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.
Jewel Eyed Judy
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thoughts of you
Spinning round
As thoughts do
I just wondered if
Your eyes still shine
As they did
I can see
In a dream
Thoughts so clear
And jewels that gleam
Would your eyes
Still sparkle then
If we were, once again
Jewel eyed Judy please come home
Jewel eyed Judy don't leave me alone
Jewel eyed Judy please come home
Jewel eyed Judy don't leave me alone
Lovely Judy
Can you see
Where it is
You're meant to be
Where you lay
Your head tonight
May the stars
Find your light
So am I
Sitting here
Moonlight glistens
On my tears
Is this all
That we could find
Chains of memories
Left behind
Jewel eyed Judy please come home
Jewel eyed Judy don't leave me alone
Jewel eyed Judy please come home
Jewel eyed Judy don't leave me alone
The lyrics of Fleetwood Mac's song Jewel Eyed Judy are deeply emotional and express the feeling of loss and longing for someone who was once precious. The song narrates the story of the singer who is reminiscing about a past relationship with Judy. He is filled with thoughts of her, spinning around in his mind like moonshine, and wondering if her eyes still sparkle as they did when she was his. The dreams that he has of her are vivid and filled with jewels that gleam, indicating that there were special memories shared between them.
The singer pleads with Judy to come back home to him and not leave him alone. He acknowledges that she has to find her light and where she is meant to be, but what he truly desires is to be with her. Sitting alone in the moonlight, he reflects on whether this is all that they could find and if the chains of memories left behind are all that remains of their once glorious relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of Jewel Eyed Judy are an expression of love, loss, and hope. The singer desires to recapture the special connection they once had and wants Judy to come home to him, but at the same time, acknowledges that she has to find her path in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Moonshine time
It's the time when one thinks about their loved ones deeply.
Thoughts of you
Thinking about the beloved one and cherishing the memories.
Spinning round
Memories of the past are so vivid that it feels like living through them again.
As thoughts do
Just like spinning thoughts, memories of the past can't help but revolve in the mind.
I just wondered if
Curiosity about the present state of a lost love.
Your eyes still shine
Questioning if her eyes sparkle and shine as they did in the past when they were together.
As they did
Wondering if the same characteristics he loved about her are still present in her eyes.
When you were mine
This line suggests that they used to be together and now she is gone.
I can see
The ability to imagine and envision things that were once real by using memory and imagination.
In a dream
Imagining and dreaming about the past and the future together.
Thoughts so clear
The past thoughts and memories are still crystal clear in his mind.
And jewels that gleam
The memories are so precious and valuable that they are considered jewels that shine.
Would your eyes
The continuation of the curiosity about the state of her eyes in the present moment.
Still sparkle then
The hope that her eyes will still shine as brilliantly as they did in the past if they get together.
If we were, once again
If they were in love, the question about if her eyes would shine or not would not exist.
Jewel eyed Judy please come home
Begging and imploring for her to come back home, using the term 'jewel-eyed' as a reference to the brilliance of her eyes.
Jewel eyed Judy don't leave me alone
The fear of being left alone and not wanting to be without her, repeating the reference of her eyes' beauty.
Lovely Judy
A form of endearment for his lost love.
Can you see
The hope that she can see where she belongs.
Where it is
The realization that they might be looking for a different place to call home.
You're meant to be
Belief that they are meant to be together no matter what.
Where you lay
Wherever she is is where she should be resting and calling home.
Your head tonight
Referencing the night, when one is most vulnerable and where the thoughts stay awake.
May the stars
The beauty of the stars and the immense space that surrounds every individual.
Find your light
This line means that they hope Judy finds her way back to him and that she finds joy in her life without him.
So am I
The realization that he is also sitting in a similar space as her and is vulnerable too.
Sitting here
The sadness and emptiness he faces alone while waiting for her return.
Moonlight glistens
A symbol of hope and light shining in the dark.
On my tears
The sadness and pain he feels translated in tears that reflect the moon's light.
Is this all
The question of whether everything will always remain the same or not.
That we could find
Accepting that love is not everything and sometimes the search doesn't always lead to the ultimate happiness.
Chains of memories
The bittersweet memories that feel like a burden and hold one back to the past.
Left behind
The realization that the past is gone, and the memories will always be there but must be let go of to move forward.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ELMORE JAMES
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?