Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fl… Read Full Bio ↴Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac was founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the lineup for their self-titled debut album. Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist in 1968. Keyboardist Christine Perfect (later known as Christine McVie), who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married McVie and joined in 1970.

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.

Little Child of Mine
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Little child of mine
You'll be lovin' like your little mother did
Heard it somewhere before
I won't leave you, no, not like my father did

Heavy country blues keep a rockin'
K-k-k-keep that soul beat a-sockin'
Heavy country blues keep a rockin'

K-k-k-keep that soul beat a-sockin'

I miss you again
I let the sunlight through my eyes
I won't cry
I miss you again
I let the sunlight through my eyes
I won't cry

Little child of mine
You'll be lovin' like your little mother did
Heard it somewhere before
I won't leave you, no, not like my father did

Heavy country blues keep a rockin'
K-k-k-keep that soul beat a-sockin'
Heavy country blues keep a rockin'
K-k-k-keep that soul beat a-sockin'

I miss you again
I let the sunlight through my eyes
I won't cry

I miss you again
I let the sunlight through my eyes
I won't cry

I miss you again

I let the sunlight through my eyes
I won't cry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song "Child of Mine" seem to be addressed to the singer's child, assuring them that they will be loved just as their "little mother" was. The singer promises not to leave them like their own father did, presumably abandoning them. The repetition of the phrase "heard it somewhere before" suggests that the singer may be repeating the mistakes of their own family, but they want to break the cycle for their own child. The lines "heavy country blues keep a rockin'" and "keep that soul beat a-sockin'" seem to be a reference to the musical genre that the song belongs to, blues rock, emphasizing the importance of music in the singer's life.

The refrain "I miss you again, I let the sunlight through my eyes, I won't cry" is a poignant expression of loss and grief. It's not clear who the singer is missing - perhaps their own father, or someone else who has passed away. The image of "letting the sunlight through my eyes" suggests a deliberate openness to the world, even in the midst of pain.

"Child of Mine" is a personal and emotional song that showcases the band's blues rock sound. It has a powerful message about breaking cycles of neglect and abandonment, and the importance of music and love in overcoming pain and loss.

Line by Line Meaning

Little child of mine
Addressing the singer's child with affection

You'll be lovin' like your little mother did
The singer predicts that their child will love as their mother loved

Heard it somewhere before
The singer is referencing this prediction from somewhere else

I won't leave you, no, not like my father did
The artist promises to not abandon their child like their own father did

Heavy country blues keep a rockin'
The artist hears the blues music and enjoys the rhythm

K-k-k-keep that soul beat a-sockin'
The music's strong rhythm is emphasized through the lyrics

I miss you again
The singer misses someone significant

I let the sunlight through my eyes
The artist is opening themselves up to positivity and allowing themselves to see the light

I won't cry
The artist is suppressing their emotions and choosing not to cry

I miss you again
The artist continues to miss the same person

I let the sunlight through my eyes
The singer chooses to remain optimistic, looking for the positivity in their situation