Bill Clinton pays tribute to Christine McVie for lending Fleetwood Mac campaign song

1 December, 2022

Bill Clinton with Fleetwood Mac in 2018

Bill Clinton has expressed his gratitude to the late Christine McVie for lending Fleetwood Mac‘s ‘Don’t Stop’ to his 1992 presidential campaign.

McVie, who wrote and sang on the 1977 ‘Rumours’ single, died yesterday (November 30) aged 79. In a statement her family said that she “passed away peacefully at hospital” following a short illness.

Many musicians have since paid tribute to McVie on social media including her former bandmates Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood.

Writing on Twitter today (December 1), Clinton – who served as the 42nd US President between 1993 and 2001 – said he was “saddened” to learn of McVie’s death before recalling his link to Fleetwood Mac.

“‘Don’t Stop’ was my ’92 campaign theme song – it perfectly captured the mood of a nation eager for better days,” Clinton wrote. “I’m grateful to Christine & Fleetwood Mac for entrusting us with such a meaningful song. I will miss her.”

In January 1993, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’-era line-up – comprising McVie, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Nicks and Fleetwood – performed together for the first time in six years at Clinton’s inauguration.

The group fully reformed four years later and recorded a live album, ‘The Dance’, in Burbank, California. McVie then departed Fleetwood Mac in 1998 before returning to the fold in 2014.

Clinton presented Fleetwood Mac with statuettes as MusicCares honourees in 2018. “They let me use [‘Don’t Stop’] as a theme song and I have been trying to live by it ever since,” he said at the New York event (via Reuters).

An accompanying video to Clinton’s tribute tweet states that ‘Don’t Stop’ “became indelibly linked with Clinton, playing at his rally and convention appearances in the years following his presidency”.

Soundtracked by the hit, the clip features archive footage and photographs of Fleetwood Mac and the former US President.

McVie last performed on-stage with Fleetwood Mac in November 2019, per Setlist.FM. You can watch footage from that concert here.

Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac
Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac pictured in 1977. CREDIT: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The late musician joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970, and was behind some of their biggest hits including ‘Little Lies’, ‘Everywhere’, ‘Songbird’ and ‘You Make Loving Fun’.

Paying tribute on social media yesterday, Nicks wrote: “A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away.

“I didn’t even know she was ill…until late Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to get to London – but we were told to wait.”

She then dedicated Haim‘s emotional track ‘Hallelujah’ to McVie, saying: “I thought I might possibly get to sing it to her, and so, I’m singing it to her now. I always knew I would need these words one day. It’s all I can do now…”.

Mick, meanwhile, said: “Part of my heart has flown away today..I will miss everything about you Christine McVie. Memories abound..they fly to me.”

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