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.
Goodbye Baby
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And take my child away
It was I who was the hourglass
And the sands of time like
Shattering glass went past me
Like a tunnel to the sea
And I who went to sleep as two
You'll close your eyes and travel back
To the time when the light went fading fast
And the words you'll never, never forget, oh no
As you slipped away
Goodbye baby
I hope your heart's not broken
Don't forget me
Yes I was outspoken
You were with me all the time
I'll be with you one day
And I who went to sleep in tears
Woke up in tears, for all of the years
And I who never, never said goodbye
As I slipped away
Goodbye baby
I hope your heart's not broken
Don't forget me
Yes I was outspoken
You were with me all the time
I'll be with you one day
Goodbye baby
I hope your heart's not broken
Don't forget me
Yes I was outspoken
You were with me all the time
I'll be with you one day
Yes, I'll be with you one day
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song Goodbye Baby are about saying goodbye to a loved one and reminiscing on the past. The first stanza seems to refer to a custody battle where the singer is pleading to keep their child and not be separated from them. The lines "It was I who was the hourglass" and "the sands of time like shattering glass went past me" refer to the fleeting nature of time and how the singer's time with their child is slipping away. The last line of the stanza "like a tunnel to the sea" is a metaphor for the way time is rushing by, and how final goodbyes can feel like a one-way trip to an unknown destination.
The second stanza seems to refer to the death of a loved one, as the singer wakes up to the realization that they are now alone, with "only you" remaining. The line "you'll close your eyes and travel back to the time when the light went fading fast" is a reference to the dying moments of the loved one, and the singer promises that they will never forget the words spoken during that time. The chorus repeats the title, with the singer saying they hope the loved one's heart is not broken and promising to be with them one day.
Overall, the lyrics of Goodbye Baby are poignant and bittersweet, as the singer comes to terms with loss and the passing of time. The song is a beautiful tribute to the people we love and miss, and the memories that stay with us long after they are gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't take me to the tower
Please don't bring me to a place of imprisonment or isolation
And take my child away
Don't take away the one thing that gives me joy and meaning in life
It was I who was The hourglass
I was the one keeping track of time, of the moments that flew by
And the sands of time like Shattering glass went past me
Time went by quickly and felt like it was breaking apart, out of my control
Like a tunnel to the sea
Time felt like a one way road to nowhere, like a tunnel that led to the end of everything
And I who went to sleep as two
As a couple, we went to bed together
Woke up as one now only you remain
But I woke up to the reality that only one of us remained- you, without me
You'll close your eyes and travel back
You'll remember and think back upon these memories
To the time when the light went fading fast
To a difficult moment of letting go and saying goodbye
And the words you'll never, never forget, oh no
Memories of that time will always stay with you, no matter how much time passes
As you slipped away
As you had to leave, with no other choice
Goodbye baby
Farewell, my love
I hope your heart's not broken
I hope you don't hurt too much
Don't forget me
Remember me, don't let our memories fade
Yes I was outspoken
I was never one to keep my thoughts or feelings silent
You were with me all the time
You were always by my side, through thick and thin
I'll be with you one day
Someday, I'll be reunited with you in the afterlife
And I who went to sleep in tears
I went to bed crying, with a heavy heart
Woke up in tears, for all of the years
I woke up still crying, realizing how much time had passed without you
And I who never, never said goodbye
I never got the chance to say a proper farewell before you left
Yes, I'll be with you one day
Once again, I affirm that we will be reunited someday
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephanie 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?