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.
I Want To Know
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don't want to stand between you and love
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
I don't want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don't want to stand between you and love
Finally baby
The truth has come down now
Take a listen to your spirit
It's crying out loud
Tryin' to believe
Oh, you say you love me, but you don't know
You got me rocking and a-reeling
Oh oh yeah, uh huh
I don't want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don't want to stand between you and love
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
I don't want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don't want to stand between you and love
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
Finally baby
The truth has been told
Now you tell me that I'm crazy
It's nothing that I didn't know
Trying to survive
Oh, you say you love me, but you don't know
You got me rocking and a-reeling
Hanging on to you
Oh oh yeah, uh huh
I don't want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don't want to stand between you and love
Honey, take a little time
Oh, I don't want to know
the reasons why love keeps walking down the line. The singer doesn't need to know why things are the way they are, as it won't change what has happened. The singer doesn't want to intervene or come between the person they love and love itself. They want their partner to be happy, regardless of what that means for them. The singer is very adamant about their stance on the matter.
The second verse continues this theme but adds the element of the truth finally being revealed. The singer tells their partner to listen to their spirit, which is crying out loud. The singer's partner claims to love them, but the singer doesn't believe that they do truly. The singer is left feeling unsure and unsteady in their relationship, but they want their partner to be happy nonetheless. The singer is not willing to sacrifice their happiness for their partner's, and they are not willing to give up on love entirely.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to know the reasons why
I am choosing to not inquire about the motives behind your behavior
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
Emotions persist and evolve regardless of the circumstances
I don't want to stand between you and love
I do not want to be the obstacle or hindrance to your emotional connections
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
I only wish for your contentment and happiness
Finally baby, the truth has come down now
The reality of the situation has been revealed
Take a listen to your spirit, it's crying out loud
Pay attention to your inner voice which is expressing itself clearly
Tryin' to believe, Oh, you say you love me, but you don't know
I am struggling to trust your declaration of love since your actions contradict your words
You got me rocking and a-reeling
You have left me feeling anxious and uncertain
The truth has been told, Now you tell me that I'm crazy
After the truth has been revealed, you are now trying to dismiss or discredit my reaction to it
It's nothing that I didn't know, Trying to survive
I was already aware of the reality, but I am still struggling to cope with it
Hanging on to you, Oh oh yeah, uh huh
Despite the difficulties, I am still holding on to our relationship
Honey, take a little time
Please take some time to reflect and consider the situation
Oh, I don't want to know
I am actively avoiding acquiring more information about the situation
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?