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Shelby Stacy

Mr. Nathan Hellmers

English Composition ll

September 27, 2020

Dreams

The song “Hollywood Dreams” by Post Malone is based off the popular soft rock hit
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac that was released in 1977. “Dreams” was written by Fleetwood
Mac’s lead singer Stevie Nicks. Nicks wrote the song as a polite way to break up with her
boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham. Buckingham was the lead guitarist and one of the vocalists of
the band at the time. “Hollywood Dreams” is found on Post Malone’s August 26th Mixtape.
Malone recreated “Dreams” with lyrics that tell of the party life that he is accustomed to in LA.
Both versions share a similar theme that include a melancholy type vibe; however, Post
Malone’s version appeals to a younger generation with its more explicit content that is much
more playful compared to the seriousness of Fleetwood Mac. The time that these songs were
released plays a big role in their meanings and their audiences.
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac gets the listener in their feelings right away. The fact of the
song being written by the lead singer to breakup with her boyfriend who was the lead guitarist at
the time set the mood for the song. The song begins with “Now here you go again you say you
want your freedom. Well, who am I to keep you down?” She is describing both herself and
Buckingham wanting out of the relationship. The song creates a tone that bounces back and forth
between heartbreak and hope. The lyrics “Like a heartbeat drives you mad in the stillness of
remembering what you had and what you lost” She gets the listener to interpret heartbreak in its
sadness and in acceptance in the lyrics “remembering what you had and what you lost.” The
listener can relate their own heartbreak to this song, but in a more hopeful way. The music video
is a live performance of the band. It creates a dramatic raw effect with Nicks and Buckingham
along with the rest of the band.
The lyrics that overlap between both “Hollywood Dreams” by Post Malone and
“Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac is the chorus; “Thunder only happens when it's rainin'. Players only
love you when they're playin'. Say women, they will come, and they will go. When the rain
washes you clean, you'll know. You'll know.” In Fleetwood Mac’s version, Nicks is referring to
her relationship and knowing when to let it go by the lyrics “when the rain washes you clean,
you’ll know” lyrics. “Women they will come, and they will go” refers to Nicks leaving her
relationship. She created a more hope filled mood to the idea of a breakup. Those lyrics are
repeated a few times throughout the song and the song ends in those lyrics as well. The emotion
in their voices is very raw and it can be felt not only in the end of the song but throughout.
“Hollywood Dreams” by Post Malone, sang almost four decades after “Dreams” by
Fleetwood Mac was released to provide a younger generation with an updated version of a
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classic. It not only payed tribute to the song and the band Fleetwood Mac in its lyrics “I'm
bumping Fleetwood, she tryna turn off my song," it also introduced the classic to the generation
that may not have been aware of the original song. Malone’s version is more of a hip-hop retro
song compared to the soft rock of Fleetwood Mac. The same soft tone of voice is found in both
songs. Malone changes up the lyrics by adding description of how own personal experiences in
life, while his chorus is the same exact as Fleetwood Mac’s.
In Post Malone’s version he creates a much more playful and upbeat sound that
corresponds to his laid-back type lifestyle he describes. He says, “I'm bumping Fleetwood, she
tryna turn off my song, she keep asking where the party at. I got a flask full of vodka in my
passenger seat, my homie got a mansion says that we could crash it for free. We gotta take the
phones because we can't let nobody see. We pop a pill since you ain't have not a thing to eat, oh,
oh, ooh.” These lyrics are much different than the original version because they relate to a totally
different audience. Post Malone is not just a singer, but he is considered in the genre of rap as a
rapper himself. The mentioning of alcohol and popping pills in a mansion relate to a Hollywood
lifestyle like his own. The idea becomes not about heartbreak, but about the “dream” Hollywood
lifestyle of being fun and careless. It fits the title of the song well too.
The music video of Post Malone’s version is from a live concert filmed by an audience
member in Cleveland, Ohio. The first half of the video is “Hollywood Dreams” and towards the
middle he changes to another song, so it is only important to watch the first two minutes and ten
seconds. Malone moves around the stage and his emotion can be seen and heard. He says in the
middle of the song, “Cause I got dreams, don't hold me down, So I'ma let you free, don't wanna
hold you out. I'ma leave when the sun comes” and this showcases the relation of Fleetwood
Mac’s lyrics “Now here you go again you say you want your freedom. Well, who am I to keep
you down?” Both relate to letting someone go, but Malone modernizes it to a more “hip "version
that appeals to a much younger generation.
The biggest difference between the two songs is the way the messages are conveyed of
letting someone go. Post Malone creates a much more upbeat and fun way to convey heartbreak
to a younger audience. Fleetwood Mac relates to a much deeper and actual breakup story.
Besides their differences, both songs use pathos to elicit in their audiences. The emotions that are
heard from the performers give its listeners an opportunity to imagine themselves in that position
and relate it to their own lives.
Although many people enjoy Fleetwood Mac’s version there are also many people that
enjoy Post Malone’s version as well. Post Malone’s version was not released on an album, so it
is not as widely known, but for the lovers of Post Malone it creates a tribute to the old classic
that some may even not know. Adding a more upbeat tune of hip hop to the original soft rock
tune proved to convey themselves to two different audiences and generations in two different
successful ways.
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Works Cited

Mac, Fleetwood. Dreams (Official Music Video). 27 Sept. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Y3ywicffOj4. Accessed, 26 Sept. 2020.
Malone, Post. Hollywood Dreams/Comedown Live Cleveland, Ohio, 7 Oct. 2016,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp9AFigIWRI. Accessed, 26 Sept. 2020.