“The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac is originally on one of my all-time Favorite Albums, Rumours. It is one of my Favorite Fleetwood Mac Songs, as well. The newly released Demos from Rumours are such a delight to discover and listen to. The Demo to “The Chain” may be my pick of the bunch that I’m enjoying the most. Maybe its because it sounds so different than the original. It is so different that I feel it tells a separate story to the original, or perhaps a continuation of the story.

“The Chain” (Demo) by Fleetwood Mac
from the Album, Rumours (Super Deluxe)

Stevie’s voice with a single acoustic guitar is just stunning. She sounds incredible. The Song becomes something else altogether that I may now prefer to the released version.

A little research finds that the different lyrics in this demo version became other songs, including Christine’s penned “Butter Cookie (Keep Me There)”. (from Society of Rock)

“Slipped into the fountains of my emptiness,
I let tear-drops fall,
I let ’em go.
Stepped into the canyons of my loneliness,
and I went about as far as I could go.”

How do you think this demo version of “The Chain” compares to the Album released version? Here’s a refresh of the one previously released on Rumours, in 1977.

“The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac
from the Album, Rumours (1977)

Listening to them back-to-back I really can’t decide. Oh my stars, the recorded Album version is so good, too, with both Nicks and Buckingham’s vocals, and the guitar, and the Rock/Pop sensibilities. It feels bigger.

That said, though, the vulnerability and quiet bittersweet nature of the demo is pretty great, too. In many ways, they are two very separate Songs.

I guess I’d have to say I’m glad they both exist for my ears to take in.