Literary Devices in Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

Debbie Nelsen

Mrs. Lalli

Advanced American Literature

26 Sept. 2017

“Landslide”

Fleetwood Mac was an American-British rock band that formed in 1967. The band moved to California in the mid 70’s. Soon after their move, they recruited Stevie Nicks, her boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham and their soft rock duo. Stevie started writing “Landslide” for Lindsay when they were visiting in Colorado. When she finished it, the band put the song on their album Fleetwood Mac. “Landslide” became very popular for its soft rhythm and the many poetic devices displayed in it.

Lindsey Buckingham’s smooth, soft acoustic guitar created a very unique rhythm for the song. In the second chorus, he used his guitar to accent the high notes on the off-beats. This helped add an upbeat and fast tempo to the rhythm, while keeping the emotional aspect of the song. Towards the end, Stevie repeats the lines “Well maybe the landslide will bring you down, well the landslide will bring you down.” When a natural landslide occurs, it wipes everything out in its path, leaving many obstacles to move. In these lines, Stevie is stating that the struggles in one's life creates obstacles that can bring them down like a landslide.

The name “Landslide” is a symbol for the collapse of Stevie Nicks’ relationship with Lindsey Buckingham when she withdrew herself from love. This is also a metaphor for the emotional obstacles of lost love in Stevie’s life bringing her down. In the fifth line she sings “Can the child in my heart rise above?” This line is metaphor because there is not actually a child in her heart. Instead, Nicks is referring to her innocence and asking if she can stay true to it while remaining with Lindsey. When she sings “Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?” Stevie is wondering if she will be able to navigate the seasons of life smoothly like a sailboat on the water. Changes in life are symbolic to the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tides.

The theme of the song “Landslide” is about growth. Life brings changes as time moves forward. There is growth and change that life certainly brings just as children grow naturally, we change with the seasons that life brings. Stevie is looking deep within her soul and asking herself if she will be able to navigate these changes with ease. The song’s mood brings serenity to the listener. It reflects on the momentum of life, the challenges it brings and the peace that comes from growth.

The poetic devices in” Landslide” are a reflection of the ability to navigate life and the changes time brings. The band Fleetwood Mac went through many personal challenges and changes during their career. They navigated these changes successively, and managed a long career regardless of the