“The Mac” is back! Just as Bill Clinton got Fleetwood Mac to reunite for his 1993 Inauguration Ball and reintroduced the band’s music to millions of new listeners, now it’s TikTok’s turn. The new Fleetwood Mac TikTok trend features their 1977 hit song “Dreams,” and with more than 160 million hashtag views, it’s become the hot hit for fans of all ages.
UPDATED 10/04/2020
Mick Fleetwood has done his own version of the TikTok trend. Get the full story here, then scroll to the bottom to link to his version of the video.
How It Started
The question of how the Fleetwood Mac TikTok trend started and how it became so popular are actually two different things. Many assume it has to do with Nathan Apodaca, the skateboarding dad who goes by @420doggface208 and can be seen swigging Ocean Spray cranberry juice while riding a skateboard and casually lip-synching the song.
Since launching, the clip has gained more than 16.8 million views and the admiration of internet users everywhere — including the band itself. The official Fleetwood Mac Twitter account shared the clip with the message, “We love this!”
We love this! https://t.co/LgMGOGZIer
— Fleetwood Mac (@fleetwoodmac) September 26, 2020
While Apodaca popularized the trend, social media users claim it really emerged thanks to Kermit the Frog back in March. Just as the coronavirus-related quarantines were starting, people began posting this meme featuring The Muppet Show star moving to the soothing sounds of Stevie Nicks’ voice.
To be fair, Kermit is older than he looks and was starring on TV when Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” became a hit. But the song is connecting with younger fans as well. TikTok user and dancer @leegumbs gathered his besties to show everyone you can do some amazing moves to this classic tune.
He captioned it, “when someone says you cant dance to fleetwood mac,” which is a nod to an even earlier viral video mentioned below. So far, the video has more than 5.7M views.
@leegumbs Round 2 lol ##fleetwoodmac ##dreams ##stand ##dance ##smallgroup ##boysdance
♬ Dreams (2018 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
Other TikTokers show how the song can bring different generations together. In this case, we have @laniespace, a queer arts major bonding with her conservative Republican father. At least that’s her side of the story.
@laniespace Family bonding is important in these trying times ##fleetwoodmac ##lgbt ##wlw ##coronavirus ##covid19 ##fyp
♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
This is sweet, considering the song was written for a breakup.
About Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”
During the creation of the Rumours album, the members of Fleetwood Mac were all breaking up. Mick Fleetwood was going through a divorce, while Christine McVie was separating from her husband and fellow bandmate, John McVie. Meanwhile, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were ending their eight-year relationship, and “Dreams” was her song calling him out.
So, basically, the entire album is the band fighting with one another, and “Dreams” became a huge hit, landing at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977. TikTok user @jmvaldes94 was aware of this story, and did a tribute to it in her trend video.
@jmvaldes94 i’m sure this has already been done but I will never get over how beautifully petty this entire band was ##fleetwoodmac
♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
Billboard notes that the clip’s popularity will certainly result in major boosts for the long-adored classic. As of this writing, it’s #24 on Spotify’s Top 200 list of streamed songs.
That boost in popularity happened once before. Back in 2018, a person took footage of The Golden Girls, an all-female dance squad at Alcorn State University, and laid “Dreams” over the footage. The caption? “When someone says you can’t dance to Fleetwood Mac.”
That video went viral, and the song made it to #14 on the Hot Rock Songs chart after a new video went viral. Learn about it out below, and see how Mick Fleetwood himself has now recorded one of these videos.
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WATCH: Lindsey Buckingham Joins Fleetwood Mac TikTok ‘Dreams’ Challenge.
