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.
Night Watch
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go on, you know you're only one
Set me free
You take me up and turn around
But let me in
Take this shadow from my eyes
Take the desert from my soul
And lift me up from down below
Let me take some pride in your creation
Cause I have lived alone in castles that were lonely
And I have cursed the dawn and wondered why I do
Well I have wondered why I live
Now I know you must forgive
Let me stand inside your magic shadow
The night is coming faster
And you're feeling all unchained
In the north there is a jungle
Where rockets are aflame
And I hope that in the desert
There are ships and there is noise
And above the greatest city
There will shine a magic shadow
And a voice
It's taking long but I'm getting strong as I grow old
Please believe me let the magic reach me and I will unfold
I'll step aboard with you onday
And see my dust just melt away
And then I'll step inside your magic shadow
Dreamers...
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhh
Magic shadows
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhhh
Have you seen, have you seen
Have you seen, have you seen
Have you seen, have you seen
Have you seen, have you seen magic shadows
Have you seen, have you seen magic shadows
Have you seen, have you seen magic shadows
Have you seen, have you seen magic shadows...
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhhh
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhhh
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhhh
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhhh
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhhh
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhhh...
The song "Night Watch" by Fleetwood Mac was written by Bob Welch and features his signature style of psychedelic rock with a prominent guitar riff and dreamy vocals. In the song, the singer is pleading with their lover to set them free and let them in, to take away the shadows from their eyes and lift them up from their despair. They express that they have lived alone in castles that were lonely and have cursed the dawn, wondering why they live. However, they have found hope in their lover's magic shadow and want to stand inside of it.
The lyrics use imagery of a jungle with rockets aflame and a desert with ships and noise, painting a vivid picture of a fantastical world. The singer says that they are getting stronger as they grow old, asking their lover to let the magic reach them so they can unfold. They want to step aboard with their lover and see their dust melt away in the magic shadow. The song is about finding solace and hope in love, and how it can transform a person's life.
Overall, "Night Watch" is a dreamy, ethereal song that showcases Welch's songwriting talent and Fleetwood Mac's signature sound. It's a song about hope, love, and the transformative power of both.
Line by Line Meaning
Go on, you know you're only one
Encouraging someone to take control and pursue their desires, despite feeling small and insignificant
Set me free
Asking someone to liberate them from their struggles and empower them to live freely
You take me up and turn around
Expressing the feeling of being uplifted by someone's influence and showing a desire to be guided and supported by that person
But let me in
Asking to be included in someone's life and to experience the fullness of their love and care
Take this shadow from my eyes
Requesting that someone provide clarity and understanding for a situation they're struggling with
And tell me everything
Asking for complete truth and honesty, even if the answer isn't easy or pleasant to hear
Take the desert from my soul
Desiring to have their emotional emptiness filled and their soul nurtured
And lift me up from down below
Seeking to have their spirits uplifted from a place of sadness or despair
Let me take some pride in your creation
Expressing a desire to be involved in and proud of what someone has created or accomplished
Cause I have lived alone in castles that were lonely
Reflecting on past isolation and loneliness despite having outward signs of success and comfort
And I have cursed the dawn and wondered why I do
Admitting to feeling hopeless and confused, questioning the point of living
Well I have wondered why I live
Acknowledging existential doubt and questioning the meaning of their existence
Now I know you must forgive
Recognizing the need for forgiveness, either from another person or within oneself
Let me stand inside your magic shadow
Desiring to be enveloped in someone's protection and love
The night is coming faster
Feeling a sense of urgency or impending danger
And you're feeling all unchained
Feeling liberated and empowered, possibly due to the presence of the person being addressed in the song
In the north there is a jungle
Referencing a specific location to evoke a sense of danger and wildness
Where rockets are aflame
Describing a scene of chaos and potential destruction
And I hope that in the desert
Expressing hope for relief and refreshment in a place of emotional emptiness
There are ships and there is noise
Imagining a lively and bustling scene in an otherwise barren place
And above the greatest city
Elevating a place of prominence and importance
There will shine a magic shadow
Imagining a powerful and comforting presence that provides guidance and protection
And a voice
Suggesting that the person being addressed in the song is the owner of the voice and the source of the magic shadow
It's taking long but I'm getting strong as I grow old
Reflecting on the process of growing stronger and more resilient with time and experience
Please believe me let the magic reach me and I will unfold
Asking for trust and acceptance in order to become one's true self
I'll step aboard with you onday
Expressing a desire to join the person and embark on a journey together
And see my dust just melt away
Imagining the effects of being cleansed and purified by the person's love and influence
And then I'll step inside your magic shadow
Returning to the longing for protection and comfort provided by the person in the song
Dreamers...
Placing emphasis on the imaginative and wistful nature of the song
Ooooh...ooooooh...ooooooohhhhhhh
Reinforcing the dreamy and emotional quality of the song
Magic shadows
Referencing the title of the song and wrapping up the themes of protection, guidance, and self-discovery
Have you seen, have you seen
Asking if others have experienced the same yearning and search for purpose that is present in the song
Have you seen magic shadows
Asking if others have found their own source of guidance and protection
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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?