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.
Blues With a Feeling
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's all I've got today
Blues with a feeling
That's all I've got today
I'm gonna find my baby
If it takes me all night and day
What a lonesome feeling
What a lonesome feeling
When you're sad and blue
When the one you love
Has run off with somebody new
What a lonesome feeling
When you're sad and blue
What a lonesome feeling
When you're sad and blue
When the one you love
Has run off with somebody new
The lyrics of the song Blues With a Feeling by Fleetwood Mac depicts the feeling of loneliness and sadness that one experiences after their significant other leaves them. The title of the song is a reference to the blues genre which has always been associated with melancholy emotions, and the lyrics of the song also capture this emotion. The repeated line, "Blues with a feeling, that's all I've got today" emphasizes the weight of the emotions that the person is feeling, and how it is all-consuming.
The song also talks about the determination to find the person who has left. The line "I'm gonna find my baby, if it takes me all night and day" shows the commitment and love that the person has for their significant other. It is this feeling that inspires the person to keep going and not give up, despite the sadness that they are feeling.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt expression of the emotions that one goes through when they experience heartbreak. It is a reminder that although it may be difficult, it is possible to move on and find happiness again in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Blues with a feeling
I am incredibly sad today and feeling the blues deeply.
That's all I've got today
I can barely function because my sadness is consuming me.
Blues with a feeling
Even though I'm feeling low, I am determined to find my partner.
That's all I've got today
I am so heartbroken that this is the only thing I can focus on right now.
What a lonesome feeling
Being sad and alone is the worst feeling in the world.
When you're sad and blue
Feeling hopeless and depressed makes everything seem impossible.
What a lonesome feeling
My sadness is crushing me and I can't shake it off.
When you're sad and blue
My heart feels so broken, it's hard to see beyond the pain.
When the one you love
The person who I care about and depend on the most has hurt me deeply.
Has run off with somebody new
They have chosen someone else over me and it feels like the end of the world.
Contributed by Dominic C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
monya7
Danny's voice really strong here.
What a shooting star he was...
Glen Montague
if you love the blues then this is a must, i cant tell you how much i love this tune,such enormous talent especially when you see the rubbish thats put out nowadays
Davidmcfarlaneblues.
RIP Danny Kirwan great blues guitarist with Fleetwood Mac.
RITURAJ SINGH
Nobody comes close to Danny's vibrato!
Chris Dowell
Paul Kossoff was the vibrato master. Even Clapton said so. Just saying!
dasbear10
Hollow on the inside if you dislike this. Mac at their peak.
nikvfr1
What a vibrato! Kirwan was king!
lovBolan fmpetergreen
Breaking heart over mr Kirwan, he’s in heaven with his LORD
Svein Olav Espeland
Well said!
Ville Maunu
Danny Kirwan's guitar playing is great...