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.
Gold Dust Woman
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take your silver spoon
Dig your grave
Heartless challenge
Pick your path and I'll pray
Wake up in the morning
Lousy lovers pick their prey
But they never cry out loud
Cry out
Did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
And is it over now do you know how
Pick up the pieces and go home
Rock on ancient queen
Follow those who pale
In your shadow
Rulers make bad lovers
You better put your kingdom up for sale
Up for sale
Well did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
And is it over now, do you know how
Pickup the pieces and go home
Well did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
And now tell me
Is it over now, do you know how
Pickup the pieces and go home
Go home
Go home
Pale
Shadow
Of a woman
Black widow
Pale
Shadow
Of a dragon
Dust woman
Pale
Shadow
Of a woman
Black widow
Pale
Shadow
She's a dragon
Gold dust woman
Woman, woman
The song "Gold Dust Woman" by Fleetwood Mac is a mysterious and haunting piece with cryptic lyrics that delve into themes of heartbreak, loss, and addiction. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a melancholic and disillusioned female protagonist who is reflecting on the aftermath of a destructive relationship with a lover who has left her shattered and broken.
The opening lines, "Rock on gold dust woman / Take your silver spoon / Dig your grave," suggest that the singer has been living a life of excess and indulgence, with her wealth and privilege ultimately leading to her demise. The following lines, "Heartless challenge / Pick your path and I'll pray," hint at the abusive and manipulative nature of the lover who has caused her pain. The singer seems to be warning other women about the dangers of getting involved with such toxic individuals.
The chorus is a poignant refrain that highlights the emotional turmoil that the singer is experiencing. She questions whether her former lover has made her cry, shattered her illusions of love, and left her alone to pick up the pieces and go home. The repetition of the lines "Pale shadow of a woman / Black widow / Gold dust woman" evokes a sense of isolation and desolation.
Overall, "Gold Dust Woman" is a powerful and haunting song that speaks to the universal experiences of heartbreak, loss, and addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Rock on gold dust woman
Continue on, persevering woman who has had to work hard to rise to where she is
Take your silver spoon
You were born into privilege
Dig your grave
You are risking it all by playing with dangerous things
Heartless challenge
A difficult and unyielding set of circumstances that requires you to be ruthless
Pick your path and I'll pray
You have a choice to make and it's up to you to decide, but I hope you choose wisely
Wake up in the morning
Start a new day
See your sunrise loves to go down
Everything that begins must end
Lousy lovers pick their prey
People who don't know how to love will use and hurt others for their own gain
But they never cry out loud
Those who hurt others don't have remorse for their actions
Did she make you cry
Did she break your heart?
Make you break down
Did you fall apart because of her actions?
Shatter your illusions of love
Did she destroy your idea of love and what it means?
And is it over now do you know how
Has the relationship ended? Do you know how to move on?
Pick up the pieces and go home
Put yourself back together and return to where you belonged before the damage was done
Rock on ancient queen
Continue living your regal life, despite your age or the challenges you've endured
Follow those who pale
Lead those who are weak and need your guidance
In your shadow
With you, and under your protection
Rulers make bad lovers
Those who hold power often don't know how to love well
You better put your kingdom up for sale
It's time to let go of the thing or the one you love that's not loving you back
Pale
Weak
Shadow
With less substance or importance than the person in front
Of a woman
Of a female
Black widow
A spider that devours its mate after mating, a term used to describe women who are perceived to cause the downfall of their partner
She's a dragon
She is fierce and powerful, but she also breathes fire and causes destruction
Gold dust woman
A woman who is not only valuable and rare, but who is also dangerous and difficult to handle
Woman, woman
The ultimate reminder that even though she's complicated, she's still a woman
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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?