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.
Landslide
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
'Til the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?
Mmm
Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm gettin' older, too
Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm gettin' older, too
I'm gettin' older, too
Ah, take my love, take it down
Oh, climb a mountain and turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide will bring it down
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide will bring it down
Oh, the landslide will bring it down
In the first verse of the song, the singer (Stevie Nicks) shares about taking a journey to a mountain with her love. She mentions turning around to look at the beautiful scenery behind her and seeing her reflection in the snow covered hills. The use of the word "landslide" in the chorus refers to a metaphor for the unexpected changes in life. Just like a landslide can bring a sudden and drastic change, life too can bring abrupt changes that can be difficult to handle.
The next few lines of the song indicate that the singer is questioning the concept of love and whether it is possible for someone to hold onto the innocent and childlike love they had when they were younger. She ponders if one can handle the changes that come along with life and all its seasons. The verse ends with a "mmm" which can be interpreted as a sigh of contemplation.
In the second verse, the singer admits to being afraid of change because her life revolves around her love (possibly her partner or the band). However, the passing of time has made her become bolder and realize that just like how even children grow older, she too is getting older. She has come to accept that life can bring changes and she needs to adapt to it.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the human experience of accepting and embracing the changes that life brings. It is a reminder that just like how a landslide can bring down a mountain, unexpected changes can bring us down and it is important to be able to handle them.
Line by Line Meaning
I took my love, I took it down
I removed myself from the love I had for someone
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
I went through a challenging journey and came back to the same place
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
I saw myself in nature
'Til the landslide brought me down
Until an unexpected event caused my life to change
Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Reflective thinking on what love truly means
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I overcome the emotional pain of past experiences?
Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?
Can I endure life's ups and downs?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Am I capable of navigating life's various stages?
Mmm
Reflective pause
Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'
I have been afraid of life changes
'Cause I've built my life around you
Because my life was centered upon someone else
But time makes you bolder
Over time I have grown stronger
Even children get older
Even those who were young grow up
And I'm gettin' older, too
I, too, am aging
Ah, take my love, take it down
Take away the love I had for someone
Oh, climb a mountain and turn around
Experience a journey and see things from a different perspective
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
If you see that I have changed in nature
Well, the landslide will bring it down
A change in my life may cause me to fall
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
If you see that I have changed in nature
Well, the landslide will bring it down
A change in my life may cause me to fall
Oh, the landslide will bring it down
Again, a change in my life may cause me to fall
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephanie Nicks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@r.a2696
One day you're a child and then one day the lyrics to Landslide make sense and you're crying in a car wash
@anthonygipson265
You are so right.
@marieclaire1662
Hugging you <3
@honeyy6247
Exactly
@Alex-jx1er
I love this omg
@ThorneJr
well said. did it twice.
@serenaann1711
I used to sing this at the top of my lungs to my husband Damon. 15 years of marriage and 4 kids later he was killed on his way to work one day 4 days after Christmas. Now I sing it to my children and miss the man we built our life around. Learning to continue on without you is the hardest. Damon, the children are getting older....RIP forever 37
@wesleydeltoro5206
Deepest condolences
@ratdaddee
I'm sure you have a beautiful voice, so keep singing to Damon because he's listening and watching over you and your children. Blessings.
@Xavier-uf7oo
God bless you