Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” has had a lasting cultural impact for numerous reasons. First, it is sonically and structurally a fantastic, emotive, almost droning, hypnotic piece of work.
Secondly, the lyrical content is deeply relatable, even decades after its creation, tonally evoking nostalgia and a deep sense of longing and heartache.
This long-lasting popularity, as well as its empathetic and nostalgic response, is proven by its re-entry into the charts at number 21 in the Top 100 at the time Lanie Garder recorded her version of the song and uploaded it to YouTube.
Fleetwood Mac was a British band that started in 1967, the name coming from two of the founding members’ surnames (drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, also being the two members who remained over the years through numerous lineup changes.)
Initially a British Blues Band, the band had success in the UK with 4 top ten hits between 1968 and 1970. By 1974, various members had come and gone, leaving the band without a lead singer and guitarist.
Mick Fleetwood, while scouting for a studio in Los Angeles, found a mildly successful folk duo by the name of Buckingham Nicks, consisting of guitarist and singer Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks, asking Buckingham to join. Lindsey accepted on the condition that Stevie be allowed to be a part of the band as well.
Fast forward to 1976, the album Rumors was being written and recorded during a tumultuous time for the band members, most notably the ending of the 8-year-long relationship between Fleetwood and Nicks. This tension and heartache would shine through multiple songs on the album, such as “You Can Go Your Own Way”, a song Buckingham wrote about struggling with Nicks’ ending their relationship, and “Dreams”, a more subdued and emotional ode to the two songwriters and bandmates’ recent breakup.
“Dreams” shows a vulnerable longing and sadness through both the instrumentals, vocal performance, and most certainly the lyrics, an excellent example being the opening lines “Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom, Well who am I to bring you down.
It’s only right that you should play the way you feel it, but listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness.”
Jump to October 2020, seven months into a global pandemic that rocked its entire population to its core, Lanie Gardner decides to record her own version of Dreams sitting on her bed, in front of a camera and a microphone, in lounge wear.
It’s nothing flashy visually, which lends to its “realness”. The sense that we are in the presence of the singer lingers as we listen to the song, the feeling of the burrier between us and them feeling thinned for the moment.
Lanie casually engages with the viewer through eye contact and gesturing “one moment” to casually take a sip from a half-full bottle of Ocean Spray juice while the song begins. She then seamlessly begins her vocal cover beautifully, evoking the rasp of Stevie Nicks herself.
Many commenters noted this, saying things like “Only took 43 years to find someone who could come close to replicating Stevie Nicks’ voice. Protect this girl at all costs, she is now a national treasure.”
Others told stories of where they’d first heard the song decades before, or why it was such a special song for them in their lives, and the ways Lanie’s version elicited emotional and physical responses in them.
The song itself oozes nostalgia and emotional longing, but Lanie’s raw take on it brings the song down out of the ether and into the listener’s chest.
The cover has garnered 65 million views over the last 5 years. I expect a good portion of those views to be people returning to listen to it over and over, as many people commented on the video.
Lanie’s page features many beautiful covers, ranging from Fleetwood Mac songs to “Passionfruit” by Drake, as well as many excellent originals.