Lindsey Buckingham has described Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 song ‘Dreams’ as the defining expression of Stevie Nicks’ songwriting and of their musical partnership. He said its restrained structure, lyrics and rhythm captured both Nicks’ emotional style and the band’s ability to turn personal tensions into successful music during the difficult recording of Rumours.

Nicks wrote ‘Dreams’ in around ten minutes after Buckingham had left Aspen for touring work, drawing on themes of abandonment that recur in her songs. She later gave Buckingham a rough cassette recording, which he developed into the finished track despite their relationship breakdown; the song became Fleetwood Mac’s only US number one single and has since been described as worth about $100 million.