girlfriends moved to a large house in Hampshire where we continued to live as a commune. Danny ‘s wordless melodies and his la, la, la, la’s continued to waft out of the rehearsal room accompanied by his wailing guitar. One day he approached me, and, in his shy, nervous way, told me he’d heard I wrote poems and asked if he could see them. I was thrilled. No one had ever asked if they could see my poems! He picked out one called, Purple Dancer and turned it into a song.

It meant so much to me, hearing my poem put to music and to hear Danny singing it in the house and later on stage. It was recorded on the ‘B’ side of a Fleetwood Mac single.

A year or so later we moved to LA, John, Chris, Mick and me with our children, where we met two incredible songwriters, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, who, together with Chris, created songs that made Fleetwood Mac world famous! Obviously, finding myself surrounded by the cream of the crop, the thought of songwriting didn’t enter my mind, and only then, many years later, when I wrote a book about musicians and their creative process.

The flame having never really died, recently motivated me to join a singing/songwriting group facilitated by a wonderfully inspiring musician, singer and songwriter, Sarah Warwick. One-day-a-month throughout most of the year culminated in each one of us creating our own song and recording it in a studio. I sang into a microphone for the first time in my life as a multi-talented musician played the backing track in another room. Even though it wasn’t the sexiest of songs, being one of protest, it mattered to me and I felt a strength to my core as I sang every word.

I had been in countless studios over the years, especially in the control room when Fleetwood Mac were recording their albums. Being a witness to their creative process was inspiring and very moving, and yet, I found, there is nothing as exciting as coming up with ones own lyrics, melody, and not only that, but actually singing and recording your own song, a song that is mine and deeply personal to me.