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.
Jailhouse Rock
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin and the joint began to swing
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
Little Joe was blowin on the slide trombone
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang
The whole rhythm section was the purple gang
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
Number forty-seven said to number three
You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see
I sure would be delighted with your company
Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
The sad sack was a sittin on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin all alone
The warden said, hey, buddy, don't you be no square
If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
Shifty Henry said to bugs, for heavens sake
No ones lookin, now's our chance to make a break
Bugsy turned to shifty and he said, nix nix
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
The lyrics of Fleetwood Mac's version of the classic Jailhouse Rock song are describing a party that was thrown by the warden in a county jail, with the prison band providing the music. The atmosphere was full of energy and excitement, with everyone in the cell block dancing to the jailhouse rock. The song describes the different musical instruments that were played during the party, from Spider Murphy's tenor saxophone to the drummer boy from Illinois' crashes and booms, creating a rhythm section that was in sync and dominated by the purple gang.
The lyrics also highlight the social interactions between the inmates, with number forty-seven admiring number three and urging them to dance with them. The song displays a sense of camaraderie, with everyone making the most of their time and forgetting their problems. Even the sad sack in the corner who was weeping was encouraged to join in the festivities, and if he lacked a partner, he was told to dance with a wooden chair. Lastly, Shifty Henry suggests to Bugsy that they make a break and escape, but Bugsy turns him down, preferring to stay and enjoy the celebration.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of joy, energy, and camaraderie, with everyone dancing and having a good time despite being in jail.
Line by Line Meaning
The warden threw a party in the county jail
The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band that the prison had played music and it was great
The band was jumpin and the joint began to swing
The music was so good, it got everyone dancing and enjoying themselves
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing
The prisoners, who were stuck in jail, were singing their hearts out and sounded amazing
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Let's dance and have a good time
Everybody in the whole cell block
Every single prisoner in the jail
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
Was dancing and having a good time to the music in the prison
Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone
Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone
Little Joe was blowin on the slide trombone
Little Joe was playing the slide trombone
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang
The drummer boy from Illinois played the drums very loudly and energetically
The whole rhythm section was the purple gang
The entire group of musicians provided great rhythm and musical accompaniment
Number forty-seven said to number three
One prisoner, forty-seven, spoke to another prisoner, number three
You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see
Number forty-seven complimented number three by calling them the cutest prisoner they've ever seen
I sure would be delighted with your company
Number forty-seven expressed their desire to spend time with number three
Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me
Number forty-seven asked number three to dance with them to the music
The sad sack was a sittin on a block of stone
There was a sad prisoner sitting on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin all alone
The sad prisoner was crying in a corner by themselves
The warden said, hey, buddy, don't you be no square
The warden encouraged the sad prisoner to not be boring and to join in on the fun
If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair.
If the sad prisoner can't find someone to dance with, they can use a chair to dance with instead
Shifty Henry said to bugs, for heavens sake
Shifty Henry spoke to Bugs about something important
No ones lookin, now's our chance to make a break
Shifty Henry told Bugs that nobody was watching so it was a good time to escape
Bugsy turned to shifty and he said, nix nix
Bugsy responded to Shifty Henry and said no, they shouldn't escape
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks
Bugsy wanted to stay in prison for a little longer and have fun before leaving
Everybody in the whole cell block
Every single prisoner in the jail
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
Was dancing and having a good time to the music in the prison
Everybody in the whole cell block
Every single prisoner in the jail
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
Was dancing and having a good time to the music in the prison
Everybody in the whole cell block
Every single prisoner in the jail
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock
Was dancing and having a good time to the music in the prison
Contributed by William D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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?