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TL;DR:

  • Lindsey Buckingham wanted one of his solo songs to sound like Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.” 
  • The song came from an album outside of his usual genre.
  • Buckingham explained his intentions behind the album.
Fleetwood Mac's John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Lindsey Buckingham in front of a wall
Fleetwood Mac’s John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Lindsey Buckingham | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Lindsey Buckingham drew inspiration from Fleetwood Mac during his solo career. For example, he said one of his solo songs is similar to “Go Your Own Way.” Notably, listeners had very different reactions to the solo song and “Go Your Own Way.”

Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham said he made pop music during his solo career

Buckingham is most known as a member of Fleetwood Mac. He’s also had a solo career. On his own, he released classic songs such as “Trouble” and “Holiday Road.”

In 2021, Buckingham released his self-titled album. While Buckingham is often considered a rock artist, he says the album belongs in a different genre. “I hear it as a pop album, which is an intention that I had,” he told Forbes in 2021. “Not that there isn’t pop in everything I do to some degree, but I think I was consciously trying to think about it in that way.”

Lindsey Buckingham said his solo song ‘On the Wrong Side’ is similar to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’

Buckingham said he drew inspiration for the album from Fleetwood Mac songs, including “Go Your Own Way.” “I think I was also consciously trying to refer back to earlier reference points that some of which were Fleetwood Mac,” he said. “You can probably connect the dots between a song like ‘On the Wrong Side’ and ‘Go Your Own Way.'” 

Buckingham elaborated on the musical textures of his self-titled album. “So I think what I hear is sort of a broad look, a long look at my range of style of maybe getting away from the simple guitar pieces a little bit more in favor of just, as I say, a pop record,” Buckingham said. “What I take, in both the good and the bad, in the joyous and the challenging that happens, because they all fit together as one larger thing.”

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How ‘Go Your Own Way’ and ‘On the Wrong Side’ performed on the charts in the United States

“Go Your Own Way” became a hit in the United States. The song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. Fleetwood Mac released “Go Your Own Way” on the album Rumors. The album was a gargantuan hit, peaking at No. 1 for 31 of its 473 weeks on the Billboard 200.

On the other hand, “On the Wrong Side” did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Buckingham released the song on his self-titled album. Lindsey Buckingham did not chart on the Billboard 200.

“On the Wrong Side” wasn’t a hit but it has an interesting connection to “Go Your Own Way.”