"Peacekeeper"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Say You Will
ReleasedMarch 2003
Recorded2000-2003
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:11 (Album Version)
4:08 (Alternate Version)
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Lindsey Buckingham
Producer(s)Lindsey Buckingham and John Shanks
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 the 2003 album Say You Will. It was the first and most commercially successful single released from the album. Buckingham shares vocals with bandmate Stevie Nicks.

This was also the band's 25th, and most recent song to debut in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[1] This was also Buckingham's first US hit since "Family Man", which peaked at #90 in 1988.

Background

"Peacekeeper" was written in 2000 three years before the release of Say You Will in a house Buckingham was renting with his wife. 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".[2]

During the recording process, Buckingham ran some of his vocals through an amplifier with distortion and applied EQ to cut off some of the high end and accentuate the mid range frequencies.[3] Buckingham and Mark Needham mixed the song on a 128-track Pro Tools HD system; it was one of only two songs 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.[4]

Prior to its release as a single, "Peacekeeper" also 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.[5] Several radio stations in Los Angeles played the song before 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 recognized that "anything that aspires to be artistic has to have an element of ambiguity to it. There can't be only one interpretation."[6]

"Peacekeeper" entered the US charts at #93 on 29 March. Seven weeks later, the song reached its peak position of #80. By the time "Peacekeeper" exited the charts, it had tallied eleven consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.[7] In New Zealand, the single proved to be more successful, eventually reaching #31 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.[8] On the other hand, it failed to chart in the UK.

Lyrics

The radio edit differs slightly from the album version. The radio edit replaces the line "only kill" with "break their will."[2] The latter lyrics are used during live performances.

When asked about the lyrics for "Peacekeeper", Buckingham explained that the song had little to do with global issues or war, but rather aimed to close in on US propaganda while also exploring the idea of working towards peace on a continual basis.[2] In an interview with Miami Herald, Buckingham characterized "Peacekeeper" as a peace song that spoke of people who are unaffected and unmoved by turmoil and disasters around the world. "...It's about how we are becoming increasingly desensitized to things around the world that are brutal and not standing up for human value..."[5]

Other appearances

"Peacekeeper" appeared on both setlists for the Say You Will Tour.[9] The song was also included on their live album Live in Boston. 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.[10]

"Peacekeeper" was one of the songs performed on Sound Stage Presents – Lindsey Buckingham with Special Guest Stevie Nicks. The concert aired in 2005 on PBS.[11]

Track listing

Reprise CD single PR03903 (Warner)[12]
  1. "Peacekeeper" (Single Remix) – 4:11
  2. "Peacekeeper" (Single Edit) – 3:42

Personnel

Chart positions

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Dutch Singles Chart[12] 100
New Zealand Singles Chart[12] 31
U.S. Triple A Songs[13] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14] 10
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[15] 16
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 80
US Heritage Rock Chart (Billboard)[17] 20

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CHART BEAT BONUS". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Peacekeeper". Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. 1 2 Cohen, Howard (March 24, 2003). "Number One With A Bullet?". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on February 2, 2004. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart History". Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  8. ↑ "charts.org.nz - Fleetwood Mac - Peacekeeper". charts.nz. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Say You Will Tour". Archived from the original on March 21, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac 50 Years – Don't Stop CD & LP Collections Available November 16". Rhino. Rhino Entertainment. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Soundstage Lindsey Buckingham". PBS. Archived from the original on 2015-03-11. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 "dutchcharts.nl - Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac in Dutch Charts". dutchcharts.nl. November 9, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History: Triple A Songs". Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History: Heritage Rock". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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