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Peacekeeper (song)

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"Peacekeeper"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Say You Will
Written2000
ReleasedMarch 10, 2003 (2003-03-10)[1]
Length
  • 4:11 (album version)
  • 4:08 (alternate version)
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Lindsey Buckingham
Producer(s)
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Landslide" (live)
(1998) 		"Peacekeeper"
(2003) 		"Say You Will"
(2003)

"Peacekeeper" is a song by Fleetwood Mac, written by guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, from their 17th studio album, Say You Will (2003). It was the first and most commercially successful single released from the album. Buckingham shared vocals with bandmate Stevie Nicks. As of 2024, "Peacekeeper" was the band's most recent song to debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number 80.[2]

Background

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"Peacekeeper" was written in 2000, three years before the release of Say You Will in a house Buckingham was renting with his wife.[3] An early mix of "Peacekeeper" was included on limited edition CD distributed at the ACLU Bill of Rights Dinner on 14 December 2000.[4]

During the recording process, Buckingham ran some of his vocals through an amplifier with distortion and applied EQ to accentuate the mid-range frequencies and eliminate the low end.[5] Buckingham and Mark Needham mixed the song on a 128-track Pro Tools HD system, which was the only song on Say You Will along with "What's the World Coming To?" that required this device. Needham took sections from Buckingham's "Peacekeeper" demo and combined it with a new version that the band recorded.[6]

When asked about the lyrics for "Peacekeeper", Buckingham explained that the song had little to do with global issues or war, but instead pertained to US propaganda and the idea of working towards peace on a continual basis.[3] In an interview with the Miami Herald, Buckingham characterised "Peacekeeper" as a peace song that explored the interplay between institutions and individuals, including those who are unaffected and unmoved by global crises. "It's about how we are becoming increasingly desensitized to things around the world that are brutal and not standing up for human value."[7]

Release

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In February 2003, a snippet of the song was previewed on NBC's Third Watch.[8] That same month, the song beat out entries by John Mellencamp, the Beastie Boys, and George Michael for Drudge Report's radio poll of the Top New Anti-War Songs.[7] Warner Bros selected the song as Say You Will's first single, describing the song as "walking a line between something quite modern and something quite familiar".[3]

The radio edit differs slightly from the album version by replacing the line "only kill" with "break their will."[3] Some radio stations in Los Angeles played "Peacekeeper" prior to and after news updates on the Iraq War. Buckingham noted that the song was written several years before the Iraq War, but acknowledged the song's salience and recognised that "anything that aspires to be artistic has to have an element of ambiguity to it. There can't be only one interpretation."[9]

Through AOL's First Listen service, which provided subscribers exclusive access to music 48 hours before its official release, the company reported that "Peacekeeper" had been streamed 886,000 times in one day and 1.1 million times in two days.[10] "Peacekeeper" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 93 on 29 March.[11] It registered 1,500 paid downloads on its first week, which vaulted the song to number 11 on the Singles Sales Chart. That same week, it also garnered 10.8 million listener impressions.[12] The following week, it registered 150 paid downloads, which was insufficient for a second week on the Singles Sales Chart.[13] Six weeks later, the song reached its peak position of number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100. By the time "Peacekeeper" exited the chart, it had tallied 11 consecutive weeks in the top 100.[11] In New Zealand, the single proved to be more successful, reaching number 31 on the RIANZ Singles Chart.[14]

Critical reception

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People magazine described "Peacekeeper" as a "country-tinged antiwar track" that was "eerily prescient".[15] The Los Angeles Times compared the "wheezily rollicking single" to "Dreams" and "Go Your Own Way".[16] Rolling Stone wrote that songs like "Peacekeeper" "prove that Mac's singular vibe – a sunny, countrified lope against which urgent breakup lyrics blaze - has always been [Buckingham's] doing".[17] Chuck Taylor of Billboard labelled the song as "vintage-quality Mac, familiar in its style and structure, and yet fresh and spirited enough to maintain appeal after countless spins." He also predicted that the song would perform well on all radio formats, particularly adult contemporary radio stations.[18]

Other appearances

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"Peacekeeper" appeared on both setlists for Fleetwood Mac's 2003–2004 Say You Will Tour.[19] The song was also included on the DVD version of Live in Boston, which was recorded over the course of two nights in September 2003.[20] A different live recording of "Peacekeeper" was included on the limited deluxe edition of Say You Will, which included a total of four bonus tracks. "Peacekeeper" would later make it onto all editions of 50 Years – Don't Stop in 2018.[21] "Peacekeeper" was one of the songs performed on Sound Stage Presents – Lindsey Buckingham with Special Guest Stevie Nicks, which aired in 2005 on PBS.[22]

Track listing

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Reprise CD single PR03903 (Warner)[14]

  1. "Peacekeeper" (single remix) – 4:11
  2. "Peacekeeper" (single edit) – 3:42

Personnel

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Charts

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1494. 7 March 2003. p. 50.
  2. ^ "CHART BEAT BONUS". Billboard. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "Peacekeeper". Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Lindsey's Unreleased 90s Album Info Page". Still Going Insane - A Lindsey Buckingham Resource. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Lindsey Buckingham - Radio Interview - Live on Mix 102.9 in Dallas, TX". Fleetwood Mac UK. May 2003. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. ^ Jackson, Blair. "Fleetwood Mac Is Back! - Lindsey Buckingham Question & Answer Session". Fleetwood Mac UK. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b Cohen, Howard (24 March 2003). "Number One With A Bullet?". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2 February 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Links With NBC". Billboard. 12 March 2003. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  9. ^ Graff, Gary (18 April 2003). "Forgetful Yorn puts focus on new direction, second CD". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on 29 April 2003. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  10. ^ Rosenblum, Trudi M. (21 June 2003). "Look, Listen & Play: AOL Plugs Content at Retail". Billboard. p. 41. Retrieved 2 December 2024 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ a b c "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  12. ^ Pletroluongo, Silvio; Patel, Minal; Jessen, Wade (29 March 2003). "Singles Minded". Billboard. p. 55. Retrieved 31 October 2024 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Pletroluongo, Silvio; Patel, Minal; Jessen, Wade (5 April 2003). "Singles Minded". Billboard. p. 55. Retrieved 2 December 2024 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ a b c "Fleetwood Mac – Peacekeeper". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Say You Will". People. 21 April 2003. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  16. ^ Nichols, Natalie (9 April 2003). "That '70s sound: It's back". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  17. ^ Berger, Arion (1 May 2003). "Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 January 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  18. ^ Taylor, Chuck (29 March 2003). "Reviews and Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 32. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  19. ^ "The Say You Will Tour". Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
  20. ^ Jurec, Thom. "Live in Boston [Video] - Fleetwood Mac". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Fleetwood Mac 50 Years – Don't Stop CD & LP Collections Available November 16". Rhino. Rhino Entertainment. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  22. ^ "Soundstage Lindsey Buckingham". PBS. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  23. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Peacekeeper" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  26. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History: Heritage Rock". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  28. ^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played AC Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. 19 December 2003. p. 25.
  29. ^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. 19 December 2003. p. 22.
  30. ^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. 19 December 2003. p. 47.
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