Blue Letter is a song written by brothers Richard and Michael Curtis, collectively known as the Curtis Brothers and recorded by Fleetwood Mac for their self-titled 1975 album.
The Curtis Brothers were friends of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks from before they joined the group. Buckingham and Nicks had performed the song as a duo. A recording in this configuration remains unreleased. The choice to include the song on the album was a last minute one.
The song became a staple of the band's live sets even being performed on the Shake the Cage tour in 1987-88 with Billy Burnette on lead vocals. A version with Buckingham can be found on the live recording from the Mirage tour.
The song is the only one on the album not to be written by a band member.
Lyrically, the song appears to document the story of two lovers; one who has elected to leave the relationship, possibly in search of a younger lover, and another who is receiving this information. Despite the song being primarily written by neither Buckingham nor Nicks, there are those who believe that the song partially ties into their often rocky relationship. As early as 1975 (when the song was recorded), they were noted to have been having troubles with their relationship, which ultimately culminated in their breakup years later. Some have noted that this rather vague track may somewhat foreshadow later, more explicit songs dealing with their relationship, such as Go Your Own Way. However, the song's often figurative and indistinct lyrics make it difficult to find any one true meaning.
Personnel[]
Lindsey Buckingham - lead vocal, guitar
Stevie Nicks - backing vocals
Christine McVie - keyboards
John McVie - bass
Mick Fleetwood - drums