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.
Leaving Town Blues
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now, when I leave this town
Won't be - back no more
Yes, when I leave this town, mama
Won't be back no more
I've got the blues so bad
Yes, I got the blues so bad
Why won't you let me be
I have the blues so bad, mama
Why won't you let me be
Now, when I go to chicago
Blues don't you follow me
Break:
I'm asking mama, mama
Please don't cry no tears
Yes, I say mama, mama
Please don't cry no tears
Because I'll always love you
Through all my days and years
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's "Leaving Town Blues" express the deep sadness and heartbreak of a person who is leaving a town they know they will never return to. The repetition of "won't be back no more" emphasizes the finality of the decision to leave. The person has the blues so bad that it's "standing 'round my door," meaning that it's all-consuming and ever present. However, despite the sad tone of the song, there is a sense of determination conveyed in the lyrics. The person is resolute in their decision to leave, even if it means leaving behind everything and everyone they love.
The second verse speaks to the idea that sometimes leaving a place behind is necessary to escape negative emotions. The person has the blues so bad that they want to be left alone, but the blues seem to follow them wherever they go. They call out to Chicago, asking it not to follow them on their journey. In the final verse, the person is asking their mother not to cry over their leaving, promising to always love her through their days and years. This suggests that the person is not leaving out of a lack of love or respect for their family or hometown, but rather out of a need to escape their own personal demons.
Overall, "Leaving Town Blues" is a poignant and soulful rendition of the pain associated with leaving behind people, places and memories that have been an integral part of one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, when I leave this town
As I depart from this place.
Won't be - back no more
I will never return here again.
Yes, when I leave this town, mama
Certainly, as I bid farewell to this place, mother.
Won't be back no more
I will never be found here again.
I've got the blues so bad
I am overcome with sadness and melancholy.
Standing 'round my door
Lingering near my doorway, unable to leave.
Yes, I got the blues so bad
Without a doubt, I am overcome with deep sadness.
Why won't you let me be
Why can't I be left alone?
I have the blues so bad, mama
Mother, I am overwhelmed with sadness.
Why won't you let me be
I need to be free from your attention.
Now, when I go to chicago
As I embark to the city of Chicago.
Blues don't you follow me
I need to escape from this sadness, it cannot follow me.
I'm asking mama, mama
I plead with you, mother, mother.
Please don't cry no tears
Do not weep in my departure.
Yes, I say mama, mama
Undoubtedly, I speak to you, mother, mother.
Please don't cry no tears
Do not shed tears as I say goodbye.
Because I'll always love you
Know that I will love you always.
Through all my days and years
For all of my lifetime.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEWIS A. POWELL, LEWIS A POWELL, PAULINE SHIVERS, TOM DOUGLAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
november191968
very beautiful song! some celtic sound,a delta blues theme,and a voice dancing between two worlds,the new and the old!
Alberto Pick
RIP Peter. You was the blues! You poured your heart out delivering pure blues!
Ben W.
Country blues sound; subtle yet very powerful. I like the fiddle on this track. It gives it that Charlie Patton feel. Thank you for the upload.
James Walton Ingham
This is amazing! Have listened to Peters music for 20 + years and never heard this before....stunned....
fieldfullofthistles
Awesome blues. He's the man no doubt.
mark horton
The first time I heard this song it was Rory Gallagher’s version which absolutely floored me. I love the original of course but you gotta check out Rory’s version.
Waltraud
Love Greeny and his Blues for ever 💚💚💚
Childan71
This sends shivers up my spine, literally. I've got goosebumps! Never heard this version before. eibhlin2 - I am going through all your vids - hope you don't mind! I feel like a blues stalker! lol
richard pitcher
Peter and the rest of Fleetwood Mac always amaze me in some way with every song
Dennis Devine
Love Peter Green doin the blues. The fiddle is a nice touch.