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.
Buddy's Song
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lonesome tears you're gonna cry for me.
And little baby,
You'd better start baby, and leave.
Think it over before you leave,
I got the love, that kind you need.
And little baby,
You'd better start baby and leave.
I'll rave on with the things you say,
You say you're gonna leave but that'll be the day.
Maybe baby, you don't know,
I left Peggy Sue, a long time ago.
She's the girl on my mind,
Everyday through all the time.
And little baby,
You'd better start baby and leave.
I'll rave on with those things you say,
You say you're gonna leave but that'll be the day.
Maybe baby, you don't know,
I left Peggy Sue, a long time ago.
She's the girl on my mind,
Everyday through all the time.
And little baby,
You'd better start baby and leave.
And little baby,
You'd better start baby and leave.
"Buddy's Song" is a song by Fleetwood Mac that tells a tale of a man who is warning his lover, "little baby", to leave before it's too late. He describes his current situation as "blue blue days and long black nights" and foresees the heartbreak that his partner is going to experience when they leave him. He vows to "rave on" with the things she says but makes it clear that they need to leave before it's too late. He goes on to reference Peggy Sue, a former lover he left behind some time ago, who still occupies his mind every day. He implies that he fears that his current lover will meet the same fate if she stays with him.
The song is a warning to a lover to get out of a relationship while they still can. The singer has been through this scenario before, leaving behind someone he loved, and knows that the pain of the breakup will continue to linger on for some time. He urges his current partner to take heed and think about things before it's too late. The song highlights the common fear that people have of being alone and the lengths they'll go to avoid it, even if it means staying in a toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue blue days, and long black nights,
Life is hard and depressing without you around, and it feels like it's been forever since you've been gone.
Lonesome tears you're gonna cry for me.
You'll realize how much you need me and how much I meant to you. You'll eventually cry because you made a mistake leaving me.
And little baby,
Referring to the person they are singing to, who may be a lover or a friend.
You'd better start baby, and leave.
Maybe it's best if you just leave and I'll move on without you.
Think it over before you leave,
Make sure you are making the right decision before you leave me. Consider the consequences of your actions.
I got the love, that kind you need.
I have the love that is perfect for you and it will make you happy. Stay with me and we can make it work.
I'll rave on with the things you say,
I'll replay the conversations we had together when you were still around, reminiscing on the good times before you left me.
You say you're gonna leave but that'll be the day.
You keep talking about leaving, but I don't believe it. You'll realize how much you need me and decide to stay.
Maybe baby, you don't know,
You might not understand the gravity of your decision to leave me. You'll regret it once it's too late.
I left Peggy Sue, a long time ago.
I had to let go of a past relationship, just as you're doing now. It's hard, but it's for the best.
She's the girl on my mind,
Even though I've moved on from Peggy Sue, she still occupies some space in my head that I can't shake off.
Everyday through all the time.
She's always there, lurking in the background, but it's not going to affect my current relationship/ situation.
And little baby,
The singer is trying to emphasize the point of the song with the repetition of these words.
You'd better start baby and leave.
Again asking the person to leave if they're not going to stay and show the love that they should.
And little baby,
Once more repeating the phrase for emphasis.
You'd better start baby and leave.
It's time to let go and for them to leave for good, even if it's painful.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BUDDY HOLLY
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?