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.
Miles Away
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the faces that I see don't seem to shine, that's right
Now there's too much Warhol hanging off the wall
And the mystery that there used to be is gone
Let me go, miles away
Let me ride, just miles away
Don't wanna know, I'm not gonna miss it much
Gonna go, miles away
Let me ride, got to get out of here, yeah
Don't wanna know, gonna be drivin' once again
Don Juan goes up in a cloud of smoke
And all those Hare Krishna's turned out to be a joke
And it's restless, restless, restless all the time
Slidin' up and down the surface of this life
Now I know that I can't say what's black and white
But if I could fly, I think I'd try tonight, you why 'cause I
Let me go, miles away
Let me ride, miles away
Don't wanna know, I'm not gonna miss ya
Gonna be drivin' once again
Gonna go, miles away
Let me ride, just miles away
Don't wanna know (I'm gonna leave), gonna be drivin' once again
Let me go, miles away
Let me ride
Don't wanna know, I can't stand it
Gonna be drivin' once again
Gonna go, out of here
Let me ride, I'm not gonna miss ya
Don't wanna know, miles away
Gonna be drivin' once again
Miles away, miles away
Miles away, miles away
Miles away, miles away
Miles away, miles away
The lyrics of Fleetwood Mac's Miles Away paint a picture of disillusionment and escape, capturing a sense of alienation from the modern world. The swamp getting deeper is a metaphor for the increasing negativity and chaos that the singer sees around them, with the faces no longer shining as they once did. The reference to too much Warhol hanging off the wall suggests a sense of over-saturation and superficiality in the culture, where everything that used to be mysterious and interesting has lost its power.
The chorus, "Let me go, miles away. Let me ride, just miles away" represents a call to escape, to move away from the current way of life and the negativity that surrounds them. The singer doesn't want to know about what they're leaving behind, as they're not going to miss it much. The last line, "Gonna be drivin' once again" reinforces this desire for escape, highlighting the allure of the open road and the freedom that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
The swamp is getting deeper all the time
The situation is getting more complex and difficult to handle
And the faces that I see don't seem to shine
People's faces do not reflect happiness or optimism
Now there's too much Warhol hanging off the wall
There is an overwhelming amount of pop-art dominating the atmosphere
And the mystery that there used to be is gone
The enigma that once surrounded the situation or people has vanished
Let me go
Allow me to leave
Miles away
Far enough to escape from the current situation
Let me ride
Allow me to travel or move away
Just miles away
Only a distance of miles is needed to attain peace of mind
Don't wanna know
I do not want to be aware or informed of anything related to the current situation
I'm not gonna miss it much
I will not feel any sadness or regret for leaving this behind
Gonna be drivin' once again
I will be free to wander and drive at my own pace
Don Juan goes up in a cloud of smoke
People whom I once looked up to or admired have either disappeared or let me down
And all those Hare Krishnas turned out to be a joke
The spiritual guidance or beliefs I once had have proven to be false or misguided
And it's restless, restless, restless all the time
There is a constant feeling of being unsettled and dissatisfied
Slidin' up and down the surface of this life
Living life superficially and without purpose
Now I know that I can't say what's black and white
I have come to understand that nothing is straightforward or simple
But if I could fly I think I'd try tonight
If given a chance to escape, I would do anything to attain freedom
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Robert L Welch
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?