Say You Love Me (Fleetwood Mac song)
"Say You Love Me" is a song written by singer/songwriter Christine McVie for Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album. The song peaked at No. 11 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 for three weeks, and remains one of the band's most recognizable songs. Its success helped the group's eponymous 1975 album sell over eight million copies worldwide. In the UK, "Say You Love Me" was the fourth single from the "Fleetwood Mac" album, but the first to chart, peaking at No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1976 . In Canada, Shirley Eikhard covered "Say You Love Me" and released it as a single several weeks in advance of Fleetwood Mac in early June 1976. Eikhard's version became a Canadian top 40, peaking at No. 34; Fleetwood Mac's version, released only a few weeks later, peaked at No. 29 in September. Background. In addition to its appearance on Fleetwood Mac's self-titled 1975 album, "Say You Love Me" appears on three of the group's compilation albums:" Greatest Hits", "The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac," and "25 Years - The Chain" (as an edited single version). Following  Christine McVie's departure from the band, the song was performed on Fleetwood Mac's "Unleashed Tour" with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham sharing lead vocals. McVie wrote "Say You Love Me" after her fifth year in the band while she was married to the group's bassist, John McVie. The version used on the single release has overdubbed additional guitar work and a faster fade-out. The single mix is the one used on the compilation "25 Years - The Chain" (as a to 3:45 edited version, which is not available anywhere else). "Say You Love Me" has been performed  on seven of Fleetwood Mac's tours since its release. On "The Dance" tour, John McVie sang background vocals. Previously, John McVie's only other vocal contribution was on a cover of "Cool Water", the B-side to "Gypsy". During a Q&A session, he stated that his then ex-wife Christine convinced him to perform the vocal line. During the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance of the song, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham played a cocktail drum kit and banjo respectively. Reception. "Billboard Magazine" praised McVie's singing, noting the "easy" guitar playing, and the "good , catchy bridge." "Cash Box" said that "it’s an intelligent and commercial single...the music seems to flow, in mid-tempo rock rhythm; the song has a fat sound" and that "the vocals are distinctive." Cover versions. Shirley Eikhard covered the song in 1976. It became a hit in Canada, spending two weeks at number 34 on the pop singles chart and number four on the Adult Contemporary chart. In the late half of the 1970s, the song proved to be a popular song to cover in country music. Singer Lynda K. Lance spent five weeks in the fall of  1976 on the American country singles chart with her version, peaking at No. 93. In the fall of 1979, singer Stephanie Winslow scored the only Top 10 country hit of her career, with her cover reaching number 10 on the country charts.