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.
Beautiful Child
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beautiful child
You are a beautiful child
And I am a fool once more
You fell in love when I was only ten
The years disappeared
Much has gone by since then
You touch, I have no choice (ooh, ooh)
I have to stay (ooh)
Ooh, I had to stay
Ooh, I had to stay
Sleepless child
There is so little time
Your eyes say yes
But you don't say yes
Well I wish that you were mine
I wish that you were mine
You say it will be harder in the morning
I wait for you to say, just go
Your hands held mine so few hours
(I fell into love) But I'm not a child anymore
I'm not a child anymore
I'm tall enough to reach for the stars
I'm old enough to love you from afar
Too trusting? Yes
But then women usually are
I'm not a child anymore
I'm not a child, oh no (I'm tall enough to reach for the stars)
I will do as I'm told (I'm old enough to love you from afar)
Even if I never hold you again (too trusting? Yes, but then women usually are)
Hold you again (hold you again)
Sleepless child
There is so little time (I will do as I am told)
Your eyes say yes, but you don't say yes
(Even if I never hold you again)
I wish that you were mine (hold you again)
I wish that you were mine (even if I never hold you again)
Well I wish that you were mine (hold you again)
Well I wish that you were mine
(I'm not a child anymore)
The song "Beautiful Child" by Fleetwood Mac is a poignant and emotional ballad about unrequited love, longing, and the passage of time. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, as Stevie Nicks sings about a person who is beautiful but unattainable, and how the singer is a "fool once more." The second verse reveals that the object of the singer's affection fell in love with her when she was only ten years old, and while much time has passed, the feelings remain strong. The chorus speaks of a "sleepless child" and the urgency of time, with the singer wishing that the object of their affection could be theirs.
The bridge of the song changes the tone somewhat, as the singer declares that she is "not a child anymore," and able to reach for the stars and love from afar. The final verse speaks to the trust and vulnerability that women often face in relationships, and the singer's willingness to do as she is told even if she can never hold the object of her affection again. The song closes with a repetition of the chorus and the singer expressing her wish that the other person could be hers.
Overall, "Beautiful Child" is a haunting and beautiful song that explores themes of time, longing, and the difficulties of unrequited love. The lyrics are emotive and evocative, and the melody is memorable and reflective.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful child
Addressing the person this song is about as a beautiful child
Beautiful child
Repeating the address as a way to draw attention to how beautiful they are
You are a beautiful child
Affirming the beauty of the person this song is directed towards
And I am a fool once more
Acknowledging the foolishness of falling in love with this person yet again
You fell in love when I was only ten
Referencing the history of their relationship, which began when the singer was just ten years old
The years disappeared
Alluding to the passage of time since the singer first fell in love with this person
Much has gone by since then
Further emphasizing the amount of time that has passed since they first fell in love
I bite my lip, can you send me away?
Expressing a desire to leave, but struggling with the temptation to stay
You touch, I have no choice (ooh, ooh)
Describing the way that physical touch from this person makes it hard to resist staying
I have to stay (ooh)
Yielding to the temptation to stay despite the internal struggle
Ooh, I had to stay
Reiterating the previous line for emphasis
Sleepless child
Calling the person this song is about a 'sleepless child' (possibly due to youth or restlessness)
There is so little time
Highlighting the brevity of the moment or the relationship
Your eyes say yes
Reading the person's body language and intuition that they want to stay
But you don't say yes
Contradicting the prior observation that the person's eyes indicate a desire to stay, implying that they are scared or hesitant to commit
Well I wish that you were mine
Expressing a desire for this person to belong to the singer
You say it will be harder in the morning
Referencing the person's fear of the future and what will happen if they stay
I wait for you to say, just go
Describing the singer's desire for a clear answer or resolution
Your hands held mine so few hours
Reminiscing on a fleeting moment of physical intimacy with this person
(I fell into love) But I'm not a child anymore
Reflecting on how the experience of falling in love with this person was previously a childlike experience, but the singer has matured
I'm not a child anymore
Reiterating the prior sentiment for emphasis
I'm tall enough to reach for the stars
Claiming that the singer has the ability to accomplish great things and pursue their dreams
I'm old enough to love you from afar
Acknowledging that, although the singer may not be able to fully pursue this relationship, they are capable of still loving this person
Too trusting? Yes
Admitting that the singer may be too trusting or naively hopeful in this relationship
But then women usually are
Suggesting that women are often more trusting or naïve when it comes to love or relationships
I will do as I'm told
Resigning oneself to follow others' directions or advice, potentially in regards to letting go of this relationship
Even if I never hold you again
Accepting the potential loss of physical intimacy with this person
Hold you again (hold you again)
Reiterating the desire to hold this person once more
Well I wish that you were mine
Reiterating the desire for this person to belong to the singer
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Stevie Nicks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Henri Hudson
on Tusk
Why don't you ask him if he's going to stay?
Why don't you ask him if he's going away?