Single Stories: Christine McVie, GOT A HOLD ON ME

By the mid-1980s, Christine McVie was ready to just take it easy. Fleetwood Mac's most recent album, Mirage (1982) was chart-topping smash, followed by an equally successful tour. In the time leading up to its followup, Tango in the Night (1987), McVie corralled a few friends and crafted her second solo album.

"Maybe it isn't the most adventurous album in the world, but I wanted to be honest and please my own ears with it," is how McVie explained the eponymous Christine McVie to Rolling Stone back in 1984. "I tend to like the traditional sound: three-part harmonies, guitar and piano. I mean, a well-played guitar is a joy forever... or something."

Christine McVie debuted the album's lead single, "Got a Hold on Me," in January 1984. The melodic and uptempo tune played like a classic Fleetwood Mac single, right down to the layered vocal harmonies and an appearance by special guest guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham, who plays on the track. The song was a hit at radio, and a striking black and white video that was in heavy rotation on MTV's more adult-leaning sister channel, VH1.

"Got a Hold on Me" went on to peak at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 over the week of March 24, 1984. The #1 song in America that week: Van Halen's "Jump." The track did even better on the Adult Contemporary chart, hitting the top spot on March 9, 1984, and holding onto the top slot for an entire month.