Why Fleetwood Mac's Iconic Rumours' Appeals to Post-Millennials Nearly 50 Years Later

"Almost fifty years after its release in 1977, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is somehow still one of the most popular albums in the world. Created in a cauldron of intraband romantic turmoil and fueled by voracious drug intake, this very week, it sits at Number 19 on Billboard's album chart. In 2023, Rumours was the most streamed album of the twentieth century on Spotifymore than any Beatles album, more than Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction, more than Nirvana's Nevermind or Dr. Dre's The Chronic or anything else."

"In 2024, it was the year's biggest-selling rock album, old or new. These numbers are being powered not by the Boomers and older Gen-Xers who grew up with the album in real time and made it the seventh-best-selling album in US history, but by younger generations."

"There is something in the musicor, maybe more precisely, in the experience of Rumours that separates it from the pack, even from the most elite. But does that allure revolve around the sound, the emotion, the mythology, or some combination of all its elements? Why does one album survive and even thrive when otherseven those that felt much more influential at their peakinevitably become dated? To put it simply, why do kids like this old-ass album?"

"One thing that almost all of them wanted to establish was that while they might have initially heard the record through their parents, or even their grandparents, the relationship they had with Rumours was entirely their own. Many echoed the idea that they were first exposed to these songs in their youth but then went through a process of rediscovering the album and relating to it for themselves, creating their own meanings for the record."

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, released in 1977, continues to rank highly on charts and streaming platforms. The album was created amid intraband romantic turmoil and heavy drug use. In 2023 Rumours was the most streamed twentieth-century album on Spotify, and in 2024 it became the year's biggest-selling rock album. Current popularity is driven largely by younger listeners rather than the original Boomer and older Gen-X audience. The album's endurance is linked to its musical craft, emotional resonance, mythic status, and recurring appearances in popular culture. Many post-millennials report rediscovering the record and forming personal meanings from its songs.

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