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.
Destiny Rules
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe we are together in a parallel universe
Maybe our paths are not supposed to cross twice
Maybe your arms are not supposed to go around me
I hear about you now and then
I wonder where you are and how you feel
Sometimes I walk by and I look up to your balcony
Just to make sure that I can still feel you
When I see you again,
As I always do
It appears to me that
Destiny rules
And the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together,
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
Six weeks in a foreign country, how the time flew
I didn't speak the language, but somehow I knew
That that would be the only time that we could be alone and foolish
We said we'd never come home
When I see you again,
As I always do
It appears to me that
Destiny rules
And the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together,
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
I like the coastal cities, I like the lights
I like the way the city blends into the ocean at night
It's like living on a working river; the coastline is glittering
Like a diamond snake in a black sky
When I see you again,
As I always do
It appears to me that
Destiny rules
And the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together,
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
Just following the rules, no one's a fool
Just following the rules, no one's a fool
Just following the rules, no one's a fool
No one's a fool
In Fleetwood Mac’s song Destiny Rules, Stevie Nicks sings about the possibility of love that may have existed in a past life or another universe, but due to destiny, their paths are not meant to cross in this present life. She wonders about the person she was once close to and how they’re doing, and at times even checks by their balcony to ensure that they were real and that their relationship was not just a figment of her imagination.
The chorus suggests that destiny is in control of their lives and the spirits are ruthless in the paths they choose. Stevie acknowledges that although they may be following the rules and not be together, it doesn't mean that they're foolish. The second verse recounts a specific memory of being in a foreign country together and agreeing that they would never come home. The final verse paints a picture of the beauty of coastal cities, but the underlying message remains the same - that despite the potential for love, destiny still rules.
Overall, Destiny Rules is a poignant reflection on an unfulfilled relationship that seems forever out of reach. It speaks to the hope of love that transcends time and space, but ultimately accepts fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe we were together in another life
The possibility exists that we had a past life together.
Maybe we are together in a parallel universe
Perhaps in a different dimension, we are together.
Maybe our paths are not supposed to cross twice
It could be that our meeting was a one-time experience.
Maybe your arms are not supposed to go around me
It's possible that we are not meant to be together.
I hear about you now and then
I receive news about you occasionally.
I wonder where you are and how you feel
I am curious about your current whereabouts and emotional state.
Sometimes I walk by and I look up to your balcony
Occasionally, I pass by your residence and gaze up to your balcony.
Just to make sure that you were real
I want to confirm the reality of our past interactions.
Just to make sure that I can still feel you
I want to make sure that I can still experience certain emotions related to you.
When I see you again,
The next time I encounter you,
As I always do
Which seems to occur frequently
It appears to me that
My observation leads me to believe that
Destiny rules
Fate plays a role in our lives.
And the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
The universe has a way of dictating our paths, even if it may seem harsh.
It's not being together,
Our relationship is not about together-ness.
It's just following the rules
It's about following the path that has been set out for us.
No one's a fool
We are not foolish for accepting that our relationship may not be traditionally romantic.
Six weeks in a foreign country, how the time flew
We spent a brief but impactful time in a foreign place.
I didn't speak the language, but somehow I knew
Despite the language barrier, I still felt connected to you.
That that would be the only time that we could be alone and foolish
Our time in that foreign country was the only opportunity for us to fully let go and be spontaneous.
We said we'd never come home
We pledged to never return to our normal lives and responsibilities.
I like the coastal cities, I like the lights
I am drawn to urban coastal environments.
I like the way the city blends into the ocean at night
I find the image of a city and ocean merging under the night sky appealing.
It's like living on a working river; the coastline is glittering
Living in a city by the water is like living on a riverbank that's constantly alive and scenic.
Like a diamond snake in a black sky
The combination of the city lights and ocean creates a striking visual.
Just following the rules, no one's a fool
We are not foolish for accepting that our relationship may not be traditionally romantic and following the path that has been set out for us.
Just following the rules, no one's a fool
We are not foolish for accepting that our relationship may not be traditionally romantic and following the path that has been set out for us.
Just following the rules, no one's a fool
We are not foolish for accepting that our relationship may not be traditionally romantic and following the path that has been set out for us.
No one's a fool
We are not foolish for accepting that our relationship may not be traditionally romantic.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: NICKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve Gibb
@Alicia Carrillo
Hey, listen to the whole song - particularly I who went to sleep as two, woke up as one now - only you remain.
And also, I will be with you one day.
It’s documented that this is what the songs was about - it can be interpreted 2 ways - either it refers to a lost love (I know how this feels) or the loss of a baby.
So, it’s one of these songs which has a double meaning - like for example everything I own by bread - written by David Gates about his fathers death but to the listener it is a love song.
I’m a life long FM fan, and totally believe that Goodbye Baby aka The Tower is about a child - but in saying that it would be a case of when it was written and only Stevie will truly know the answer to that.
irishgrl
Lindsey walking Stevie to the stage to help steady her & calm her nerves. He’s done that for her since the beginning. Nice way to end the documentary. ❤
Skyline Runner
Imagine if they'd included footage of when he kept kicking her onstage with his cowboy boots, or deliberately played the wrong notes to throw her off her solo moments. He would also follow her around onstage with a scarf around his head, a cruel mimic borne from his jealousy of how much press coverage she was getting. Christine McVie slapped him across the face after one show, yelling 'don't you ever do that to this band again, or to Stevie'.
Stannis
@Skyline Runner - That was in the past way in the past. Here's a news flash Stevie was no saint either. Without Lindsey's contributions, the early success of Fleetwood Mac (White album '75, Rumours '77, Tusk '79, Mirage '82, and Tango in the Night '87) would cease to exist. In fact, it's highly doubtful that Stevie would have remained in the music business without Lindsey. If Lindsey would have not agreed to join FM, Stevie was going to give up on the music business and return to college. Lindsey was the catalyst to FM's success.
Skyline Runner
@Stannis I'm well aware of how much the band owes Buckingham for their resurgance. He was the creative engine behind their highest successes, and their current status as a global supergroup is largely down to him. I don't dispute any of that and I think it was a gutless move for them to fire him at this late stage in their lives, especially as they originally only wanted him, and it was at his insistence that Nicks be allowed to join as well. I don't know how Buckingham can even sleep at night for just how unfair it was for them to ditch him now.
I was simply repsonding the many comments that gushed and glowed about the man, who, like all of us, was imprefect and could be a right royal bastard at times.
Shawn A.
One thing I have come to realize about Lindsey Buckingham is that he is a very deep thinker and quite articulate and that he is able to diplomatically discuss deep issues with a sense of eloquence. Stevie is gifted in her own way -more of a poet than a deep thinker.. together they are all magic!
Dennis Cassley
Agreed...although, someone who disagrees with him could say that Lindsey is articulate & eloquent, and USES that verbal alacrity to impose his will; manipulate situations, etc. Fascinating collection of people, that band!!
TundraWoman Says
Dennis Cassley Well...OTOH none of them are children or hostages. They all have adult agency they can-and do-exercise at their discretion. They’re all autonomous human beings with their own ideas, styles of disagreeing etc. It’s just not realistic to put a group of people together all of whom are creative, passionate and incredibly talented and not have some fireworks, Yk?! In fact, their “disagreements” have provided tons of material that has informed their music for decades ;-)
MerkinMuffly
He's easily the most creative one, but he's playing to the cameras here, he's a huge control freak, asshole, but some of the others in the group aren't that much better. They still made great music.
Richard Ernsberger
@MerkinMuffly He's not an a$$hole--absurd comment. Somebody has to creatively lead a band, and there are a 1001 things that go into creating/producing a quality collections of 12/18 songs, not to mention all the business/financial complications that go into organizing a tour and planning ahead. It's enormously challenging and stressful and there are always going to be conflicts big and small among band members. It goes with the territory.
Full Circle
@TundraWoman Says Yes many artists wrote and sung about their moments in life to fight their heart-felt emotions. Give them a break Dennis the psychiatrist not.