49 Years Ago, a 1977 Classic That Band Member Initially Called ‘Boring' Hit No. 1

Fleetwood Mac may be one of the greatest bands of all time, but they've only had one single hit #1 on the Hot 100 chart.

On this day back in 1977, the group's single "Dreams" became their first and only song to reach the top spot, just three months after its release. It was the second single in the U.S. from their iconic eleventh studio album, Rumours, also released in 1977.

While it has since gone down in music history as one of the best songs of all time, the band wasn't initially sold on it after Stevie Nicks wrote the track.

Inside the Making of ‘Dreams'

The production of Rumours came at one of the most turbulent eras of Fleetwood Mac, as Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were in the midst of a messy split following an 8-year relationship. Also going through a breakup at the time were keyboardist Christine McVie and bassist John McVie, while drummer Mick Fleetwood was having ongoing issues with his then-wife.

As all this was happening, the group was holed up at Record Plant in Sausalito, California for nine months to record what would eventually become Rumours.

Inspired by the end of her relationship with Buckingham, Nicks wrote "Dreams" after retreating to an unused room in the recording studio that was built for Sly Stone.

"It was a black-and-red room, with a sunken pit in the middle where there was a piano, and a big black-velvet bed with Victorian drapes," Nicks recalled in a 2005 interview with Blender. "I sat down on the bed with my keyboard in front of me. I found a drum pattern, switched my little cassette player on and wrote ‘Dreams' in about 10 minutes."

The Band's Initial Reaction to ‘Dreams'

She then took a rough version of the song, which consisted of her vocals while accompanied by only a piano, to the rest of the group. While Nicks said Lindsey reacted to the tune with a smile, which she saw as a sign of respect, it wasn't immediately beloved by everyone in the band.

"When Stevie first played it for me on the piano, it was just three chords and one note in the left hand. I thought ‘This is really boring,'" McVie also told Blender.

"But the Lindsey genius came into play and he fashioned three sections out of identical chords, making each section sound completely different," she added. "He created the impression that there's a thread running through the whole thing."

The Legacy of ‘Dreams'

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lcWA2wEFkeY

Shockingly, "Dreams" is the band's only #1 song in the United States, despite decades of success in music.

The song shot up the Hot 100 charts again in 2020, thanks to a viral TikTok video featuring Nathan Apodaca vibing out to the track while drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice aboard a skateboard (above).

On the week of its #1 anniversary, the song currently sits at #3 on Billboard's Rock Streaming Songs chart. Ahead of it are Tame Impala and JENNIE's single, "Dracula," and Dominic Fike's "Baby Doll."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM.