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.
Honey Hi
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who could be sweeter than you?
Honey, honey, honey
Bitter sweet, but what can I do?
Lord, it's good to talk to you
Even sweeter than wine
Don't take the love light away
Daddy, all I'm trying to tell you
Lord, I really love you, love you, love you
Honey, honey, honey hi
Honey, honey, honey hi (daddy, all I'm trying to tell you)
Honey, honey, honey hi (daddy, all I'm trying to tell you)
Oh, I'm far away from home
Honey, honey, honey hi (daddy, all I'm trying to tell you)
Oh, I'm far away from home
Honey, honey, honey hi (daddy, all I'm trying to tell you)
Oh, I'm far away from home
Honey, honey, honey hi (daddy, all I'm trying to tell you)
Oh, I'm far away from home
The lyrics of Fleetwood Mac’s song “Honey Hi” speak of the sweetness of love and longing for it, as well as the pain of being away from home. The repeated references to “honey” evoke the image of something sweet, which contrasts with the bittersweet nature of the situation. The singer expresses their love for someone, likely their father, who they are reaching out to, possibly seeking guidance or comfort as they feel far away from home. The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and emotional need, making the song deeply relatable to anyone who has experienced separation and longing for the love and familiarity of those they hold dear.
The chorus of the song, with the repeated use of “honey hi,” is catchy and memorable, and likely to stick in the listener's mind long after the song has finished. The contrast between the sweet melody and the underlying sense of sadness and longing in the lyrics gives the song a poignant quality. It is a masterful example of Fleetwood Mac’s ability to create infectious tunes that are layered with complex emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Honey, honey, honey
Addressing someone dear with words of affection
Who could be sweeter than you?
Expressing admiration for the person's sweet nature
Bitter sweet, but what can I do?
Acknowledging a mixed feeling of sweetness and sadness with no control over it
Lord, it's good to talk to you
Expressing relief and gratitude for having someone to confide in
Even sweeter than wine
Comparing the sweetness of the conversation to the taste of a fine wine
Don't take the love light away
Asking the person not to stop showing love and affection
'Cause I'm far away from home
Explaining the reason for the distance from home
Daddy, all I'm trying to tell you
Addressing the person as 'daddy' and preparing to express deep feelings
Lord, I really love you, love you, love you
Declaring strong feelings of love and admiration to the person
Honey, honey, honey hi
Using words of affection to address the person again
Oh, I'm far away from home
Reiterating the distance from home and the cause of the separation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christine McVie
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?