Primarily a British blues band, Fleetwood Mac scored a UK number one with "Albatross", and had other hits such as the singles "Oh Well" and "Man of the World". All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, to be replaced by guitarists Bob Welch and Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker. By 1974, all three of them had either departed or been dismissed, leaving the band without a male lead vocalist or guitarist. In late 1974, while Fleetwood was scouting studios in Los Angeles, he was introduced to American folk-rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac soon asked Buckingham to be their new lead guitarist, and Buckingham agreed on condition that Nicks would also join the band.
The addition of Buckingham and Nicks gave the band a more pop rock sound, and their 1975 self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac, reached No. 1 in the United States. Rumours (1977), Fleetwood Mac's second album after the arrival of Buckingham and Nicks, produced four U.S. Top 10 singles and remained at number one on the American albums chart for 31 weeks. It also reached the top spot in various countries around the world and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978. Rumours has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums in history. The band went through personal turmoil while recording the album, as both the romantic partnerships in the band (one being John and Christine McVie, and the other being Buckingham and Nicks) separated while continuing to make music together.
The band's personnel remained stable through three more studio albums, but by the late 1980s began to disintegrate. After Buckingham and Nicks each left the band, they were replaced by a number of other guitarists and vocalists. A 1993 one-off performance for the first inauguration of Bill Clinton featured the lineup of Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham back together for the first time in six years. A full reunion occurred four years later, and the group released their fourth U.S. No. 1 album, The Dance (1997), a live compilation of their hits, also marking the 20th anniversary of Rumours. Christine McVie left the band in 1998, but continued to work with the band in a session capacity. Meanwhile, the group remained together as a four-piece, releasing their most recent studio album, Say You Will, in 2003. Christine McVie rejoined the band full-time in 2014. In 2018, Buckingham was fired from the band and was replaced by Mike Campbell, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House.
Fleetwood Mac has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands. In 1979, the group was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1998 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Danny Kirwan, guitarist, songwriter and early member of Fleetwood Mac (1968–1972) died in London, England, on 8 June 2018, aged 68. An obituary in The New York Times said he had died in his sleep after contracting pneumonia earlier in the year. The British music magazine Mojo quoted Christine McVie as saying: "Danny Kirwan was the white English blues guy. Nobody else could play like him. He was a one-off ... Danny and Peter [Green] gelled so well together. Danny had a very precise, piercing vibrato – a unique sound ... He was a perfectionist; a fantastic musician and a fantastic writer." One of Kirwan's songs, "Tell Me All the Things You Do" from the 1970 album Kiln House, was included in the set of the 2018–19 An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.
On 28 May 2020 Neil Finn, featuring Nicks and McVie, with Campbell on guitar, released the song “Find Your Way Back Home” for the Auckland, New Zealand homeless shelter Auckland City Mission.
Founding member Peter Green died on 25 July 2020 at the age of 73. In October 2020, Rumours again entered the Billboard top 10. The album received 30.6 million plays on streaming platforms the week of October 15, after a TikTok video of the song "Dreams" went viral.
On 30 November 2022, it was announced that band member Christine McVie died at the age of 79, after a short illness.
Angel
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The most innocent things
And many of those dreams, pass us by
Keep passing me by
You feel good
I said it's funny that you understood
I knew you would
You were very, very good
So I close my eyes softly
Till I become that part of the wind
That we all long for sometime, yeah
And to those that I love, like a ghost through a fog
Like a charmed hour and a haunted song
And the angel of my dreams
Angel of my dreams
You said, you feel good
I said it's funny that you understood
I knew you would
When you were good, baby
Ooh you were very good
I still look up
When you walk in the room
I've the same wide eyes
Now they tell the story
I try not to reach out (ooh)
When you turn 'round you say hello
And we both pretend
No great pretender
So I close my eyes softly
Till I become that part of the wind
That we all long for sometime, yeah
And to those that I love, like a ghost through a fog
Like a charmed hour and a haunted song
And the angel, angel of my dreams
Angel of my dreams
I still look up, yeah (ooh)
I try hard not to look up, yeah (ooh)
That girl was me, yeah-yeah-yeah yeah (ooh)
Track a ghost through the fog, yeah (ooh)
A charmed hour and a haunted song, yeah (ooh)
Go track a ghost through the fog baby, yeah (ooh)
Go track a ghost through the fog baby (ooh)
Ooh, you try hard
But you'll never catch me, yeah
Ooh, that girl was me
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song Angel describe the bittersweet feeling of reminiscing about a past love. The song acknowledges that some of the most beautiful and innocent things in life often go unnoticed or unappreciated, and that chasing our dreams can often lead to missed opportunities. The singer describes closing their eyes until they become "that part of the wind that we all long for sometime," drifting through memories of a lost love like a ghost through a fog.
The song also alludes to the idea that the love in question was not entirely healthy or sustainable, with lines like "When you were good / You were very, very good" and "I try not to reach out / When you turn 'round you say hello / And we both pretend / No great pretender." Despite this, the singer still feels a strong connection to the person in question, with the haunting refrain of "And the angel, angel of my dreams / Angel of my dreams."
Overall, the lyrics to Angel are a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of love, the beauty of the past, and the difficulty of letting go.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes, the most beautiful things
Occasionally what is the most beautiful or attractive is missed and not obtained in life.
The most innocent things
The purest and genuine things.
And many of those dreams, pass us by
Most of our hopes, dreams, and goals fall short in life.
Keep passing me by
Passing, going unnoticed.
You feel good
You exude a sense of elation or euphoria.
I said it's funny that you understood
It's amusing that you comprehend or grasped what I meant.
I knew you would
I had faith that you would be capable of it.
When you were good
When you were performing appropriately or well.
You were very, very good
When you excelled, you did so incredibly well.
So I close my eyes softly
I softly shut my eyes, calmly and peacefully.
Till I become that part of the wind
I become one with the air, blending in with it.
That we all long for sometime, yeah
We yearn for that feeling too at times.
And to those that I love, like a ghost through a fog
For the people who I cherish, I am a specter that is challenging to see or comprehend.
Like a charmed hour and a haunted song
Similar to a magical moment and a song that conveys an eerie, unnerving experience.
And the angel of my dreams
My ideal and perfect notion of a person.
I still look up
I still glance upwards.
When you walk in the room
When you enter the space.
I've the same wide eyes
My eyes remain open wide and show disbelief or surprise.
Now they tell the story
My eyes speak of my feelings or thoughts.
I try not to reach out (ooh)
I strive to abstain from attempting to reach towards the person or connection with them.
When you turn 'round you say hello
When you spin or pivot and communicate a greeting.
And we both pretend
We both act like something is correct or true when it is not.
No great pretender
I'm not creating an image of myself that is far from the truth.
That girl was me, yeah-yeah-yeah yeah (ooh)
That female was me.
Track a ghost through the fog, yeah (ooh)
Pursue a spirit through the murky air.
A charmed hour and a haunted song, yeah (ooh)
A fortunate hour and a disconcerting melody.
Go track a ghost through the fog baby, yeah (ooh)
Try seeking the indescribable or elusive.
Go track a ghost through the fog baby (ooh)
Go and hunt for what seems impossible.
Ooh, you try hard
You attempt with great effort.
But you'll never catch me, yeah
But you will never be able to obtain me.
Ooh, that girl was me
Oh, that young lady was myself.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephanie Nicks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chuck Kirkpatrick
I was at this show....the greatest live concert I ever attended. Sparks were flying off Lindsey and Stevie. I screamed so much at this show that I couldn't talk for three days afterwards. And true to the "rumor" I'd heard before, they were the loudest band I ever heard. But it was a clean loud, thanks to Claire Brothers Sound.
Markus Ursin
Wow! That’s Incredible! I hope that Lindsey will soon return to the band. They desperately need his energy and presence on stage, because he is the heart of the band and one of the best guitarist of all time🙏. Fleetwood Mac is ageless and im proof of that as a 17 year old kid in Norway. What an amazing band🥰
Jeremy Veldman
No Lindsey Buckingham = No Fleetwood Mac. Sad, but love the music from this era.
Lisa Cunningham
They settled with him and it was in the tens of millions of dollars. I highly doubt he'll ever return, sadly.
GråZon
Yes. Great great guitar player, singer and arranger. Härligt att höra att ungdomen lyssnar på gammal musik =)
seidemsh seidemsh
One of the best live shows ever! Amazing moment in rock n' roll.
GråZon
Yes, great
Carol Cisotto
Had never heard this before, amazing!!!!
Cerveza Fría
Maybe one of their best shows ever. Strong performance from start to finish. The 5 of them. It was a special day for them, returning to LA in the middle of the high Rumours provided.
RTH RTH
I would give anything to go back in time and be in this crowd