Go Your Own Way (song)

"Go Your Own Way" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by Fleetwood Mac. It is one of the band's most enduring hits. It was the first single to be released from the highly successful album, Rumours, which was to be released in February 1977 and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It is ranked #119 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the group's two entries along with "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)", and is on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.

Inspiration

Buckingham wrote this song with regard to his bandmate Stevie Nicks, with whom he had just ended a romantic relationship. It describes their breakup, with the most obvious line being, "Packing up, shacking up is all you want to do." Nicks insisted she never shacked up with anyone when they were together, and wanted Lindsey to take out the line, but he refused.

Cover versions

• The Cranberries, on the 1998 Fleetwood Mac tribute album, Legacy: a Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.
• NOFX on their 1989 album S&M Airlines.
• Punk/grunge band Seaweed covered the song on the soundtrack to the 1994 movie "Clerks".
• Scottish alternative band Biffy Clyro covered the song.
• Jennifer Brown on her 2003 album Home
• In 2004, Boy George covered the song, in a reggae style. In 2007, as a remixed house-dance version, it was released on a promotional EP.
• Wilson Phillips, on their 2004 covers album California.
• In 2007 Ana Diaz as well as Autopilot society and Fanny(or Faye) Hamlin (from the Swedish band Play) performed interpretations of the song in an advertisement for Swedish clothing company MQ.
• Mad Francis covered the song as part of their album, "Down in the Basement."

Live cover performances, remixes, appearances in other media, etc.

• In September 2007, Carrie Underwood and Lindsey Buckingham performed the song for "Fashion Rocks".
• In 2007, Marco G and MC Mario, two Canadian DJs, remixed the song.
• In 2006 at the Central Park SummerStage festival, bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists performed a version of the song.
• Vancouver band Mass Undergoe frequently plays the song in their live set featuring a reggae section in the bridge.
• This song is heard in the movie Forrest Gump
• This song is briefly heard in the movie Casino (film)
• Go Your Own Way was played during the pilot of the television drama Swingtown.
• Michael Johns of American Idol (season 7) performed this song during the Top 20 week.
• In 2008 during Concert at Sea in the Netherlands, the Dutch band Krezip played this song.
• The song has been performed frequently live by solo artist/producer Butch Walker.
• The song will appear as a playable track in the music video games, Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Other performances

On the December 2, 2006 airing of CMT's Crossroads featuring country music group Little Big Town and Fleetwood Mac band member Buckingham, "Go Your Own Way" was the last song performed. Taking Nicks' place in the singing was Little Big Town's Kimberly Roads.

References