Rumours: expressing agony through antagonism  

Propelling the band into superstardom, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac was released in 1977. The album deals with relationship betrayals, mosaicking spite, and the affection leftover. Rumours took the 25th spot for Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while also holding a Grammy.

Fleetwood Mac created a pop-rock album with complex electric-guitar solos which drive home with the anger-soaked jibes of the lyrics, often inverting to aggressive drum-beats of angst. Tracks such as “Never Going Back Again” include intricate rhythms and bass lines with an acoustic guitar layering over it. The album launches to a ballad in “Songbird”, one of the few times it slows down. With its ambiguous but universal lyrics, Rumours addresses complex relationship dynamics, the sacrifice of happiness for love, and perseverance through anguish with lyrics such as “Thunder only happens when it is raining, when the rain washes you clean, you will know.”
Turning pain into a platinum record, Rumours builds up by getting villainous, nurturing grudges which it eventually lets go of in “Go Your Own Way”. The album discloses the human nature of duplicity, acknowledging the need for resentment but also closure. This is possibly why Rumours holds relevance to this day.