Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fl… Read Full Bio ↴Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac was founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the lineup for their self-titled debut album. Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist in 1968. Keyboardist Christine Perfect (later known as Christine McVie), who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married McVie and joined in 1970.

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.

Before the Beginning
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So many nights I lay awake
Can't sleep
I lay here thinkin' 'bout a woman
I used to love
Can't sleep but no good to count sheep
I'll just count the worries
That I've got plenty of

And how many times
Must I be the fool
Before I can make it
Oh make it on home
I've got to find a place to sing my words
Is there nobody listening to my song?

You talk about a life
Been searching for the key
But can't find an answer
To comfort me
I ask myself about love
Can't even find the door
To take me to a place
I've never seen before

But how many times
Must I be the fool
Before I can make it
Oh make it on home

I've got to find a place to sing my words
Is there nobody listening to my song?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song Before the Beginning reflect the complicated emotions involved in love and loss. The singer is unable to sleep and is plagued by thoughts of a woman he used to love. He can't find solace in counting sheep and instead counts his many worries. He questions how many times he must be a fool before he can go home and find peace. The repeated lyrics of "I've got to find a place to sing my words, is there nobody listening to my song?" indicate a sense of desperation and loneliness.

The second verse continues in this theme, with the singer expressing his frustration in trying to find the key to life and love. He asks himself about love, but can't even find the door to a new opportunity. The repeated chorus of "How many times must I be the fool, before I can make it, oh make it on home?" shows a desire to learn from past mistakes and move on, but the struggle to do so.

Overall, Before the Beginning captures the pain and anxiety that often comes with heartbreak and the search for answers. The singer desires to find a place where he can be heard and understood, but is unsure whether such a place exists.

Line by Line Meaning

So many nights I lay awake
I have spent countless sleepless nights

Can't sleep
I am unable to fall asleep

I lay here thinkin' 'bout a woman
I am preoccupied with thoughts of a former lover

I used to love
Someone who was once important to me

Can't sleep but no good to count sheep
Trying to count sheep to sleep isn't working

I'll just count the worries
I will instead focus on my many worries

That I've got plenty of
Which are numerous and burdensome

And how many times
I wonder how many more instances

Must I be the fool
I will appear foolish and make mistakes

Before I can make it
Before I can achieve success

Oh make it on home
In my return to a familiar and comfortable place