"World Turning" is a song written by

Christine McVie Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...

and

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...

for the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac's tenth album, '' Fleetwood Mac''.

Background

While the song was written in 1975, its roots date back to 1968. Fleetwood Mac's first album, which was also titled Fleetwood Mac, contained a track titled "The World Keeps on Turning", written by founding member Peter Green. The band reworked the song, and the title was later truncated to "World Turning". Unlike other songs on the album, "World Turning" was a collaboration with two Fleetwood Mac members: keyboardist Christine McVie, and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. Producer

Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...

claimed that Stevie Nicks was initially jealous over her lack of involvement in the writing process, but eventually "got over it". Since its first appearance on Fleetwood Mac, "World Turning" has appeared on every concert tour. Buckingham used two guitars on the track: a

Fender Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...

electric guitar and a Dobro, a resonator guitar that produces sound through one or more metal cones. He also had his low E string tuned down to a D. Both the studio and live recordings make use of a

talking drum The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitc ...

. A Nigerian musician gave

Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of t ...

a custom talking drum that would appear onstage for every Fleetwood Mac tour since 1969. Starting in 1987, on the band's ''Tango in the Night'' Tour, the band performed a ten minute live version that include a percussion section in the middle largely performed by Mick Fleetwood. Accompanied by the African percussionist Isaac Asanté, Fleetwood started off the section with his drum kit before moving to the front of the stage with a

, and then started using a "drum vest" utilising MIDI. The vest, which was connected to an amplifier, had five touch-activated pads that produced various sampled noises such as bells, screams, horns, and shattering glass.

Personnel

–

Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes Paul had built a prototype solid body ...

, Dobro, lead and backing vocals *

– keyboards, lead and backing vocals, maracas * Stevie Nicks -

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

– drums,

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

John McVie John Graham McVie (born 26 November 1945) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fle ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Covers

*The song was covered by former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch on his 2006 album '' His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond, Vol. 2''. *

Leo Kottke Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945) is an acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He overcame a series of personal obstacles, including parti ...

covered this song on his 1997 album '' Standing in My Shoes''.

References

{{Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac songs 1975 songs Songs written by Lindsey Buckingham Songs written by Christine McVie