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.
My Heart Beat Like A Hammer
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waking with the rising sun
Woke up one morning
Awakin' with the rising sun, ah
Thought about my baby
That had to do what she done
Well, I shoulda loved you more
Oh, yes, I shoulda loved you more
I know I didn't treat her right
I know that a woman needs
Rollin' every day and night
Oh, yeah
Well, my heart beat like a hammer
My eyes plumb full of tears
Yes, my heart beat like a hammer
My eyes plumb full of tears
She been gone about an hour
But it seems like a thousand years
Don't ever dog your woman
You know you're gonna ruin yourself
Don't ever dog your woman
You know you're gonna ruin yourself
Know that a woman she'll
Run off with somebody else
Oh, yeah
In Fleetwood Mac's "My Heart Beat Like A Hammer," the singer wakes up to the rising sun, thinking about his departed lover. He admits to himself that he didn't treat her well, and he should have loved her more. He recognizes that women need constant attention and affection, day and night. He laments that his heart beats like a hammer in his chest, his eyes overflowing with tears, and though she's been gone only an hour, it feels like an eternity. He warns others to not mistreat their women, as doing so only leads to ruining oneself, and that a woman may run off with someone else.
The song speaks to the heartache and regret that come from a failed relationship. The singer recognizes his mistakes and acknowledges the need for constant love and care in any partnership. However, it's the line about his heart beating like a hammer that truly encapsulates the intense emotions of the song. The fact that his heart pounds in his chest like a hammer shows the physical and emotional toll the separation has on him.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up one morning
I opened my eyes in the morning
Waking with the rising sun
I woke up with the sun shining and brightening up my day
Woke up one morning
I woke up in the morning
Awakin' with the rising sun, ah
I woke up to the bright and comforting sunlight in the morning
Thought about my baby
I remembered my significant other
That had to do what she done
Who had to leave me for whatever reason
Well, I shoulda loved you more
I realize that I should have loved you more
I know I didn't treat her right
I am aware that I treated her poorly
Oh, yes, I shoulda loved you more
I should have shown you more love
I know that a woman needs
I understand that women require
Rollin' every day and night
To be given love and attention every day and night
Oh, yeah
This is certainly true about women
Well, my heart beat like a hammer
My heart raced with such intensity
My eyes plumb full of tears
That my eyes welled up with tears
Yes, my heart beat like a hammer
My heart was pounding so hard
She been gone about an hour
Even though she's only been gone for an hour
But it seems like a thousand years
It felt like a thousand years
Don't ever dog your woman
Don't mistreat your woman
You know you're gonna ruin yourself
Because you're just ruining yourself when you do
Know that a woman she'll
You need to know that a woman will
Run off with somebody else
Pick up and leave you for someone else if you're not careful with how you treat her
Oh, yeah
It's true, believe it or not
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeremy Spencer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gerardorodriguez7244
woke up one morning
Waking with the rising sun
Woke up one morning
Awakin' with the rising sun, ahh
Thought about my baby
Did I just do what she done
Well, I shoulda loved you more
I know I didn't treat her right
Oh, yes, I shoulda loved you more
I know I didn't treat her right
I know that a woman needs
Rollin' every day and night
Oh, yeah
Well, my heart beat like a hammer
My eyes plumb full of tears
Yes, my heart beat like a hammer
My eyes plumb full of tears
She's been gone about an hour
But it seems like a thousand years
Don't ever dog your woman
You know you're gonna ruin yourself
Don't ever dog your woman
You know you're gonna ruin yourself
Know that a woman she'll
Run off with somebody else
Oh, yeah
@richardseegman803
Jeremy Spencer is great. As I write this about 56 years after this song was recorded, Spencer is still with us and playing gigs on his guitar. He was the greatest desciple of Elmore James ever.
@tattyshoesshigure5731
Love Jeremy Spencer’s vocals & slide on this great track… Pete’s original Mac were a terrific, really fun live act!
@daviemcf
Amazing album....still brilliant today.....rip Peter Green.
@frankmillen5231
Love how Peter handed a piece of the album to Jeremy.
Just shows he didn’t need to be the big man. Just the measure of the man.
@catalin669
The hardest song to find on the internet. They have a whole album that sounds almost the same and a ton of other songs with very similar lyrics. Been searching for it for a long time!
@douggray8557
Favorite tune featuring Jeremy Spencer ♥️♥️!! Rhythm guitar by Peter Green... sweet!
@gerardorodriguez7244
woke up one morning
Waking with the rising sun
Woke up one morning
Awakin' with the rising sun, ahh
Thought about my baby
Did I just do what she done
Well, I shoulda loved you more
I know I didn't treat her right
Oh, yes, I shoulda loved you more
I know I didn't treat her right
I know that a woman needs
Rollin' every day and night
Oh, yeah
Well, my heart beat like a hammer
My eyes plumb full of tears
Yes, my heart beat like a hammer
My eyes plumb full of tears
She's been gone about an hour
But it seems like a thousand years
Don't ever dog your woman
You know you're gonna ruin yourself
Don't ever dog your woman
You know you're gonna ruin yourself
Know that a woman she'll
Run off with somebody else
Oh, yeah
@2senz
Favorite blues song ever. Period.
@reveddro319
sum Elmore James style
@VictorSanchez-tq2mw
Grandísima banda🇲🇽💪